Feb 2, 2018 3 min read

In response to your article, “Fowl Play in Chartiers,” which appeared Jan. 24, I would like to add my take on this magnificent, beautiful and harmless bird.

I believe your “Homer” is actually “Fife Farm Freddie,” who grew up on Fife Farm, off of Thompsonville Road in McMurray, and has lived in this area for nearly three years.

I read of his traits you describe in your article, and they are exact replicas of what we have been seeing in him over the past few years. In his youth, while maturing from “Jake” to “Gobbler,” he stayed in the immediate area and appeared nearly every morning and evening.

From the vantage point of my home, I was able to observe “Freddie’s” interest in looking at his reflection in the side door of a parked vehicle. From this behavioral tic, he advanced to chasing vehicle wheels. He especially likes the large chrome ones that seem to be popular.

As time went on, he and I developed a kind of playtime together. I would spot him out in the field 100 or so yards away, give him a very poor imitation of a turkey’s gobble, and he would come running. He would follow along, as long as I would stay at his pace. About a year or so ago, he began to disappear for a while, then reappear again. About May or June, he went missing, until I saw him about a month ago controlling traffic on Old Washington Road, approximately a half-mile from my home. I suspect now that he has matured, he enjoys visiting with other turkey friends in the area.

It’s possible “Homer” is another bird in the traffic control business, but it is not unusual for wild turkeys to travel several miles per day, so I believe that “Homer” is actually “Freddie.”

I also have two suggestions for the Game Commission on what to do with Freddie and Homer, if Freddie is not, in fact, Homer:

• Do nothing, because the many times I’ve watched Freddie “controlling traffic” on Thompsonville Road, he has never caused a problem. In fact, every time I have been there, he has entertained the motorists. I can’t help but think this will cause people to drive more cautiously, and be aware of pedestrians and beautiful creatures, such as Freddie.
• Contact the Peters Township Planning Commission and have them use Freddie to train other turkeys the art of traffic control. They could save a lot of money by not having to install speed bumps all over the township roads. I can even envision the township removing the five piles of blacktop they’ve dumped across Thompsonville Road, restoring it to the nice smooth surface that it once was when I built here 14 years ago.

Tony Mikec

McMurray