Saturday, July 17, 2021

Love in the Backyard

My plans to make some progress on my fourth book were rudely interrupted today by romance.

As I sat at the computer, my eye caught a movement outside of the window.


     A tom turkey was squatted on the ground, wings extended, and tail rising to full fan. Nearby was a female. He rose and approached her, and I managed to snap a picture or two, but then they faded into the woods and I heard distant gobble-gobbling.

     A few minutes went by and I settled back to my writing (ironically, a scene when my character discovers an attractive man she hadn’t noticed before) but then the lovers emerged again. 

     This time the hen looked vaguely interested, and stood still as he traveled around her, one circle, then another closer circle, so she could appreciate him in all his magnificence. Then the plot thickened. A third turkey appeared from the woods, spreading his tailfeathers. A menage a trois? But within seconds it all fell apart.

     She turned away, her suitors' tail feathers drooped, and she made a run for it, full-tilt across the backyard, with both males in hot pursuit.

     Can you blame her?

 

9 comments:

  1. I hope she got away. A surprising number of birds do not understand that no means no.

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  2. Ah, love! I wonder if she was overwhelmed with all that fancy tail work or not. I do hope somebody got lucky. :-)

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  3. Making a run for it? Or running away to give her time to choose?

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  4. When you can't decide, it is best to withdraw.

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  5. Well, I suppose even wild turkeys need some lovin'. We have a good dozen or so right out here in our yard almost daily. They take turns showing up with the bears and deer. Your profile caught my attention as I, too, am from western MA. Born & raised up there on the outskirts of the 5 college area, I'm now a transplant to the Carolina hills. Nice to meet/read you!

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    1. So glad you’ve joined us here! Welcome!
      It’s fun to connect with people from places you know I’ve run into one blogger who grew up where I did in Arlington, Va. and another who’s from an area in Florida that I know well and he now lives in London - where I lived briefly as a teen.

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  6. I'm sure that's not the end of THAT story!

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    1. Yeah, there could be a follow-up if I see a string of turkey chicks trail across the yard.

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