On Wednesday a wild turkey was spotted in the Newton Booth neighborhood...and not the sort you find at the Round Corner, but the feathered kind, at the corner of 27th and V in the field across from the old Newton Booth school. According to neighborhood resident Morris Lum:

"a turkey was spotted at the vacant lot at 27th Vst
it flew up the tree
and walked across the freeway ramp and back
he's peck'n around the grass
watch out for the big claws

wed 6pm

I put out a plate of mashed potaoes and cranberries
for it to eat . . . : )"

Wildlife isn't unknown in Midtown, mostly creatures like opossums, skunks, and the occasional raccoon. A wild turkey is something kind of unusual around here, and maybe a bit special. Ben Franklin once argued the idea that the wild turkey would make a better national bird for the United States than the bald eagle:

"I am on this account not displeased that the Figure is not known as a Bald Eagle, but looks more like a Turkey. For the Truth the Turkey is in Comparison a much more respectable Bird, and withal a true original Native of America . . . He is besides, though a little vain & silly, a Bird of Courage, and would not hesitate to attack a Grenadier of the British Guards who should presume to invade his Farm Yard with a red Coat on."
 

Photos by Morris Lum