Apsley Voice - Page 3

**Literature and Wild Turkeys**
Things I'd Like to See © 2004 Barrie P. Richardson Mosquitoes that only bit black flies A crow that could sing real song A ‘coon that came only When the squirrels got lonely And Strawberries all summer long Of boats I am wishin’ They tow skiers and boarders astern Or went peacefully fishin’ Then I’d not be wishing They had no fuel and power to burn. I’d like to see weeds That are pretty with flowery regalia That do not need attention And also I’d mention The deer would not eat my new Dahlia. I’d like sunny weather That happened on weekends in summer A slight evening rain Would cause me no pain Sunshine only on week-day’s a bummer. I’d like more space on the road Fewer cars and big trucks I’m behind To get to my lake With hands that don’t shake Needing four double rums to unwind. Not that there’s anything wrong With four drinks that give one a new glow Just to sit on the beach With a glass full of Screech Makes the world seem more pleasantly slow. I’d like to see Bar-B-Q smoke Propane gas is for genteel red necks Charring meat on the grill Can only bring thrill When you bite into a burger that schmecks. I’d outlaw the cell-phone and pager They only bother and stress without pity These pesky devices Spoil cottage-time vices Foiling our get-away from the city Only one more thing I would see Is less obsession with one’s property If my dog makes a pile On your patio tile You are welcome to pee on my tree. The big wish I have Is to change when the seasons call by Nine months summer in all Two months of great Fall No more Winter and Spring in July.	Wild Turkeys by June Hitchcox There have been several sightings of Wild Turkeys in the Jack's Lake area and many other places as well. They are big birds, the hens about 36" long and the males about 48". Wild-caught birds from the States were finally successfully reintroduced in the 1980's in Southern Ontario and the ones being seen around here have probably come from Trenton. Destruction of timber habitat, some severe winters and hunting pressures had led to their expiration by about 1909 in Ontario. The Domestic Turkey was derived from the wild bird. Various conflicting information states that the tails of the Wild Turkey is tipped with chestnut brown and the Domestic with whitish feathers, at least in the east. The preferred habitat by these wary, secretive birds is in large deciduous forests with open spaces where they are able to forage on the ground for seeds, nuts and insects. In the early Spring, listen for the "gobble" call of the male, heard up to a mile away, in his attempt to attract as many as 10 hens to his harem. Nests, on the ground, with 8 to 16 eggs in dense cover, are difficult to find. Later, hens with their broods, feeding in open places, are easier to see. The young stay with their mothers until the following Spring. Wild Turkeys roost in trees at night. They are able to fly strongly for short distances but prefer to run from danger. This is the second last year of the Breeding Bird Atlas. Data is showing increases in some species and decline in others. Suitable habitat will hopefully be set aside for those having problems. Thanks again for your phone calls. Please continue to let me know what you are seeing in the world of birds. Local Cottager Publishes Novel Author Jack King has published his first novel, The Fifth Internationale, with Dorchester Publishing, which is now available for sale in bookstores worldwide. Having grown up in Europe, Jack now resides in Toronto throughout the winter months and spends May to October here at his cottage on Anstruther Lake. For more information about the novel, go to www.fifthinternationale.com. Congratulations on your accomplishment Jack, we wish you well in ... all that secret stuff you can't talk about.

Wild Turkeys

by June Hitchcox

There have been several sightings of Wild Turkeys in the Jack's Lake area and many other places as well. They are big birds, turkeys

the hens about 36" long and the males about 48". Wild-caught birds from the States were finally successfully reintroduced in the 1980's in Southern Ontario and the ones being seen around here have probably come from Trenton. Destruction of timber habitat, some severe winters and hunting pressures had led to their expiration by about 1909 in Ontario. The Domestic Turkey was derived from the wild bird. Various conflicting information states that the tails of the Wild Turkey is tipped with chestnut brown and the Domestic with whitish feathers, at least in the east. The preferred habitat by these wary, secretive birds is in large deciduous forests with open spaces where they are able to forage on the ground for seeds, nuts and insects. In the early Spring, listen for the "gobble" call of the male, heard up to a mile away, in his attempt to attract as many as 10 hens to his harem. Nests, on the ground, with 8 to 16 eggs in dense cover, are difficult to find. Later, hens with their broods, feeding in open places, are easier to see. The young stay with their mothers until the following Spring. Wild Turkeys roost in trees at night. They are able to fly strongly for short distances but prefer to run from danger.

This is the second last year of the Breeding Bird Atlas. Data is showing increases in some species and decline in others. Suitable habitat will hopefully be set aside for those having problems. Thanks again for your phone calls. Please continue to let me know what you are seeing in the world of birds.

Local Cottager Publishes Novel

Author Jack King has published his first novel, The Fifth Internationale, with Dorchester Publishing, which is now available for sale in bookstores worldwide. Having grown up in Europe, Jack now resides in Toronto throughout the winter months and spends May to October here at his cottage on Anstruther Lake. For more information about the novel, go to www.fifthinternationale.com. Congratulations on your accomplishment Jack, we wish you well in ... all that secret stuff you can't talk about.