A few days ago, a group of five wild turkeys wandered through the yard. It’s the first time I’ve seen them here. They came up from the abandoned house and were headed towards the highway.
This path took them through the neighbor’s yard, which is the territory of a local rooster. When he saw these strange creatures moving into his domain, he strolled across to investigate. The turkeys seemed mystified by the rooster, though it’s hard to believe they hadn’t seen one before.
They peered down on it, stooped to its level, flapped their wings at it, displayed their feathers. The rooster was unmoved. For his part, he seemed even more baffled than the turkeys, though he also appeared to have decided they were no threat to his territory. He just stared as the turkeys went through their repertoire.
Eventually, they went about their business of pecking for food. From time to time, the turkeys would go through their routine, but the rooster remained unimpressed. Eventually, the six of them wandered off toward the small macadamia nut orchard nearby, the turkeys still displaying, the rooster still off in his own world. The turkeys came back the next day, but haven’t been seen since.
And the headline? Those turkeys just look like aliens, peering down on the strange life form below them, just the way real aliens would probably look at us!
Graham's Island 
What a good story and, although it’s very Australian to go for the underdog, I’m glad it ended without bloodshed.
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It was really a very low key interaction but no less entertaining for that.
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For how nay years have wild turkeys been present on Hawai’i? Have they displaced other birds? Are they also present on the other islands?
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I read somewhere that they were introduced back in the late 1700s. They’re on all the islands but aren’t as numerous on Maui, Kaua‘i and O‘ahu as they are on the Big Island.
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Obviously birds don’t share a common language then, Graham? At least it ended peaceably.
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It was all very low key. Perhaps e could learn a thing or two from them!
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That was a brave rooster, standing up to a crowd of aliens bigger than him! Interesting encounter well captured!
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It was an entertaining encounter. I kind of miss the turkeys now that they seem to have moved on.
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