Occassionally over the years I've see him standing guard at a busy intersection in Old Tappan as I drove past; I'd watch with curiosity, bewilderment and some fear for his safety. But keeping up his reappearances after all this time has certainly proven himself one old, cranky bird!
And I mean that seriously. Clearly he's not there to help anyone cross the road, he's there to make sure they don't.
Today I sat at the traffic light (hoping it would not turn green!) and got a pretty good laugh as I saw him spread his wings, harrassing a police officer that had stopped by (to protect him? to gawk at him like I was and take pictures?) The cop was in his SUV in the middle of the road, allowing traffic to pass him in both directions, as the turkey pecked on the drivers side door with all feathers fanned out. It was like the most beautiful life size Thanksgiving decoration I'd ever seen!! I was like, "Hey, I have salt and pepper shakers that look like that." Ha!
Unfortunately, I wasn't able to catch Cranky Mr. Turkey in his fanned out glory but I did capture these shots-- from very far away. I pulled over at the church on the corner and used my auto zoom to get upclose. And then I saw him peck at a car driving by and RUN with the car as it drove away... And then I took a few more steps back. Careful to stay in very close range of my car!
But anyway, this turkey is so funny. For years he has been stalking this interesection, probably there should be a human crossing guard since there is a school a block away, but I have a feeling Cranky Mr. Turkey has replaced that position. I don't always see him when I go past his traffic light, but when I do see him, he stalks his post regularly for a few weeks at least. Oddly, this intersection is located in one of the busiest spots in town, with long established suburban sprawl on three sides. He is nothing if not determined, brave and bossy.
Trivia Fact #1: Did you know that Benjamin Franklin wanted a wild turkey to be the national emblem of the United States? (y'know, instead of a bald eagle?) Well apparently one of the reasons it was voted down was because wild turkeys are supposed to be so damn vicious. One minute watching this bird and I can attest, yes, they are!
Trivia Fact #2: I learned trivia fact #1 in Middle School Social Studies, High School Social Studies and (four times) in a random College Art Class (my prof was senile and repeated himself often.) And each time a teacher told us it was as if no one ever knew that piece of trivia! So trivia fact #2 is that apparently trivia fact #1 is pretty widely known. Now you know.
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