On my last visit to Staten Island in the wake of Hurricane Sandy, I was stunned to see a flock of wild turkeys crossing Hylan Boulevard, one of the busiest thoroughfares in the entire borough. Such a sight would not perhaps raise an eyebrow in rural America, but the last thing one expects in New York City is a flock of turkeys crossing a busy street in a heavily populated area midday.

Virtually every news source has covered this story and reading about the birds, apparently they are not loved by neighborhood residents who find them a menace. The birds are very aggressive with a myriad of tales and complaints. Articles with titles such as: Turkeys Terrify Staten Island Residents Trap Woman in Car; Scourge of Staten Island: Turkeys terrorize residents as they roam neighborhood; Staten Island’s wild turkeys flourish despite Sandy’s woes; Wild Turkeys Get a Taste of Domesticity; Much to a Borough’s Chagrin, Staten Island Locals Fear Wild Turkeys!; Wild Turkeys Push Staten Island Homeowners to the Breaking Point, et. al.

Estimates of the turkeys numbers range in the hundreds. Officials say that the turkeys are not indigenous to the island. It is thought that the presence of wild turkeys in Staten Island dates back to 1999, when nine turkeys were released onto the grounds of the South Beach Psychiatric Center by a local resident who had held them in captivity.

As to dealing with the menace, The New York Times says:

The state has rejected efforts to transfer the flocks to more rural counties, where turkeys normally forage — but where the Staten Island flocks, officials fear, might not adjust well after acclimating to a human habitat. The Staten Island turkeys cannot be hunted, either, because they are protected with prescribed seasons and areas, none of which are within the city limits.

At this time of year, many Staten Island residents think like Allan Barnhardt: “I have the perfect spot for these turkeys. Right between my mashed potatoes and cranberry sauce.” However, hunting turkeys is illegal in New York City, and so, the birds, like many a New Yorker, walk through the city streets with attitude and a touch of arrogance. They’re not going to be on anyone’s plate this Thanksgiving. For now, the turkeys of Staten Island go Unfettered not Defeathered 🙂

More wild and unexpected animals in NYC: That Should Cover It, Lost in that Wool, Bronx Zoo, Warm and Fuzzy, Parrots, Rain Forest, Horsing Around, Albino Burmese Python

It was an invaluable lesson, but at that hour of the morning, I did not want a lesson. I wanted desperately to sleep. Oh Lord, I would do anything for sleep. The last thing I wanted to hear at that ungodly hour were diatribes about early birds and worms.

It was the late 1960s, and I needed a summer job. Unemployment was at record highs, and there were no jobs. So my father was able to arrange a summer job with his construction company. There was, however, a small hitch. It was located nearly 20 miles from home, he worked nights, and I had no vehicle. We were able to find someone in town who was traveling to work in the mornings to one of the companies’ other facilities. So, this meant 3 rides – the first to the man’s home, then a ride with him to one company location, and finally, a ride with a truck driver going to my final destination. This series of rides required getting up early. Real early.

My ride with the older man was torturous. I tried to nap, which he found comical and amusing. His need to lecture prevented me from sleeping. I was a captive audience with no options but to listen, struggling to keep my eyes open. The only thing I remember is his admonition that EARLY BIRD CATCHES THE WORM. But I was not an early bird, saw no value in being one, and had no interest in worms. Let others have the worms. Please, TAKE ALL THE WORMS AND LET ME SLEEP.

Much later in life, I came to learn the value of being an early riser and the joy in that quiet time before the morning rush. Although in a city like New York, there are certainly different styles, I also began to see rising early as one of the traits of the aggressor and as one key to many’s success.

Growing up in New England, I was certainly blessed with an array of bird species. However, the aggressors made themselves most well-known – crows, starlings, sparrows, and bluejays. But in New York City, in the harsh, competitive environment, the aggressors and survivors dominate.

Here, many of the birds which I see most commonly are the aggressors that I saw growing up in the countryside: starlings, sparrows, pigeons, and the occasional crow. However, today is the first time I recall ever seeing a bluejay in New York City. Bluejays are noisy and notorious trouble makers. They are aggressive to humans and other birds, which they have been known to attack or kill. They also have a reputation as thieves, stealing the eggs, chicks, and nests of other birds. Sounds like the character traits of many New Yorkers.

Diligent birders keep logbooks of their sightings. My logbook is one of aggressors and survivors and includes salesmen making cold calls, lawyers, real estate brokers, investment bankers, street hustlers, businessmen, rats, pigeons, squirrels, cockroaches, and those who look well -uited and/or have adapted for city life. Today, I round out my collection of sightings with the bluejay.

Be it birds, plants, animals, or people, the meek do not inherit New York’s earth, only the aggressors and survivors. On April 9, 2006, I wrote New York Survivor about the London Planetree, a good example of a survivor in New York City’s Sieve of Darwin.  It was, appropriately, on a London Planetree, that this morning I sighted my first bluejay and that he, like New York’s other aggressors, was up early, ready to Catch the Worm 🙂

It’s hard, but worth it. Read more of my take on city life in Unforgiving, Ye Who Enter Here, Steaming Masses of New York, I Know, Jungle Lovers, and Dwanna.