My Life as a Turkey

This special was featured on the PBS Nature program recently. My daughter and I often watch these Mature shows. They are extremely well done, the video is exceptional and in today's HD world the shows are usually as good as one would have seen on a movie screen.

In this show we see the unique story of Joe Hutto a naturalist who has been left a hatful of turkey eggs. Seeing this as an opportunity to attempt to get the turkey's to imprint on him Hutto is ready when the eggs crack. In fact he is communicating with chirps before the birds even hatch hearing them respond from inside the shell.

H is successful, when the birds are born they do adopt him as their mother. What follows over the course of the next year is nothing short of amazing. The birds adopt him fully. He spends the day with them from dawn to after dark. He teaches them how to perch. He walks them thru the woods. They crawl on him, sleep on him and nuzzle him.

Over the course of the year the flock loses a few members. Joe develops favorites including Sweet Pea who loves to nuzzle long after the other birds have grown more independent. Another favorite is Turkey Boy, the most boisterous of the males who stays with Joe after all the others have moved on but who is also the bird present for the culmination of Joe's year with the birds.

This is a great show. The Nature program is consistently strong, PBS is a network we often enjoy.