turkey trot

Yesterday I finally got myself to drive in costume (as "runner") to where I run. This is a beautiful landscape with pretty much no dogs, almost no traffic, and a gravel road with views of the mountains and a long field filled with pale mares. GORgeous. Decided NOT to do my little "getting to 5K" routine but just do the usual run 3 min, walk 1, repeat, gig. Fine.

At the very start, during my warmup walk I spied a turkey.

(Technically this is and others are from our property, spring 2009, but you get the picture.)

Then a few more.

(dig the freaky pale one!)

Then more; a brown river of turkeys was flowing in front of me.

They were clearly alarmed by my presence, and their group was divided by the road, so ones on my right were rushing for safe places to slide under fencing to rejoin their group. I took my earbuds out 'cause I figured they'd be chatting mightily via their (not so) little contact calls (my presumption re: function of calls). I was not disappointed, and stopped walking to calm them. And to absorb this event.

They are charming, and seemingly very attached to one another.

Finally, after much anxiety, panicked chortling, and mistrusting glances my way, the splinter group scuttled across the road and up the hill to reunite. I counted 24 in all.

They are beautiful. I do enjoy them in and of themselves, but, they do NOT belong here--not native west of the Sierras. This is a huge pet peeve of mine that Fish and Game is paid $$$ to plant NON-NATIVE species which compete with and potentially spread disease to NATIVE species including, oh, I don't know, the STATE BIRD?!?! (California quail, a ground-dwelling bird like the turkey) among others, plus who knows what they're doing to the invertebrate population (which did not evolve with these HUGE creatures), the stability of the litter layer, etc.

(Studs Turkey)

So, I don't dislike them (the turkeys or F&G). I think they're just trying to get along. But I deeply dislike this policy.

How is it okay? I'd really like to see an EIS for this...

Anyhow, that's one of the things I thought about as I then trotted down the trail to see my other running companions, the stunning grey mares. I will work on bringing a SMALL camera along 'cause this place is gorgeous, and I really should share. =)

In the mean time, this has been another (phew, somewhat cathartic!) installment of...

the biobabbler