I am a newcomer to Maine, and enjoy the wild turkeys and other wildlife in this uninhabited region of Maine, near the Canadian border.

     When I moved up here a few years ago, I remember seeing a cardboard sign that said, TURKEY XING, near a farmers field.  I then read  the State of Maine was placing wild pairs of breeding turkeys on farm fields, hoping to get them to return to this area.

      Later, I watched a family of about 30 turkeys take to the air.  I never realized that wild turkeys could fly.  I had watched the comedy TV show called, WKRP in Cincinnati, where farm bred turkeys were dropped from a helicopter, and they are so fat, they can't fly.

     Wild turkeys are also very aggressive, and these five turkeys came out to my van on rural Route 1, and blocked traffic for a few minutes, as tourists took pictures, finally moving when a large truck rumbled by.

     Benjamin Franklin wanted the wild turkey to become the national bird, but those who favored the bald eagle won out.  From watching this video, I can see why Franklin admired the turkey.  They certainly have some of the same, strong, aggressive qualities that enabled people to survive on this North American continent for thousands of years.