All-white wild turkey in Barnstable is a showstopper, says Times photographer

Let’s talk turkey. 2024 has been a good year for the bird, both ones piled high in the grocery store freezer and the wild variety pecking their way around just about every Cape neighborhood.

For the shrink-wrapped ones awaiting a Thursday morning roasting, good news. USA Today reporter Eric Lagatta writes that prices are down compared to last year as the market recovers from inflation and limited production from avian influenza. Indeed, they are: this intrepid photojournalist was able to procure this year’s holiday bird, a 24-pounder, at a local grocery chain for 47 cents a pound. Piling the rest of the big day’s supplies into the cart provided a bit more sticker shock, but worth it for a holiday whose main attraction is a table full of comfort food.

Turkey time doesn’t end at the grocery store in November. There is nothing like a good turkey photo as a timely image. Forty years ago, when on photo patrol, the sight of a wild turkey on the side of the road would produce a hard stop and quick dash with a long lens to make a photo. It was a rare sight.

Turkey dinner: 200 ticks a day

The state’s website tells the story of Mass Wildlife biologists trapping 37 turkeys in New York State back in the 1970s and releasing them in the Berkshires. A most successful effort. Today it is rare to drive anywhere on the Cape and not see a couple of them. The bird Ben Franklin wanted to be our national bird appears quite content here. Looking prehistoric as they roost in trees at night, each morning they gather up their flock scratching through front lawns and woods. Wild Birds Unlimited says an adult bird may eat up to 200 ticks a day as they make their way through the suburbs.

The local turkey clan that wanders my neighborhood has a showstopper. One of the birds is all-white. It has been around for several years and can often be found along Route 6A just east of the intersection with Route 132. Recently it has been a part of my daily leaf removal operation, which usually starts just before dusk. The group is not tame, keeping their distance, but also doesn’t seem bothered by an old guy with an old bed sheet and a rake joining them in scratching the grass. They come within about 20 feet. I keep a camera handy, they are amenable to posing before growing bored with the process. As darkness settles in, they lumber into flight preferring an old oak for their nighttime perch.

I doubt they sense one of their farmyard relatives is thawing in my refrigerator, but we all get along, and it is nice to have company this time of year, which is what Thanksgiving is all about.

Thanks to our subscribers, who help make this coverage possible. If you are not a subscriber, please consider supporting quality local journalism with a Cape Cod Times subscription. Here are our subscription plans.

This article originally appeared on Cape Cod Times: Wild turkeys once rare, now backyard company for Times photographer