In the fall when I’m in turkey country I’m always on the outlook for a cooperative Wild Turkey that might allow me a photo or two that would be appropriate for my annual Thanksgiving blog post. Ideally it would be a photo of a displaying Tom but displaying Toms are hard to come by in the fall so I if I want to use a photo taken recently I usually have to settle for some other photo I like of a Wild Turkey.
As usual, this fall I struck out with displaying Toms.
1/4000, f/5.6, ISO 500, Canon R5, Canon EF500mm f/4L IS II USM + 1.4 tc, not baited, set up or called in
Every time I encountered turkeys up close they were always in poor light or feeding with their heads down, often both. I just got lucky with this photo, taken on November 24th, because even though I kept this Tom in my viewfinder for a long time, he was usually feeding so he simply refused to raise his head and give me a photogenic pose.
I can thank a deer hunter for forcing him to at least raise his head. When three shots from a nearby rifle (or rifles) rang out, that perked him up real quick. So I was able get a few reasonably good photos of him before he decided all was safe and went back to his foraging.
But I’m still not impressed with this photo enough to use it as my primary image for my Thanksgiving post.
1/2500, f/7.1, ISO 800, Canon 7D Mark II, Canon EF 500mm f/4L IS II USM + EF 1.4 III Extender, not baited, set up or called in
So I’ll use this one.
It’s an older photo but it’s of a displaying Tom in good light. I like it for a lot of reasons, including the fact that his beard is so easily seen but especially because his snood is flying every which way. Usually, it’s hanging straight down but just before the photo was taken he gave his head a slight shake so his snood had a mind of its own.
To say the least it gives him a distinctive, if undignified, look. I hope you enjoy it.
Happy Thanksgiving everyone.
Ron
Note: Blog subscribers may have wondered why my post email looked so ‘different’ this morning (very wordy with no tags, etc.) It’s because I accidentally clicked the Publish button too early, when I meant to click the Save Draft button. Haven’t done that for a while.
I should have known I’d been sitting here for too long without refilling my coffee cup.
Almost looks like he’s giving the finger to all those who might think to hunt him.
Thanksgiving is my favorite holiday, partly because I slow down to actually ponder all the things in my life I am truly thankful for, and there are lots of them. Your blog has given me many hours of entertainment, for both the terrific photographs and all the interesting facts surrounding your shoots, and observed bird behaviors. I have benefitted a lot from all that reading when I go out with my camera. I recently had laser retina repair surgery on my left eye and laser retina repair and reattachment surgery on the right (my camera) eye. I am THANKFUL the surgeon was able to fit me into his busy schedule within 48 hours of the detachment event as time is critical to achieving a successful outcome and living in a rural area, specialists are never close by. Now I have months of waiting to find out how successful the procedures will be, plus another surgery on my right eye after the first of the year. At least I don’t have to deal with pain! I’ve empathized with your surgery challenges. To wrap this up — I’m thankful I still have hope and I can see well enough with my left eye to read your posts. Continue to take care. HAPPY THANKSGIVING!
This year has been a bit of a turkey for you, mobility-wise. But at least it doesn’t seem to have lessened your humor and joy of the natural world that you continue to share with all of us. Thanks!
Turkeys are a rarity here. On the road or in the plate.
Happy Thanksgiving to you and all your readers. And yes, I would be joining Lyle if this was a holiday we celebrated.
Thanks for the photos. Now that we live on the valley floor (but still in a suburban neighborhood) we see turkeys very infrequently. Before moving 2 years ago they were a regular sight in our south hills yard. We had 20-30 turkeys wandering through our yard several times per day, often blocking traffic out front. One day I counted over 70 and them simply walked around me as I stood in the yard. What a change. They are not native here and just 45 years ago I knew one place in the county where, if you were lucky, you might see a turkey. Introductions have made them numerous everywhere around here.
Happy Thanksgiving to all!!
Happy Thanksgiving Ron, I hope you are out for your traditional Thanksgiving morning shoot. I forgot to ask if it was you left or or right knee you blew out? I hope not the right or even driving will not work for you. You could switch places and sit in the back with Mia driving.
Enjoy your day however you decide to spend the time!
It’s the right knee, April. Of course.
Both handsome gentlemen in their own rights. I used to go to a retreat center in the Santa Cruz mountains that had a couple of wild turkey flocks. The boys had quite the attitudes, so got to see them displaying often (how DARE we walk along their roads!). Occasionally, one or two would poke their heads in or even wander into the meeting rooms if we left a door open for some ventilation.
Thankful for all that is Feathered Photography and grateful to the wonderful teacher who created it! 💜
Hi there Ron
The Turkey with his snood
Is one weird dude.
Happy thanksgiving to one and all and particularly to our gifted friends the orthopedic surgeons.
Gobble, gobble. Hope you have a festive Thanksgiving, Ron. Your blog is one of many things I’m thankful for this year. Cheers!
Ron,
HAPPY THANKSGIVING to you and all.
Things I am thankful for: the beauty of nature, photography as a hobby, family and friends, Nikon (tongue in cheek), and the computer tech who turned me on to “Feathered Photography” years ago. Thanks to you for years of great photos, interesting stories, technical tips and educational narratives.
Happy Thanksgiving,
Stephen
Happy Thanksgiving, Ron! Poor Tom, hard to maintain your dignity with a misbehaving snood! Always grateful and thankful to see FP in my inbox.
Have a Happy Thanksgiving Ron. Hope you are with Family and Friends today.
Love the Tom Turkey photos Ron. Looking at these guys you wold not imagine how good their meat is. Handsome guys, but so glad Franklin did not get his way so we ended up with them instead of our Bald Eagles as our national emblem. Have a good Thanksgiving and best Thanksgiving wishes to all your followers.
I remember see turkeys in your Capitol Reef National Park.
What an awesome photo of a beautiful bird.
Thank you for making my days better with beautiful photos and words.
Have a Happy Thanksgiving.
Kaye
Happy Thanksgiving Ron. So very thankful for you, your beautiful photos and blog.
Happy Thanksgiving, Ron! I am ever so grateful for your post and this community!
The tom turkey is great, older photo or not! 🙂
Spatchcoked turkey dry brining in the frig – That “procedure” let me know how tough I’m not! 😉
I’ve come to the point in life where distinctive competes well with dignified, so that second photo’s a real winner in my book. It’s the triumph of ‘snoody’ over ‘snooty,’ so to speak! Happy Thanksgiving, Ron.
Although we have large flocks of them here in Connecticut and they have visited our yard, they seem to consist of females and jakes along with scores of chicks. So far I have not even seen a displaying male.
Love both photos and your story behind them.
So much to be thankful for, including the pleasure of visiting this site to dwell on one my favorite things in this world; birds.
Thanks Ron!
Happy Thanksgiving to all!
Happy Thanksgiving to you, Ron. I hope 2023 treats you much better than 2022. I don’t often comment on your beautiful images, but I love looking at them and I appreciate all you bird photography information.
Much appreciated, Ron.
Hard to believe the two photos are of the same species. The incongruity of the magnificent feather display and that horror of a head. Let’s see, if I imagine myself a Turkey hen… nope, can’t do it. The snood and beard are proof that evolution has a quirky sense of humor. Thanks to you I’ll be chuckling while preparing my lentil loaf just thinking of the word snood. If Mr. Snood isn’t a Dickens character he should be.
Lyle, I enjoyed your comment enough to read it twice. And I’ll probably read it again.
Lentil loaf for Thanksgiving – hmmm, good luck with that. Personally, I’d prefer to feed the lentils to a turkey and then eat the bird. Different strokes…