Homer the turkey returns to take over intersection, local homeowners trot away
Jon Andreassi
Homer chases a vehicle down Allison Hollow Road last week.
Homer the turkey stands in the middle of Allison Hollow Road last week.
They gave peace a chance, but one couple has given up trying to live with the wild turkey that roams a Chartiers Township intersection.
Once more, Homer the turkey has returned to the corner of Allison Hollow and McGovern roads. He certainly has his fans 鈥� a Facebook fan page has more than 1,400 followers 鈥� but these residents are not among them.
The husband and wife live near the intersection, and Homer鈥檚 antics have them packing their bags. They鈥檙e staying in Chartiers Township, but far away from Homer.
They have asked to remain anonymous, out of fear of retribution from Homer鈥檚 supporters.
鈥淲e did call the Game Commission. We tried to get rid of this turkey, and people made such a stink, because they don鈥檛 understand why people around here would hate this turkey. But he鈥檚 not (expletive) on their patio. He鈥檚 not pecking their car,鈥� the woman said.
Homer roams the nearby yards, chases cars and slows down traffic through the busy intersection 鈥� even this couple will give him credit for that.
However, Homer鈥檚 commitment to his duties as an unofficial traffic controller is not enough to convince them not to move. In fairness to Homer, they also cited the heavy traffic and steps to their door as reasons for leaving.
鈥淲e have multiple reasons, but he is, believe me, part of that,鈥� the woman said.
Through the years, people have often fed Homer, which is part of the reason he鈥檚 stuck around, but it is not totally normal behavior for a turkey.
鈥淚t鈥檚 unusual for a turkey during the winter, because they typically flock together during the winter for safety and to maximize their ability to find food,鈥� said Mary Jo Casalena, a turkey biologist with the Pennsylvania Game Commission.
Because Homer managed to find both food and safety at the intersection, Casalena said he may consider his human neighbors to be his new flock.
Homer typically leaves for the spring and summer months, which Casalena says is mating season. She said it is possible that during Homer鈥檚 first year, he got separated from his flock.
鈥淗e found that neighborhood. It worked for him that year. He鈥檚 an exception to the rule. He鈥檚 been able to make it on his own. That鈥檚 one interesting thing about wildlife 鈥� they鈥檙e individuals,鈥� Casalena said. 鈥淗e didn鈥檛 read the book, apparently.鈥�
Bill Sutton, another resident who lives near the intersection, is not as down on Homer鈥檚 presence.
鈥淚 don鈥檛 mind him. He鈥檚 been here forever,鈥� Sutton said.
Sutton has seen the Game Commission make multiple attempts to remove Homer, but to no avail. On top of the efforts to peacefully remove him from his adopted home, Sutton says that Homer has been on the wrong end of the cars he鈥檚 usually blocking.
鈥淗e got hit last year,鈥� Sutton said. 鈥淗e came down a little while later, and he had one tail feather.鈥�
Homer returned rejuvenated, with a fully feathered backside. The soon-to-be-ex-residents likened Homer to a cat with nine lives.
That鈥檚 also how Homer was described by Jocelyn Beresh, who runs the Homer the Allison Turkey Facebook page along with Jamie Goodwin.
Beresh, a Chartiers Township resident, puts herself in the pro-Homer column.
鈥淚 think he鈥檚 great. I just feel like he鈥檚 there to remind you to slow down and enjoy life,鈥� Beresh said.
Beresh does not live at the intersection where Homer is, and is sympathetic to those who do live there and find Homer to be a nuisance.
鈥淚 feel like I鈥檓 on both sides of that thought process,鈥� she said. 鈥淗e found his way back to the intersection. Part of me feels like that鈥檚 where he wants to be. I do feel bad for the people who live there. I do worry about it not being a safe place for him, or him causing an accident.鈥�
After Homer鈥檚 accident last year, Beresh and Goodwin put a notice on the Facebook page to not only remind people to stop feeding Homer and not to throw objects at him, but also not to let emotions run too high in the comments. They warned that any threatening comments toward the people who live near the intersection, or toward Homer, would be deleted.
The exiting couple feel as though some of Homer鈥檚 fans can be a bit overzealous.
鈥淧eople say, 鈥極h, you moved in on his territory,'鈥� the woman said. 鈥淭hat鈥檚 not true; (her husband) was born in this house. This turkey has moved in on our territory.鈥�
Residents near the intersection say Homer has been coming for at least three or four years. Casalena said that鈥檚 exactly the typical life span for a Pennsylvania turkey, but that is largely because of predators, a problem Homer avoids at the intersection. She added that a turkey found at a bird feeder in the Pittsburgh area was 9 years old.
鈥淪o he might have five more years there,鈥� Casalena said.