Courtship Over Coffee...

I woke up early to get a jump-start on some work. Just before dawn, I noticed that out on the ridge a rafter of wild turkeys had congregated. Normally I see them in the woods, bounding about like some kind of hunched over, prehistoric raptors. Today though, they were strutting and displaying their plumage in a courtly fashion. The steps and ruffles of feathers seemed part of an elaborate dance. The large, fanned out feathers caught the new morning light and made the creatures seem splendid. Sipping my morning coffee, I watched them for a long time – creatures puffing and crooning and doing their best to seduce and intimidate – wondering when I'd see gaggles of poults trailing behind.