Have you seen the PBS film, "My Life as a Turkey", the story of nationally acclaimed naturalist and wild-life artist Jim Hutto and his baby turkeys? This most excellent and professionally-done documentary was produced by Passion Pictures. The film story is based on Hutto's popular book: Illumination in the Flatlands: A Season with the Wild Turkey. The book also includes Hutto's drawings.
The good news is that you may order the movie and the book; or you may watch it on your computer merely by accessing!! (Go to pbs.com, then type "My Life as a Turkey" into their search bar) Also you will find a page of 161 rave reviews--and other similar review pages-- most interesting things to read. Uh-oh, one negative guy! Not to worry!
The story is this, briefly. Jim Hutto was living in a cozy little shack deep in theFlorida
Hatching time came; he placed an egg on the table and two feet away at the edge of the table at eye level he kept repeating softly to the egg: "Per-rup, per-rup, per-rup..." The egg broke open, a tiny, wobbly baby turkey emerged into the dazzling light, all the while trying to open his eyes, and headed straight for the "per-rup" sounds--his mama. He cozied up to Hutto and fifteen more followed in due time. He was the mother to sixteen baby turkeys, a job which over the next two years would require his undivided attention 24/7. These birds needed love, attention, and not-the-least...protection, juicy morsels as they were.
As they grew into young turkeys, Joe and the maturing birds tippy-toed and romped through the woods and swamps--the inquisitive, curious little turkeys (reminding one of dogs on a walk) scarfing every grasshopper they saw on weeds and stalks--so fast that they were a blur!
Parenthetically, may I insert that the camera work and the whole production by Passion Pictures and Nature--is superb. It is a re-creation of the original story from the 1990's and follows the story in Hutto's book. I wondered how the wild baby turkeys seemed to ignore the camera.
Back to our birds - when they got to be "teen-agers," so to speak, they found their wings and the joy of roosting relatively safely up in a pine tree nearby. They flew up there and the next thing we know, Joe, the good mama that he is, can be seen silhouetted up on a big branch with turkeys all around him.
The sad day came when they become adults and finally left to start their own families...except for two: the gentle female Sweet Pea, always a snuggler, and Turkey Boy. He and Turkey Boy were like brothers. I won't say anymore--you"ll have to watch it.
Jim learned a lot of lessons from this experience--I'm not sure he is able to put them all into words. (You will definitely want to Google and hear his interview.) His closeness to these creatures---almost like being one of them, seemed to leave a profound impression on him. Already accustomed to wildlife, he had a natural affinity for his role as "turkey mama." He sort of learned their language. (They say that scientists have identified 30 separate and distinct turkey sounds.) He sees in them something far deeper than most humans would ever suspect. He says they have honed their knowledge and survival skills over millions of years. In some ways, they are sharper and more intelligent than humans.
Jim seemed to feel some kind of a spiritual bond and kinship with them, not being just their "mama," but also their brother.
The reasons I liked this story are several---but one is---that it does us good to get out of our thinking ruts, get away from a lot of this TV (aren't you tired of all the stuff?) and deal with some other things on the planet...like our friends and co-inhabiters-- the animals! Perhaps there is more to the human/animal relationship here on earth, than we have yet fathomed.
The good news is that you may order the movie and the book; or you may watch it on your computer merely by accessing!! (Go to pbs.com, then type "My Life as a Turkey" into their search bar) Also you will find a page of 161 rave reviews--and other similar review pages-- most interesting things to read. Uh-oh, one negative guy! Not to worry!
The story is this, briefly. Jim Hutto was living in a cozy little shack deep in the
Hatching time came; he placed an egg on the table and two feet away at the edge of the table at eye level he kept repeating softly to the egg: "Per-rup, per-rup, per-rup..." The egg broke open, a tiny, wobbly baby turkey emerged into the dazzling light, all the while trying to open his eyes, and headed straight for the "per-rup" sounds--his mama. He cozied up to Hutto and fifteen more followed in due time. He was the mother to sixteen baby turkeys, a job which over the next two years would require his undivided attention 24/7. These birds needed love, attention, and not-the-least...protection, juicy morsels as they were.
As they grew into young turkeys, Joe and the maturing birds tippy-toed and romped through the woods and swamps--the inquisitive, curious little turkeys (reminding one of dogs on a walk) scarfing every grasshopper they saw on weeds and stalks--so fast that they were a blur!
Parenthetically, may I insert that the camera work and the whole production by Passion Pictures and Nature--is superb. It is a re-creation of the original story from the 1990's and follows the story in Hutto's book. I wondered how the wild baby turkeys seemed to ignore the camera.
Back to our birds - when they got to be "teen-agers," so to speak, they found their wings and the joy of roosting relatively safely up in a pine tree nearby. They flew up there and the next thing we know, Joe, the good mama that he is, can be seen silhouetted up on a big branch with turkeys all around him.
The sad day came when they become adults and finally left to start their own families...except for two: the gentle female Sweet Pea, always a snuggler, and Turkey Boy. He and Turkey Boy were like brothers. I won't say anymore--you"ll have to watch it.
Jim learned a lot of lessons from this experience--I'm not sure he is able to put them all into words. (You will definitely want to Google and hear his interview.) His closeness to these creatures---almost like being one of them, seemed to leave a profound impression on him. Already accustomed to wildlife, he had a natural affinity for his role as "turkey mama." He sort of learned their language. (They say that scientists have identified 30 separate and distinct turkey sounds.) He sees in them something far deeper than most humans would ever suspect. He says they have honed their knowledge and survival skills over millions of years. In some ways, they are sharper and more intelligent than humans.
Jim seemed to feel some kind of a spiritual bond and kinship with them, not being just their "mama," but also their brother.
The reasons I liked this story are several---but one is---that it does us good to get out of our thinking ruts, get away from a lot of this TV (aren't you tired of all the stuff?) and deal with some other things on the planet...like our friends and co-inhabiters-- the animals! Perhaps there is more to the human/animal relationship here on earth, than we have yet fathomed.
Turkey drawings by Jim Hutto
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By Mil, 3/19/12
Sent from my iPad
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