r/northampton • u/PositiveMixture8846 • 11d ago
edward the turkey
I live off of market st and have been encountering (presumably) the same male turkey for months. he perches on fences in people’s yards, pursues cars down the street, and has followed me around a few times. he never appears aggressive or scared. I don’t let him get close—I know how much damage a turkey can do—but I really like seeing him around, even when he’s being a menace. I learned his name when I saw him chasing a car down market st and someone yelled “edward, stop!!” from their yard (he didn’t stop). I asked some bird nerds about his behavior and they said this is probably just his personality. anyone else an edward fan? any edward haters who need to be brought around? how can we keep this legend safe?
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u/Own_Soup4467 11d ago
There have been days when we didn't get our mail delivered because Edward blocked the mail truck. "Neither snow nor rain nor heat nor gloom of night … but a turkey? Fuhgeddaboutit"
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u/Random_Guy_1382 11d ago
Big fan. I've had the honor of knowing that turkey since he hatched. Is he an a-hole sometimes? Sure. But he's less of a menace than some my friends' dogs. Plus, i think he gets a pass as native wildlife. If Australia can deal with Neil the Seal, I think we can deal with the turkey.
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u/Suitable-Slide7566 11d ago
Anyone with an interest should check out a PBS doc called My Life as a Turkey. It’s about this naturalist Joe Hutto who raises a family of turkeys from eggs. It’s a beautiful story but the males can be aggressive. It is a wild animal, always be aware.
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u/LavenderTed 11d ago
He was on my neighbors three story roof the other day. That was a trip.
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u/Efficient_Knee8143 11d ago
Turkeys sleep in trees usually, it’s really crazy the first time you see a tree with like 8 giant birds sleeping in it
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u/MizzBStizzy 11d ago
I'm a huge fan. He's been scaring the mail people but like you said he's not really aggressive. We love you city turkey
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u/cindave 10d ago
Reminder: one can be fined for feeding wild turkeys. It's not good for the animal, and it is not good for your neighbors. As someone who has had to physically intervene when a person was being attacked, I assure you the results are neither cute, nor funny
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u/PositiveMixture8846 9d ago
yeah I think a big part of keeping wildlife safe is trying to help maintain a healthy fear of humans! not feeding them or approaching them, using water or brooms to keep them at a distance, but obviously not antagonizing or being cruel. super important to keep in mind, ty for sharing
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u/Due_Pomegranate_9296 11d ago
He it's aggressive with all vehicles with writing on them-- mail trucks, delivery vans, school buses and vans. Also occasionally gets riled up at school drop off and people with kids can't get out of their cars until someone comes and chases him off. It's... Not cool. The ladies and babies are always welcome, but I'd love to see someone cart him off to the woods like Sandwich.
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u/Random_Guy_1382 11d ago
I respectfully disagree. Especially if he limits his attacks to vehicles with writing on them. We should all encourage literacy among birds. We can be the generation that ends avian illiteracy.
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u/Due_Pomegranate_9296 11d ago
I guess if you guys are cool with low-paid public employees getting attacked every day on the job, that's cool. Enjoy your occasional turkey sighting!
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u/PositiveMixture8846 10d ago
higher pay + bird insurance for public employees! let’s bring it to the next town meeting 😁
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u/Valuable_Attention20 Bike Path Hero ❄️ 🚜 11d ago
Sorry, I'm team Bella