An Ottawa resident captured a video of a man evading two persistent turkeys, and the man, lab technician Michael Bourgon, shared his account of the incident. Bourgon recounted walking near Prince of Wales Drive and Heron Road when the turkeys started following and bothering him. In the video, Bourgon is seen attempting to walk away from the turkeys as they pursue him over a crosswalk. He tries to deter them by kicking snow towards them. Eventually, someone lets Bourgon into their vehicle to escape the turkeys, who peck at the car door while he watches from inside.
The turkeys caused a traffic disruption as they blocked two lanes at a busy intersection, observing Bourgon and the person who rescued him driving away. Bourgon expressed gratitude towards the stranger who assisted him, highlighting the kindness shown during the incident. Passerby Jody Paul recorded the encounter, which was later shared on social media platforms.
Turkeys are known to inhabit wooded areas and forage outside of the spring breeding season, according to Cornell University’s ornithology lab. Bourgon, better equipped with knowledge from online research, encountered the turkeys again the following day near the Central Experimental Farm. This time, he managed to maintain a peaceful standoff with the birds until they eventually disregarded him, leading to what he humorously termed a “turkey détente.”
