Here’s a lovely 52-minute PBS nature documentary that aired in 2011 (h/t Debi). Instead of thinking of turkeys as comestibles today, this will show you how they live real lives in the wild. It’s a wonderful video of a naturalist who, raising a passel of wild turkeys from eggs to adult, is allowed a fantastic and informative glimpse into the lives of birds that nobody thinks about.
Here is the PBS description:
After a local farmer left a bowl of eggs on Joe Hutto’s front porch, his life was forever changed. Hutto, possessing a broad background in the natural sciences and an interest in imprinting young animals, incubated the eggs and waited for them to hatch. As the chicks emerged from their shells, they locked eyes with an unusual but dedicated mother.
Deep in the wilds of Florida’s Flatlands, Hutto spent each day living as a turkey mother, taking on the full-time job of raising sixteen turkey chicks. Hutto dutifully cared for his family around the clock, roosting with them, taking them foraging, and immersing himself in their world. In the process, they revealed their charming curiosity and surprising intellect. There was little he could teach them that they did not already know, but he showed them the lay of the land and protected them from the dangers of the forest as best he could. In return, they taught him how to see the world through their eyes.
Based on his true story, My Life as a Turkey chronicles Hutto’s remarkable and moving experience of raising a group of wild turkey hatchlings to adulthood.
YouTube notes that “My Life as a Turkey” premiered on November 16, 2011. There’s more information on this page, inbcluding a Q&A with Joe Hutto.
This looks great!
Indeed, these birds surprise me all the time – there are a number of … families?… that roam my area and beyond … they can JUMP… they can get WAY UP in trees… and they get enormous by just eating whatever the tiny bits are that they find on the ground… they have personalities too – the sibling rivalries…
And “gobble gobble gobble” is an accurate bird call!
I watched it last night, and this was the 2nd time that I’d enjoyed watching it.
The painful part for me was seeing all the awesome Florida insects and spiders being taken by these feathered dinosaurs. “Oh no! Not the Golden Orbweaver!”
The ending is worth the wait.
I watched this many years ago when it came out. Very moving.
Where I work, in the woods in Wisconsin, and get to walk along the roads, this summer and fall several turkey families appearred. Really did not interact with them but saw them with their moms, and that was a pleasure. Watched the teenage turkeys fly across the road as I came near.
Joe and his first wife were very close friends, 44 years ago in Lander, Wyoming. They’re responsible for us being together and I’m delighted to see this on PBS again.
Video not available in my country.
But I found another copy on YouTube;
https://youtu.be/KJSotl79Bfs?si=FDAKMvHY8qSgfZRq