Kind of how I am feeling this morning. My weekend didn’t quite go as well as I had hoped having worked a 16-hour day Saturday and never getting out on a proper photo outing. Thankfully though, this handsome turkey provided a fun photo op right in my front yard yesterday morning.

He has been hanging out in the neighborhood lately and came strolling down the street looking for love. He put on a nice show with lots of strutting and calling. Here he called toward me, perhaps testing to see if I was a lovelorn hen (ha), giving a fantastic look in the process.

This was a fun encounter! For years I have intermittently seen a lone turkey at the Rocky Mountain Arsenal National Wildlife Refuge. While the environment is well-suited for them, they aren’t normally seen there and I have only ever seen or heard of someone seeing a single one.

This handsome fellow definitely appeared to be looking for some companionship this past Sunday. He was initially well out into a field but deliberately worked his way closer, fluffing up, strutting and calling out to any would-be mates. The scene around him was perfect too with the subdued winter grass and fresh snow on the ground and falling. It really helped to show off his beautiful colors.

A pair of wild turkeys don’t seem to understand why they aren’t allowed to browse at a local establishment. 😉 

Kind of a fun image that I have been meaning to share for a long time but kept forgetting about. Taken on New Year’s Day 2021, I wrapped up my first photo excursion of the year by spending some time with our local rafter of turkeys.

Seeing them in this suburban environment is kind of fun and different, allowing for some interesting pics as they seem kind of out of place.

I’ve seen some big snoods in my time photographing turkeys but this guy’s has to have been the longest. Okay, I freely admit that sounds funny but it is true. 😉 

The snood on a turkey is the flopping protuberance coming from above the turkey’s bill. It can grow and shrink and even change color depending on the bird’s mood. Generally, longer and redder indicate the turkey is relaxed, potentially courting the ladies. It is believed turkey hens are attracted to longer and brighter snoods and in that case, this guy should have no problem come mating season.

Wrapping up my photo excursion on Sunday I found our local rafter of turkeys hanging out near the post office so of course had to stop and snap some pics. They were quite animated on this day, making lots of noise and giving me a fun photo op.

You can’t fault this bird for being a bit paranoid. Normally it would have little to worry about but this time of year, it can’t be too careful. 😉 

Taken a week and a half ago, this cool turkey is one of a rafter of them that hangs out in the middle of suburbia, not far from where I live. It and its friends were taking it easy on a lawn, enjoying a mild fall day. Today I suspect they will do their best to stay well-hidden out of sight. 😉 

I wish you all a very happy and safe Thanksgiving!

You would think with Thanksgiving fast approaching, this guy would be far more alert than what he was. Perhaps he doesn’t quite grasp the peril he is in?  😉 

I spotted our local rafter of turkeys this past weekend so, of course, I stopped to spend some time with them. They weren’t particularly active though as you can see. Many were enjoying a relatively mild, fall day lying in the grass.

I reckon we could call this #TurkeyThursday. As we get closer to the holidays, these guys are probably more than a little bit on edge – as this image seems to show. 😉

I don’t expect this guy has much to worry about though. He a member of a rafter of turkeys that hangs out in a local open space. The group are somewhat local celebrities, always garnering lots of attention when they appear. Certainly, they do seem a bit out of place as they strut through suburbia and seeing them is always fun.

They might not be particularly “pretty” but I certainly think they are cool looking. When the males flush their skin and turn beautiful shades of blue and red, they are quite striking.

Another encounter with a group of neighborhood turkeys that hang out not too far from where I live. With lots of construction going on in the area, these guys have become a little more scarce but I can usually find them.

Last week, these three toms were out for a stroll in an area open space. I followed along, snapping some pics. At one point, I did my best “gobble gobble” sound and that got their attention as they tried to figure out the source of the horrible turkey call. It was kind of amusing and I got lucky grabbing this shot of all three looking the same way.

With a winter storm set to hit, I kept things local yesterday, not wanting to venture far from home. I found our local rafter of turkeys in their usual spot and part of that was this funny scene.

On one side of the fence, the toms, on the other, the hens. Both could catch glimpses of each other through the gaps in the fence and they were most upset at the separation. They stood there gobbling up a storm at each other as these wildlife Romeos and Juliets found the barrier baffling.

This is their main hangout area and they routinely hop this fence plus the end of it was only 10 feet away. On this morning though, they just couldn’t seem to grasp what needed to be done to be reunited. 🙂

Wow. That is one serious look from this dude, eh? 😉 

Despite the bad attitude, he did look really cool. His face was brilliantly flush in color and that iridescent plumage looked awesome. I managed to capture some crazy detail of him, right down to the hair on his head.

Taken on New Year’s Day, he is one member of a rafter of turkeys that hangs out in an area of suburbia not far from where I live. They have managed to do pretty well despite increased human encroachment. A new commuter rail line and the development it is spurring could spell trouble for them though.