Saturday, February 15, 2014

Wild Turkey

 Wild Turkey (Meleagris gallopavo)

Handsome he's NOT! Wild turkeys are hungry this year and, in some areas, acting quite bold looking for food, which means it was EASY for me to get close enough to take photos.

 Feathers on back of neck in sunlight

While his face is quite homely, his feathers are gorgeous when they shine in the sun.

The whole bird

Several people mentioned Thanksgiving, but the turkey was in no hurry to move on.

I am linking with Saturday Critters HERE.
and
I am linking to I'd Rather B Birdin'  HERE.

and
I am linking to I Heart Macro HERE.

60 comments:

eileeninmd said...

Awesome closeups of the wild Turkey! The feathers are pretty. Great shots! Thank you for linking up to Saturday's Critter party. Have a happy weekend!

aspiritofsimplicity said...

oh my that is rather close up!! His feathers are quite pretty....I suppose there is beauty in everything.

Buttons Thoughts said...

WOW you know my love of these beautiful birds I have not seen mine for quite a while I think they went looking for a place that does not hide all their food under tons of ice and snow. GREAT shots. Thank you. Hug B

Revrunner said...

Where I used to live, there was a flock of wild turkeys. But they NEVER would have allowed me to come this close.

Elizabeth Edwards said...

oh i love all the close ups - nice, my friend! feather cam. ( :

Lina Gustina said...

Amazing details in the first pic.

http://www.1sthappyfamily.com/2014/02/missing-cat.html

Gill - That British Woman said...

I was wondering how you got so close to her. What a lovely looking set of feathers, very pretty for an ugly bird!!

Judith @ Lavender Cottage said...

You were indeed lucky to get this close for photos. I wonder what that horn thing on the top of his beak is for? Surely he's not related to a unicorn? LOL

Judith @ Lavender Cottage said...
This comment has been removed by the author.
LindyLouMac said...

What fabulous captures.

Unknown said...

Fabulous close ups. The feathers are gorgeous, but I agree - he's not handsome.

cieldequimper said...

The feathers are gorgeous!

Deb @ Frugal Little Bungalow said...

He is handsome in his own way...great captures! :)

Deb from Homespun and Frugal Little Bungalow

Hootin Anni said...

What amazing close up images!!! Wow.

Hootin' Anni
and
Anni @ I'd Rather B Birdin'

Lowell said...

Wow! I've never been that close to a turkey of any kind. Great close-ups...I'm thinking "So that's what a turkey looks like." Amazing. I've had to deal with a lot of turkeys in my life but they looked more human than this one! :)

Terrific post!

Re your comment on the owls: If they were fish I'd say they'd had too much to drink the night before and they're a little green around the gills. But I can't say that 'cause they're owls. I'm at a loss for words!

Unknown said...

Great , great photos. The feathers
are so sharp and lovely to look at.
Super!

JetteMajken

The Furry Gnome said...

Incredible pictures. They never let me get that close!

TexWisGirl said...

really awesome shots!!!

Anonymous said...

Wonderful shots. Those feathers are really beautiful.

Pamela Gordon said...

You got some beautiful shots of this turkey. The feathers are really pretty. No wonder people made feather dusters from them back in the old days. :) I haven't seen the 2 turkeys in our area since a year ago.

MadSnapper said...

i am glad you showed the close up of the face, so much detail on there, and i will never get close enough to see one because i am afraid of them. the feathers are gorgeous

21 Wits said...

You are so lucky to catch this! Beautiful creatures in nature.

Anonymous said...

BIG bird, great shots!

Jenny said...

I can't decide whether turkeys are incredibly ugly or incredibly beautiful. Shocking, perhaps, is the word I need. Fabulous photos. Certainly made me laugh.

Rajesh said...

Great shots of turkey.

Indrani said...

Wow! Such details!
Looks like it has unicorn's horn. :)

Suburban Girl said...

Maybe I should go check where wild turkeys roam around here and see if they are still there or have move on. I never saw such a close up before. Rebecca

John @ Beans and I on the Loose said...

I don't think our wild turkeys have that horn above the beak. I may be wrong on that. I'll be more observant next time on the trail.

Jan said...

I remember encountering a wild turkey while we were visiting Bob's aunt in Wisconsin. It was awesome!

William Kendall said...

A very distinctive bird! Terrific shots of him.

Small City Scenes said...

Great close up the the bird Ben Franklin wanted for the bird to represent the new United States.
The Eagle prevailed. MB

Gail Dixon said...

Incredible detail here! I have never seen a turkey this close and did not know there was lavender on the face. Interesting and beautiful bird.

Stuart said...

Just amazing shots. Bravo !

Coloring Outside the Lines said...

Fantastic shots, but that hairy wart looking thing between his eyes reminds me of the wicked witch in the Wizard of Oz movie.

Linda W. said...

A face only a mother could love..... You got some great photos!

Rose said...

I so love their feathers! I shot and shot the feathers of one Roger killed one year...they look so different from different angles.

RedPat said...

Those feathers are beautiful, EG!

Ruth Hiebert said...

Aside from that face,the Wild Turkey is a very beautiful bird.

Ela said...

Great photos of an amazing creature
Have a nice Sunday :)

Karen said...

A face only a mother could love, but he's got great feathers! Terrific shots!

sunshine said...

Stunning details.

DeniseinVA said...

I absolutely love these close-ups of your turkey. They may not be everyone's idea of beauty, but it is after all in the eye of the beholder and I think they look very handsome :) Your photos have given this one personality, and those feathers are gorgeous!

Michelle said...

They do have some lovely feathers, but their face! Yikes!

Kate said...

Grat Thanksgiving Day bird. Are these wild turkeys as eatable as domestic ones, raised for the purpose? They can get pretty feisty so I hope that you kept your distance!!

Veronica Roth said...

He's a beauty, you know, one of those creature who's so ugly he's actually beautiful...lol. I remember one turkey following a baby Chloe around changing his colours completely in love with her. Funny creatures, aren't they?

Stephanie said...

Fabulous close up in details and his coloring.

Randy said...

Nice shots of a not so handsome fellow.

Little Wandering Wren said...

Ha - I did laugh at the Thanksgiving mention!!
I never knew the turkey was that beautiful.
Wren x

Our photos said...

What a beautiful photos!

Annemor said...

Great shots.
All the best.
Mormor

http://www.starbear.no/mormor/2014/02/16/i-heart-macro-week-40/

PerthDailyPhoto said...

He may be ugly EG but he sure has some pretty colours to boast about.. hate to think about birds and animals not finding enough food.

carol l mckenna said...

Gorgeous!

carol and artmusedog
www.acreativeharbor.com

kayerj said...

beauty can be found if one looks for it, even the most homely of creatures has something to be admired. nice post.

Jenn Jilks said...

Aren't they the least handsome?!
Great captures.

Judy said...

I love the close up shots! We were out driving today and saw LOTS of wild turkeys but nothing up close like this.

Laura said...

Fantastic turkey portraiture! Thanks for sharing the love up-close with I Heart Macro:-)

Anonymous said...

Those are amazing shots! Poor birds. I haven't seen any here this winter. I hope they're making it through this cold winter.

Hannah said...

The wattle above the beak is called a snood, it turns red when the male is breeding, and can be extended or retracted to attract a female. The different colors on the naked face are interesting, and the iridescent colors in the feathers are amazing.

Kenneth Cole Schneider said...

Very interesting study of the turkey!

Anonymous said...

We have a ton of them around here. They like to eat cow manure so it's a perfect area for them to thrive.

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East Gwillimbury is a rural town less than an hour north of Toronto, Canada's largest city. My family calls me CameraGirl because I take my camera with me wherever I go.