for months i have seen their tracks around the compost pile and under the bird feeders, big, distinct forked marks all over the snow. weekends i look for them, but they have never materialized. but today, the long line of turkeys finally came parading down the hill from the woods and raided the compost as we watched from inside. at least twelve of them, big fat birds with iridescent feathers glinting in the sunday sun.
07 February 2010
big birds
for months i have seen their tracks around the compost pile and under the bird feeders, big, distinct forked marks all over the snow. weekends i look for them, but they have never materialized. but today, the long line of turkeys finally came parading down the hill from the woods and raided the compost as we watched from inside. at least twelve of them, big fat birds with iridescent feathers glinting in the sunday sun.
Oh, wow, I have never seen wild turkeys before, and you have them coming into your yard by the dozen! They are really pretty -- their feathers appear to have an almost metallic sheen to them, and what colors their plumes are: teal, bronze, rust, green, black, and white. They look so much different than the domesticated turkeys that I have seen at 'feed stores' around the Pacific Northwest. Here in Oregon, I am occasionally lucky enough to spot an eagle, a heron, or very rarely an osprey. Hawks are pretty common here and like to perch themselves on top of street lights and telephone poles (once one swooped down a little ways in front of me when I was out for a walk and killed a pigeon... that was not very pleasant, but otherwise, hawks are always fun to spot). Plus, we have an abundance of gulls, ducks, geese, chickadees, robins, and many other little birds that live here.
ReplyDeletenice work !!
ReplyDeleteThose are really beautiful and your words fill in the blanks that the camera might have missed.
ReplyDeleteDown here we too have wild turkeys. Nearby we protect the Whooping Crane flocks, even though some don't feel that it's important.
Birds are such original creatures and I am fascinated by all of them, with maybe the exception of the vultures. In spite of their services in nature, they still give me the willies.
you are lucky to have nature so close to you
ReplyDeleteVery cool and more colorful than I expected. Maybe that's why Ben Franklin wanted them to be our national bird.
ReplyDeletegobble gobble
ReplyDeleteThis looks like my backyard! We have TONS of turkeys here in Alabama, and it is a HUGE thing to turkey hunt here, sorry:( My husband is one of them--he has turkey beards and spurs galore in his display case.
ReplyDeleteYou have tremendous skill and I find your eclectic style refreshing. Have you ever taken photos of bald eagles? Living in the DC area they have always had an important meaning to me.
ReplyDeleteAw turkeys! I grew up on a dead end dirt road with 12 acres and lots of animals running through the field. It was always neat to see the cats and dog react to the twenty turkeys marching through the yard. They can be fun to watch. Nice pic!
ReplyDeleteWe used to get them crossing the road in packs years ago when I lived in rural Illinois. Now I live in a fairly large town, and I don't see squat.
ReplyDeleteQuite an unusual photo. The hens appear fat and sassy. The males are much more colorful. They will start calling in the hens for mating season in late March. The males strut and spread their tail feathers, similar to a peacock.
ReplyDeleteGreat photo.
Gorgeous turkeys! We have them around here too in the past decade or so...I think they must be escapees from the gun clubs, as we never had them when I was growing up. One morning I opened my blinds just after dawn to see a big male strutting around in the yard, displaying his tail feathers to a disinterested female- what a sight to wake up to!
ReplyDeleteWow! I've never seen such colourful Turkeys in India! only in meatshops and subway s/w stations! I never knew they are so colourful!
ReplyDeleteAmazing pictures of wild turkeys! I love my dogs and have just downloaded a beautiful 'daily puppy' picture on my blog, you get a differnt picture every day - have a look and put it on your blog if you want! Sue
ReplyDeleteoh i would love to see turkeys in person:)
ReplyDeleteHi there. I'm so new at Blogging, I think all of your pictures are great. I write stories based on true events. I think it would go over better with all my great pics. I have that really go with the plot lines. Could you give me some tips on how you got your pics on your blog, I'm having troubles with mine. Forever thankful!
ReplyDeletebeautiful pictures, beautiful birds!
ReplyDeleteIt's always a thrill to finally catch a glimpse of that elusive animal you know most certainly lives in the neighborhood though you have yet to see it. Kudos on getting the photo!
ReplyDeleteI just LOVE turkeys! I am so happy we still have wildlife up here. Thanks for capturing them on film. Gorgeous.
ReplyDeleteNance
Good job staying with it. Great picture as well. I have not seen wild turkeys before. You are very lucky!
ReplyDeleteYour photo are wonderful & you obviously love taking time to "smell the roses." I, too, love to watch the birds. The wrens love my homemade suet.
ReplyDeleteMy dad, who passed away at 93, would have loved that flock of turkeys. He was a great hunter.
Keep up the great work.
You are lucky! I never seen wild turkeys. Very nice picture!
ReplyDeleteSplendid blog and pictures..I rate this as one of the best back to nature blogs I have ever visited..you have great eyes..thanks for sharing them..If you have time please drop in my blog and share your view..
ReplyDeletethese turkeys have been around for years but have only this winter started to visit the yard. the little girl got to see them as well, which made it all the more exciting! steph, you're lucky you have so many great birds in your area. we have hawks but they're always up high floating on the currents so i never get to see them well. truth ferret, i too am fascinated by birds and would love to see a whooping crane! janie b, i forgot about that ben franklin connection - but the bald eagle is a good choice. no tim, never saw one but i hear bad eagles are making a comeback in this area. willy, i am very lucky to have so much of the natural world around me. so happy you all appreciate the view from here. thanks for the readership and hte comments!
ReplyDeleteOne thing I really liked was how you explained the birds that were hiding and it really got me thinking about how your compost pile would look. And I liked how you explained the glowing birds and I thought your camera (and you of course) did a nice job.
ReplyDeleteI love all your photos. We have turkeys here on our ranch, but I haven't been able to get up very close to them....Great photo!
ReplyDeleteI found you blog by random and have really enjoyed the photos. You have a real talent for it. I hope you stick with it. I especially like the winter posts.
ReplyDeletethis pik is beautiful
ReplyDeleteYour photographs are captivating! You must have really been in stealth mode to catch those turkeys
ReplyDeleteI love running into the wild! lol
ReplyDeletethey are beautifull..it's a good thing you had your camera at the ready...
ciao..nice to meet you!
Turkey's are actually quite beautiful. It's great you were able to take pics without them trying to run away... can turkey's even run if they wanted to?
ReplyDeleteNice photograph. One morning I walked out to my truck parked in the drive way to find three wild turkeys on the top of my neighbor's truck. It was hiliarious!
ReplyDeleteI had no idea they had such beautiful feathers! thank you for sharing another lovely photo :-)
ReplyDeleteI may not be saying this right, but this picture has a certain unique quality to it. The turkeys both blend into the surrounding "brown" of the tree bark, but stand out in contrast because of the hints of gleaming color.
ReplyDeleteHi There
ReplyDeleteI love your turkeys - they're gorgeous. I never realized how beautiful they are. I also love all the pix of the bird and the owl. Love the owl.
Thanks for sharing.
Sandy
Beautiful photo again, your blog is certainly captivating.
ReplyDelete