ld see that it was a big bird (no, not Big Bird!) of about 2 to 2.5 feet high. It was running! Fast! It reminded me of seeing ostriches running on television documentaries. I was so shocked at the sight that I didn't even think about bringing my camera up and turning it on. After about five seconds, it got to an opening in the tree cover and took off. Fast! No manic flapping of wings like I've seen with pheasants. This thing had big wings and it was gone in about four flaps of its wings. I never really got a good look at its colors or its head. My first thought was that it must be a wild turkey from its size. But I've never seen a wild turkey take flight or even run. I've only seen them walking around in petting zoos.
By the time I'd gotten to where the bird had been, it was long gone. But a few of its tracks remained in the mud of the path. So, the first picture on the right is the impression it left in the mud. The second picture, on the left, shows my boot next to it for a size comparison. My boot is 13 inches long.As I looked around, I found a few other prints and measured the distance between them to see how long the bird's stride was. It was five and a half boot lengths long. That's almost six feet. The bird was really moving. I've included one more picture showing the stride. The bird's tracks are circled in red.
The puzzling part, to me, is the rear "toe". From all the pictures I've seen on the Web of wild turkeys, none have that prominent rear extension. So, I thought maybe it was a bird like a vulture or even an osprey that would have that opposing claw they use to grasp their prey. But I'd never heard of a raptor that could run like that. So, it remains a mystery. Most of the folks at work think it was a turkey. I may never know - it wasn't there when I went for my walk today. All I can say is I'm glad it was running away from me and not toward me.
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