Turkeys in Suttons Bay have been the talk of the town as the birds have somewhat become a mascot and local social media celebrities over the past few weeks.
Chimoski bakery Cira Ritchey has spotted the turkeys hanging around the Leelanau pastry business and north of Suttons Bay.
“(The turkeys) go all over town, traffic slows down for them and lets them pass and we protect them in the village and we enjoy seeing them,” she said. “This keeps us together as one to protect our own little group of turkeys that we have and the community as one likes.”
Ritchey added that some residents have built little makeshift shelters for the birds along with some food. The turkeys have even been using the BATA bus stops more than most residents, cooping in the partially enclosed structure near the Suttons Bay-Bingham Township library.
Paul Kochanny, who captured the moment, posted on the popular Facebook forum ‘Overheard in Leelanau County’ saying, “I guess the resident turkeys saw the forecast. Taking the bus out of here! (Suttons Bay).”
The post had nearly 200 likes and dozens of comments praising the local turkeys.
“I think it shows we are caring and pay attention to who’s in town. But just say maybe we are a little tight knit community here and all are welcome,” Kochanny said.
According to the Center for Environmental Education and Discovery, turkeys are very resilient creatures. Even without food, turkeys can survive in zero-degree weather for about two weeks. If they have enough food, they can survive pretty much indefinitely in cold weather. And luckily for them, turkeys can eat almost anything, including insects, worms, snails, seeds, fruit, and nuts.
This is not the first time feathered friends decided to make Suttons Bay their home.
On March 30, 2006, the Enterprise headline read: “Crying foul over fowl.”
What followed was a story about developers north of the village, who complained about a rooster whose crows traveled to the nearby BayView Condominiums.
The roosters were kept on property immediately north of the development. Bayview residents complained that birds constituted a zoning violation.
At the time, village officials suggested that the use predates zoning by more than a century and the issue would resolve itself.
The public rallied behind the roosters and their owner — some going as far as making up T-shirts and bumper stickers proclaiming “Save the Roosters of Suttons Bay.”
Six months later, there was another story in the paper about a Northport couple “adopting” the roosters.
