The great Turkules has wattled off into the sunset. The bird was reportedly relocated to Wharton State Park after ruling the roost near Daughters of Israel for the past few weeks.
If you’ve read The New York Times story about this ongoing saga, then you’ve likely seen the infamous dangling-dart image that summed up the wild turkey’s determination to remain uncaptured. The photograph was taken by West Orange resident and photographer, Jill Weiss.
“I live a few blocks away and decided to look for him,” Weiss said. “The rest is history.”
Weiss, who captures local wildlife with her Nikon D500 using a Sigma 150-600 lens, was hoping the township would leave the bird alone and put up a Turkey Crossing sign to warn motorists.
“This has had a positive impact on our community,” Weiss said. “We’re living in such turbulent times, and this bird has distracted people from all the negativity in the world.”
See more of Jill Weiss’s photographs here.
