The “boys” are coming around!
These pix were all taken while sitting on the steps to our front porch. It is nice when the neighbors stop by to visit!
The “boys” are coming around!
These pix were all taken while sitting on the steps to our front porch. It is nice when the neighbors stop by to visit!
Sweet moses in the roses! Fabulous rock star of the bird world photos. The colors and the wild accoutrements on these young dudes are almost unbelievable and certainly incredible. With this getup, they better get their pick of the girls. Riddle me this: what in the heck is that horse tail doing hanging from their chest? The last picture is my favorite – I’m calling that turkey Ziggy Stardust!
Margot you are cracking me up today! Ziggy Stardust is a perfect name. I want to know know too, what is up with the horse tail off the front. I really do not remember our Northern Turkey’s having that? Or being so colorful?
Margot, you have such a way with words! You’ve made me laugh! Next time Ziggy Stardust stops by, I’ll be sure to tell him hello for you.
Julie, since I know that once Judy joins this conversation, there will be more questions, I googled the Wild Turkey:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wild_Turkey
“Males typically have a “beard” consisting of modified feathers that stick out from the breast. Beards average 9 inches (230 mm) in length.”
Modified feathers? It certainly doesn’t look like feathers—more like a horse’s tail, as Margot described it. At any rate, a sure chick magnet!
There are 6 varieties of Wild Turkeys. This is the FL turkey:
Osceola or Florida (M. g. osceola)
Found only on the Florida peninsula. They number from 80,000 to 100,000 birds. This bird is named for the famous Seminole Chief Osceola, and was first described in 1980. It is smaller and darker than the Eastern turkey. The wing feathers are very dark with smaller amounts of the white barring seen on other sub-species. Their overall body feathers are iridescent green-purple color.
I did not know that we had our own variety of turkey. So thanks to the blog, I’ve learned something new!
Carole you made Turkey’s look beautiful. Maybe if Benjamin Franklin had had you around back in the day he would have been successful in making the Turkey the national bird instead of the Bald Eagle…….???
Julie, I was around back in Ben’s day!
yeah but were you around with your camera???
Wow what great colors, the one picture looks like he is playing hide and seek behind the tree.
I didn’t realize there were so many sub-species of wild turkeys. Our previous shepherd used to like to herd the turkeys we had come through our yard. I once had tom turkey walk into my garage and had a heck of a time getting him out. They are really, really big when you’ve got them inside running & flying around.
Once our previous GSD, Major, chased a flock of about dozen turkeys towards a pond we lived on, where they took off and startled a Great Blue Heron, who took flight over about 20 Canada Geese, which also were spooked by the all the commotion. They took flight. Major looked especially satisfied that he was able to get about 3 dozen huge birds all flying in different directions in mass confusion.
Now that is something! Very cool!
Now that would have been a great photo!