The Call Of The Wild

...is no longer very strong in these Turkeys. Calling these Turkeys wild is probably too generous. This rafter of about a dozen birds maintains a permanent camp near the feeders at the Madera Canyon Lodge in southeast Arizona. Madera Canyon is a wonderful birding hotspot, and all of the lodges, hotels, and B&Bs in the area keep plenty of stocked feeders, catering (does that count as a pun?) to the birders as much as the birds.

The steady supply of food and the perpetual adoration must have been too much for these Turkeys. They now lounge near the feeders and have a Thanksgiving feast every day, doomed never to roam the rocky foothills of the Santa Rita Mountains again. Looking at them now, one might not guess that these birds are capable of running 65 miles per hour.

They do have pretty impressive plumage. I like the semi-indescernable pile of turkeys in the background too. It sums up their cushy lifestyle pretty well.