Gobble Gobble!!

Yes, I know Thanksgiving is little more than eight months away. No, I’m not getting a jump on the holiday season. Please! I hate when flyers for Christmas arrive in my mailbox in August.

Lately my life has been one errand or event after another with little or no down time. Forget about getting out with my camera! But this morning was different.

I looked out the window and saw my favorite weather pair – fog and snow. Oh the picture taking possibilities were endless! I had a hunch the fog would disappear in short order so I jumped into my Muck boots, grabbed both cameras and headed out the back door into the field behind our house. And saw the following:

 
NOOOOOO . . . MORE . . . SNOW! PLEASE! This from someone who loves winter with all its beautiful, frosty, snow covered wonders. But when opportunities like this appear you don’t question the weather gods you go with the flow. Thirty minutes later I’m in my car and on my way to a few of my haunts that almost never disappoint when it comes to winter weather.
 
The Gobble Gobble part is coming, I promise.
 
I drove down a back road that’s not a short cut to anywhere just a nice winding back woods road. The barn I normally like to shoot looked blah this morning so I drove a short distance when I saw five male turkeys, or toms, at the edge of a field that rose higher than my car. I quietly rolled down the passenger side window, grabbed my camera and took a few fast shots before they decided to take flight. They looked nervous.
 
Then I got out of my car to see if I could get closer. I thought for sure they’d beat wings and take flight. They didn’t but kept me within their beady little eye-sights. I think because I was lower than they were, they weren’t too concerned or feeling threatened. But they weren’t taking any chances.

 

 
Gobble Gobble! from behind me.
 
Gobble Gobble! volleys back from where I stand. Is it an echo? No, it’s a call and response thing going on. I’m guessing here because I don’t speak nor can translate gobble-speak.
 
I turned and behind me is a flock of at least 50 turkeys of both sexes in a small field. The males are prancing around like peacocks with butch feather cuts. Must be mating season I think.

Back to the four toms in front of me. I snap my fingers to get their attention and to possibly get them to do something other than stand in profile. They oblige moving in the direction of a nearby hedge-row. Unfortunately, a car came and as I was somewhat blocking the road, I jumped in my car and moved. So I have no idea where the four toms went. I had hoped to watch them cross the narrow road and get a few more shots but it didn’t happen.

This was the closest I’ve ever been to turkeys. They often visit our backyard feeders but before I can get the back door open they morph into their distant relative road runner persona and take off like a shot.

While I missed yoga and my sun salutes, I have to say it turned out to be a really good day.

Hope your day went well.

Namaste
Chris