Groton — A pair of turkeys who make frequent appearances outside businesses along a short stretch of Route 1 have become local celebrities and kept many people from being in a fowl mood.

Perhaps you've seen them in the drive-thru at Dunkin', or looking like they're waiting for Binet Cuts to open, or perched on the railing outside Emmanuel Borbon Karate-Do, or gazing longingly into Groton Pizza Palace or hanging out by the hiring signs in front of Groton Regency.

Alicia Delacruz-Lyda, who lives nearby on Buddington Road, dubbed the turkeys Thelma and Louise for "stopping traffic (and) pretty much doing what they want."

As a school bus driver, Delacruz-Lyda is always looking around, and she first noticed the turkeys a few months ago.

"They were just really funny, and something to lighten everybody up," she said. With summers off, she started a turkey-sightings Facebook page in mid-July called The Adventures of Thelma & Louise Groton, and people have been gobbling up her content: The page has more than 700 followers.

"It's funny, because now everybody looks for them," Delacruz-Lyda said. She said they've been spotted from The Spot as far up Route 1 as ALDI — and she's never seen one without the other.

Recent sightings indicate they weathered Tropical Storm Henri just fine.

Pawcatuck resident Eric Klotz, an Uber and Lyft driver, said he has specifically altered his routine so he can catch a glimpse of Thelma and Louise.

He recently took pictures of them in the grassy area bordering the Groton Shopping Plaza parking lot, in front of Mint Leaf. Klotz didn't know it at the time, but Delacruz-Lyda was driving by taking a video while he took his photos.

Klotz said amid the coronavirus pandemic, the tropical storm and other "pain and misery," the turkeys "bring so much joy to a lot of people."

Colleen Lynch took over Books Etc., which is becoming No Other Book Like This, about a month ago and said she sees the turkeys almost every day. One day, she had the bookstore door open and saw a little head poking in.

"They are so chill," she said.

Don't feed the turkeys

There has been some debate on social media about the gender of the turkeys, but a Department of Energy and Environmental Protection wildlife biologist has settled it: After looking at the Facebook page, Michael Gregonis said they're both male.

He said he knows that because of the red head color, the feathering not going all the way to the top of the head, their iridescence, and their size. He said these Eastern wild turkeys are about a year and three months old, that most turkeys in Connecticut hatch the first week of June.

Gregonis said the make-up of turkey pairings and groups varies throughout the year, and sometimes you'll see a pair of male turkeys that are brothers.

His main message is: "Don't feed wild turkeys. There's plenty of food out there that they can take care of themselves; they don't need to be fed."

He said turkeys are typically in woodlands and fields, but they end up in suburban or even urban areas because "people have fed these birds and have habituated them to people."

Christine O'Brien, animal control officer for the Town of Groton, said she's gotten requests to help the turkeys cross the road. But often by the time she or someone else gets there, the turkeys already have been successful.

"A lot of people have been calling very alarmed that they're seeing two turkeys, so we've had a lot of education that wild turkeys are normal," O'Brien said. She added with a laugh, "It seems we've had an uptick in the turkey calls with Thelma and Louise."

Police Chief Louis J. Fusaro Jr. said he's spotted the turkeys by the bookstore.

He joked of Thelma and Louise crossing the road, "Their traffic hazard was short-lived, so we didn't take any action against them. We didn't issue them any tickets."

One place they haven't been seen is in a 1966 Thunderbird convertible driving over the Grand Canyon.

e.moser@theday.com