Fowl Play

A few nights ago, I met my grandparents for dinner at Battery Gardens Restaurant near the Staten Island Ferry in Battery Park. “Do you know what the turkey is called?” my grandma asked almost immediately after I sat down at their table.

“Pardon?”

“The turkey! Do you know her name?”

At this point, I wasn’t sure if my grandma had gone loopy or if she was a government agent testing me by speaking in code. I assured her I had no idea what on earth she was talking about, so she regaled me with a story.

Apparently, Battery Park is home to a wild turkey and her name is Zelda. She has lived in a tree near the restaurant for about 7 years and occasionally wanders up Wall Street, at which point someone returns her to the park. My grandparents got all this from the bartender. I was simultaneously entertained and skeptical. Was this bartender pulling my grandparents’ legs? Was there a Zelda? I shared this story with Betsy the next day. “What?” she asked delightedly, “A turkey? That sounds like a blog!”

And so, before getting too ahead of myself, I decided to see if this mythical fowl truly existed. Not only does she exist, but she has her own Wikipedia page. Zelda— named after Zelda Fitzgerald who was allegedly once found dazed and confused in Battery Park after a nervous breakdown—has lived in the park since mid-2003, though she is believed to be a Bronx native. Since taking up residence in Lower Manhattan, has been seen as far north as Greenwich Village.

Though it is a bit late-coming, we’d like to welcome Zelda to the neighborhood. We also really and truly hope that she and our local Sad Panda will be close friends if they aren’t already.