I don’t find turkeys in trees all that often.
1/3200, f/8, ISO 640, Canon 7D Mark II, Canon EF 500mm f/4L IS II USM, not baited, set up or called in
Four days ago in Box Elder County this hen Wild Turkey was perched in a tree in good light and close so I had to take her picture. The setting was cluttered but I don’t find turkeys in trees all that often and she stood out well enough so I fired away. I was hoping for takeoff and flight shots but she was content where she was for the entire time I was with her.
I fully expected to find other turkeys nearby, either in the tree or on the ground, but she was completely alone which I thought was a little unusual. When I find turkeys in this area they’re nearly always in large flocks.
1/3200, f/8, ISO 640, Canon 7D Mark II, Canon EF 500mm f/4L IS II USM, not baited, set up or called in
She not only failed to cooperate with flight shots, she gave me very little pose variety. This is about as much variation as I got.
Wild Turkeys aren’t the handsomest of birds and this setting won’t earn any prizes for aesthetics either. But she’s a bird in a ‘natural’ setting that works for her so I decided she deserved the spotlight today.
Ron
I find the wild turkey to be quite beautiful — in and out of the bottle. 😉
This one is quite the attractive sample of her species. I wonder for what or for whom she is waiting.
Thanks, Marty. I’ve never liked the stuff in the bottle. Too sweet for me.
I’ve found it good for cooking.
She’s a lovely—if lonely—girl. And there are enough spots of color that I think its fair to say she’s “attractive” as turkeys go! I saw a lot of them on my sister’s property in Idaho last summer, but not in any trees. How high off the ground is she?
“I think its fair to say she’s “attractive” as turkeys go.”
I’d buy that, Chris.
If I remember correctly she was less than 10′ off the ground.
No wild turkeys here (to my knowledge).
I love her comfortable pose.
Thanks, EC.
Hi Ron, Here in southern Oregon, I try to time my birding forays to drive past one particular tree where, during the winter, 50-70 turkeys roost every night. This has been going on for several years. And, they are smart – they usually forage on the other side of the road from the tree which means they could be in danger when crossing the road; however, they fly into a smaller tree on their side until they are above vehicle height, and then fly OVER cars and trucks to enter the roost tree. Pretty crafty. 😁
Pretty crafty indeed, Dick.
Yes, turkeys often roost in trees at night but I don’t often find them still there in the mornings.
There are fruit from thar particular species of tree that they eat after they freeze and thaw. They don’t consume them in great quantities in the fall. I belive from watching blue grouse partially ingest mushrooms that they have a high level of toxicity that there liver can only contend with in small doses till they freeze and thaw to soften and reduce level of toxins and ease in digestion.
Interesting possibility, Steven.
I obseved grouse eating only portion of a mushroom. I wondered why don’t they consume the whole mushroom. A little bit has food value and the liver can filter out the toxin and excrete the waste. Choke cherries they will stuff themselves full.
The more photos you post of Turkeys the more I appreciate their beauty, from head to tail.
Like Everett, I’ve not seen one in the wild. It seems to be doing its best to use the tree for camouflage, but that’s not working out too well😛
Sibley’s map shows that they don’t occur in either of our areas, and yet you see them quite often.
Lyle, there have been so many introductions of Wild Turkeys to so many large and small areas I suspect it’s difficult to accurately represent their range on a map.
I rather like it and she seems much.more attractive sitting there than turkeys typically do walking around.
Granny Pat, I tend to agree with the last part of your comment.
I have never seen one in the wild here although we do have them so your photos of them are always a treat for me. Really like the 2nd one where she turns her head that provides better light. Very interesting photos – thanks for posting. Anything about wild turkeys is an education for me.
Thanks, Everett. To be honest I don’t know a whole lot about them either. But I do know it’s hard to get interesting poses out of them, especially when they’re foraging on the ground.
She is a beauty! Thank you for posting her.
Thanks, Melanie.
She seems quite content there. 🙂
She sure was. Maybe she’s STILL there…
“Wild Turkeys aren’t the handsomest of birds”. I hate to disappoint everyone, but we humans are not their target audience!
Porcupine, I realize that. And I’m certainly not disappointed.
Beautiful bird in a natural setting! The way the light is hitting her feathers really makes in shine and her stand out from the tree while still blending in…. 🙂
Thank you, Judy.
Ron – I really like the second shot; then turned head seems to pull everything together for me. Turkeys ARE hard to photograph, but in this case everything looks great together. Thanks!
Thanks, Richard. I prefer the second one too.
Yup, they appear in flocks here as well! The only time I have ever seen an adult Turkey by itself was a hen with chicks. That time was only once, all other times they have been in medium to large flocks and on the ground.
Great shots BTW!
Dick, I’ve seen large flocks of turkeys in this spot almost every time I’ve been there for months now. This day was an exception.
Hurrah for turkeys! They are in the woods next to us and we often see flocks move through forest and fields. Thank you, Ron!
“They are in the woods next to us”
Mary, If you’re trying to make me envious, you’ve succeeded…