The Solitary Hen

The wild turkeys come through our holler on a regular basis. Most often they travel in groups, scratching through the leaves and moving steadily along the mountain. But every now and then I see a single hen making her way up the hillside alone. Or so it seems. I’ve learned to look more closely. A solitary hen in spring or early summer is often a mother with poults hidden somewhere behind her. The chicks disappear into the weeds and grasses so completely that they are nearly invisible unless they move. While the flock goes about its business elsewhere, she stays with her young, leading them to food and keeping watch. It makes sense. Tiny poults can’t keep up with a flock of adults, and they are vulnerable to every predator in these mountains. Safety comes not from strength but from remaining unseen. So much of life in the mountains happens this way. What appears to be a single thing is often connected to something hidden just out of sight. A lone turkey on the hillside may actually be…