Wildlife, living next to nature

[Gravdigr]

I was on photo safari the other afternoon, and happen to see a couple of turkeys in a field. I stopped and snapped a couple pics, and thought, this road curves around this field, and gets closer. So, I pulled down the road a piece and did get a little closer, about ~200 yards away from them.

It was readily apparent that one of them was a tom because as soon as I stopped GC1, he went full thanksgiving turkey on me and started swelling up. He strutted (literally walking back and forth, vogue-ing in front of his intended), and drummed (that's when the tom drags his wingtips on the ground, while stomping his feet rapidly. This is what makes the hen say "He's for me!!".) for the hen. Every time he got close to her she would lay down almost flat on the ground. He would drum up near her and she would jump and trot a few steps away. She's not quite 'ready', so to speak.

Meanwhile, in the bushes, another hen was taking all this in. She wasn't nearly as picky about things. She came right out and just took the cock, took it, I say. She laid down, and, when tom came up to her she didn't haggle at all, she said "Get after it!", and he did, too.





Now, I'm sure there are lots of pictures of mating wild turkeys, but, I consider myself very lucky to have photographed a mating pair of turkeys, in flagrante delicto, no less.

Hand-held, full 24x zoom, ~200-300 yards out.