It's that time of year when people's thoughts turn to selecting turkeys for the oven. Four turkeys are currently roaming around our garden, scraping the ground with their talons and pecking. But they need have no fear of being plucked and roasted on Christmas Day, not only because I don't eat meat, but also because they are Australian brush turkeys, which are a protected species. The old joke goes: Put a scrub turkey in a pot with a stone, boil for many hours, then throw out the bird and eat the stone! However, a few generations back people did eat brush turkeys and considered them tasty, rather like pheasant.
They are the most comical birds to watch. They strut with the haughtiness of a small-town alderman, then suddenly, without warning, run frantically as if being chased by invisible demons. The poor male works hard tending the huge mound of soil that forms the nest where the females lay their eggs. He constantly ensures it stays at the right temperature. Be on the watch out for him stealing your mulch or compost to add to this mound. While he is preoccupied with incubation, his wives are free to wreak havoc and destruction around the rest of the garden. One morning I awoke to find two female brush turkeys perched high in our stand of bananas, eating the unripe fruit. They came back day after day despite all warnings, fruity language and threats of the cooking pot!
I enjoy painting them, especially trying to capture their pomposity and madness. The picture here is part of a series called Parliament of Fowls. Which politician does this remind you of?
Whatever you eat for Christmas lunch this year, I wish you a very happy Christmas and good health and happiness in the New Year! Thank you for your support during 2024.
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