Out of the Wild: Turkeys in Downtown Crossing

After work yesterday, on my way to the Irish Film Festival, I came up from the subway to find a wild turkey roaming around Downtown Crossing (our historical shopping district in Boston and home to the original Filene's Basement, which, sniffle, closed last year). I know wild turkeys have been spotted on Boston Common before, and in other public green spaces around the city, but this was definitely a first for me — and apparently everyone else around me who caught sight of the brave bird strutting down Summer Street between the skyscrapers.

It reminded me of the coyotes spotted in NYC last year, in Central Park and in the subway system, and how as we continue to encroach and consume the natural habitats of so many wild animals, some of them are rapidly adapting to our urban lifestyle.

Sad, but also fascinating.

Story, photo & video: Copyright 2011, Shoestring LLC.