Critters: This is no scrawny Missouri turkey

Spotting wildlife is always a thrill for me. Deer are as common as dogs here in Michigan. Yet, every time I see one – or usually a bunch of them – grazing on the side of the road or in a farm field, I stop to stare or at least slow down to rubber neck. I guess I’m fascinated by the fact that in many ways, these creatures live in another world with different rules and realities. Over the weekend, I added a new animal to my critter list. I was cycling along the Huron River when I just happened to look right and see something pop out of some bushes. At first, I thought it was a Canadian goose. But when I looked closer, I realized it was some kind of wild turkey. I’ve seen them before in other states. When I lived in central Missouri, I looked out of my apartment window one morning and spotted one pecking around a wooded area. It was a scraggly bird with a short neck, a distant cousin to the Butterball variety. But the one I saw over the weekend was really meaty looking. She had about five little chicks following her around, and my presence didn’t seem to worry her. I was able to get surprisingly close for a semi-decent mobile phone photo. As another cyclist approached, I pointed to the bird. Apparently unimpressed, the guy just said, “Yeah, it’s a turkey,” before riding on. I guess I’ve never outgrown my boyhood fascination with wildlife.