by Linda Conte in Wildlife sightings
Posted on June 2, 2009 at 10:08 pm
Last Modified on July 12, 2009 at 9:55 pm
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I kid you not. There is a momma hen (Turkey) wandering around here. She had seven chicks about a week ago, but yesterday I only saw one. I’ve seen racoons, opossum and snakes in Somerville, and every siting is kind of a pleasant surprise. The famous early Modern poet Gerard Manley Hopkins wrote that “nature is never spent.” I hope he’s right! A few years ago, I saw a hawk take a squirrel on my back fence. Now that’s wild!
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So I’m not alone! That momma hen has been frequenting my backyard for several months now.
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I saw a turkey strolling down the sidewalk along Central Street in the middle of the day a couple of years ago. Maybe we can make Somerville a wildlife lovers’ destination.
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Yup, I saw a hawk flying over the bike path just yesterday. They’ve done a great job reducing the pigeon population. I had a turkey in my back yard a few winters back, but I thought it had just strayed here. I wonder where it’s nesting! I’ve also seen bats recently, no doubt feasting on the current bumper crop of mosquitoes.
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We had a couple of wild turkeys waddle up our (intensely urban) driveway on a Sunday morning a few years ago. When my husband called the police to ask if we should do something, the reply was, “Oh, so they’ve made it to Cherry Street.” Apparently, the turkeys had come home to roost long before.
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I just saw the momma turkey and her baby in my neighbor’s yard (Liberty Ave. behind Powderhouse Park). Crazy! A single grown turkey would be odd, but a baby means there’s a population of turkeys living and reproducing here. Who knew!
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The Trickettes saw a pair of raccoons at the corner of Liberty and Foskett about a month ago; maybe they’re part of the Turkey Control Force.
I can’t imagine the skunks are.
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We’re on Foskett Street. A few summers ago, a pack of EIGHT raccoons were regulars to our backyard (one this summer, so far). We also have had WOODCHUCKS, possum, and skunks. Hawks make regular killings at our backyard feeder.
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Very good! Once turkey is in season, this should be excellent eating.
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Assuming you’re serious for a moment, how wholesome would a city-fed turkey be? Also, I’m pretty sure there are laws protecting wildlife in the city (since the exterminator could not do in the skunk living under my house nor the squirrels in my attic).
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As long as the turkey is healthy, it should be fine to eat. In point of fact it is likely healthier than a wild turkey due to fewer opportunities for parasite transmission.
There are laws restricting the relocation of wildlife, as well as using firearms in Somerville. There do not seem to be any city ordinances protecting wildlife from being hunted in Somerville.
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A minor point: what you have here is a “sighting.” If the City designates part of the bike path as a turkey park, that will be a “siting”! (And a surprise, too!) Thanks for sharing the neighborhood news.
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I was wondering when someone would note the spelling error! I kept looking at it cockeyed and couldn’t think what was right. Thanks!
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