Monday, November 21, 2011

Turkey Anyone???

While out and about this weekend we saw some wild turkeys!  I thought how appropriate being Thanksgiving is almost here.  Hubby pulled the car over (suprise! no teenage son driving lol) and I hopped out and started snapping!  I was switching between auto and manual trying to figure out the shutter speed.  Boy, do I need a lot of practice!  Anyway, I counted eight turkeys in all...how cool!

The turkey is one of the most famous birds in North America.  In fact, Benjamin Franklin wanted to make the wild turkey, not the Bald Eagle, the national bird of the United States!

Wild turkeys  (Meleagris gallopavo) live in woods in parts of North America and are the largest game birds found in this part of the world.

They spend their days foraging for food like acorns, seeds, small insects and wild berries.  They spend their nights in low branches of trees (yes, wild turkeys can fly!).

After the female turkey mates, she prepares a nest under a bush in the woods and lays her tan and speckled brown eggs.  She incubates as many as 18 eggs at a time.  It takes about a month for the chicks to hatch.

When the babies (known as poults) hatch they flock with their mother all year (even through the winter).  For the first two weeks the poults are unable to fly.  The mother roosts on the ground with them during this time.

Male turkeys, also called "Tom Turkeys" or "Gobblers" puff up their bodies and spread their tail feathers (just like a peacock).   They grunt, make a "gobble gobble sound" and strut about shaking their feathers.  This fancy turkey trot helps the male attract females (also called "hens") for mating.

Wild turkeys are covered with dark feathers that help them blend in with their woodland homes.  The bare skin on the throat and head of a turkey can change color from flat gray to striking shades of red, white, and blue when the bird becomes distressed or excited.

10 comments:

SquirrelQueen said...

That's quite a flock of turkeys, you got some great shots Marie. They don't seem to mind having you watch them. We have seen a few in our neighborhood in the past but none so far this fall.

MadSnapper said...

i have never seen turkey's in the wild. these are amazing and you did good with your shooting. what fun. as for turkey being our national bird, it wold be appropriate now since our DC friends are all turkeys.. LOL

TexWisGirl said...

they are so neat! i'd love to see a flock. have never seen them here...

Catherine said...

I feel guilty that I think these birds look so good beside cranberries, mashed potatoes and gravy.... :(

xo Catherine

Ann said...

Are these guys crazy? They should be hiding. Do they realize what time of year it is?....lol
Don't feel bad about the manual thing. I need a lot of practice too. I normally use my camera in the auto mode because I don't want to screw up and not get any good shots :)

Chatty Crone said...

I love beautiful - interesting photos - check. I love to learn - check. I think this was just amazing. Loved it Marie. Sandie

Blondie said...

Cool turkey's! Hope everyone has a great Thanksgiving!
Jake The Dog Loves Watching The Movie 'Babe'
The Huffington Post First Posted: 11/22/11 01:18 PM ET Updated: 11/22/11 01:55 PM ET


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Even dogs can have favorite movies.

Fox and Friends reported on an 11-year-old border collie named Jake who loves -- really, loves -- the movie "Babe." His owner, Anita Foote, of Medina, Ohio, has gone through 10 VCRs and 26 VHS tapes of the movie because of Jake's movie-watching habits.

"It was my idea to bring in a TV and a VCR and try to keep him occupied," Foote told Fox. "One day, I put that in, and he made that quite clear that was what he wanted to see."

Fox 8 Cleveland reports that whenever Rex, the bad dog in the movie, comes on the screen, Jake barks at it and seems to get upset.

Other things that dogs love? Oranges, cats and fetch (even when it's just playing with itself). And then of course, there are dogs that just like saying "I love you."

For more human-like things pets do, check out this slideshow:


They Use The Toilet1 of 23FIRST SLIDEPREVIOUS SLIDENEXT SLIDESHOW No need for a litter box, some kitties are just too civilized for that (and pups too). On the toilet they go, hopefully they know to leave the seat down when they're done.
AOL WEB pg 11/22/11

Deb said...

great turkey post..very interesting..

betty said...

What a great sight to see!! I like their coloring!! Learned some things about the turkeys too!

Wishing you and your family a Happy Thanksgiving!

betty

Golden Woofs! SUGAR said...

Woof! Woof! Oh never seen a Turkey before ... COOL! Lots of Golden Woofs, Sugar