I May Be Wrong, But ...

[SCraig]

I may be wrong, but in my opinion the Wild Turkey is truly one of the UGLIEST creatures on the face of the Earth!

This would have been a good opportunity to get some really good detail shots of Wild Turkeys had it not been 30 minutes after dawn on a completely overcast morning down in a valley where the sun doesn't reach until well after dawn. In other words the light was horrible when I shot these but the subject distance was only about 8 meters. There were 10 of them and they came over and down a hill and crossed the road right in front of me. The shots don't reflect how dim it really was, but they were shot at 1/50 to 1/80 second, wide open at f/6.3, and ISO 1600. Focal length was 300mm on the last one and 450mm on the others. All of them were underexposed when I got home and I added about 2/3 stop of exposure compensation in post processing.

 

[sashbar]

No 2 is great. And I do not find the bird ugly at all. I would say that it's sense of style is quite.. sofisticated

 

[Designer]

Yes, ugly. I think Ol' Benjamin Franklin wanted to name the wild turkey as the National Bird, but got shot down.

 

[SCraig]

No 2 is great. And I do not find the bird ugly at all. I would say that it's sense of style is quite.. sofisticated

Glad you like the shots, but I have to disagree about the sophisticated look

Yes, ugly. I think Ol' Benjamin Franklin wanted to name the wild turkey as the National Bird, but got shot down.

Probably one of the best things that ever happened to him They are not what I would want associated with the USA given any choice at all!

 

[astroNikon]

No 2 is great. And I do not find the bird ugly at all. I would say that it's sense of style is quite.. sofisticated

I'd agree but only after about 4 hours and 400 degrees



great pics for such low light

 

[baturn]

Another bird on my wish list. I have never seen a wild turkey. Great shots under difficult conditions.

 

[SCraig]

I'd agree but only after about 4 hours and 400 degrees



great pics for such low light

Another bird on my wish list. I have never seen a wild turkey. Great shots under difficult conditions.

Thanks guys. Given the light conditions I was actually pretty pleased with the shots. They don't reflect how dim it really was and the light in the photographs is much brighter than what I saw on the ground.

Brian we do have a lot of them around here. I see them frequently and hear them even more often. This particular area is a state park so all of the resident birds and wildlife there know they are pretty safe and tend to let humans get relatively close. These birds are normally nowhere near that tame though and this is the first time I've EVER been that close to them so it was pretty interesting.

There was one large male that was presumably the "Alpha Male" He spent the whole time chasing each and every one of the others around and displaying his feathers. I expected him to make a charge at me to but he was a bit more circumspect and stuck to chasing all the other birds.

 

[AlanKlein]

Here's one I took from the window of my car. This dude was chasing all the girls and even gave me a piece of his mind as he went by the window.

Turkey in color: Photo by Photographer Alan Klein - photo.net

 

[terri]

Yes, ugly. I think Ol' Benjamin Franklin wanted to name the wild turkey as the National Bird, but got shot down.

I read that, too! Looks like we dodged a bullet there, so to speak.

I think turkeys look amazing when they are in full plumage, but the face is something only a mother could love. These are nice shots for the poor light, and being caught off guard by the appearance of this flock.

 

[JTPhotography]

It is a gorgeous creature IMO. And also an extremely intelligent and misunderstoon one as well. There is a good documentary on PBS called "My Life as a Turkey" or something like that, about a guy who does imprinting after hatching some abandoned eggs. Watch it and you will never look at turkeys the same.

 

[EIngerson]

Great captures SCraig, They would look better deep fried and injected with seasoning. lol

 

[kundalini]

Great photos!

I'd agree but only after about 4 hours and 400 degrees

I'll agree with that.

Smokin' a Turkey

 

[SCraig]

I read that, too! Looks like we dodged a bullet there, so to speak.

I think turkeys look amazing when they are in full plumage, but the face is something only a mother could love. These are nice shots for the poor light, and being caught off guard by the appearance of this flock.

Agreed. From a distance they can appear attractive, just don't zoom in on the face

I wasn't caught off guard, just poor light. I watched them for probably 30 minutes as they meandered down the hillside, across the road, and into the woods on the other side. I had plenty of time, it was just very, very dim.

It is a gorgeous creature IMO. And also an extremely intelligent and misunderstoon one as well. There is a good documentary on PBS called "My Life as a Turkey" or something like that, about a guy who does imprinting after hatching some abandoned eggs. Watch it and you will never look at turkeys the same.

They are smart birds. Turkey season is always a big event for some around here, and I've talked with a number of people who have been bitten by the bug. They all say that they are some of the most intelligent birds you'll ever run across, especially when their survival is at stake.

Great captures SCraig, They would look better deep fried and injected with seasoning. lol

Thanks, glad you like them. I do enjoy photographing them but they do taste good as well

Great photos!

I'll agree with that.

Smokin' a Turkey

Thanks. Glad you like them as well. Smoked works great to, gives them a wonderful taste.

 

[manicmike]

They look delicious.

 

[robbins.photo]

Ugly? Pshaw. Turkeys are gorgeous - nothing more beautiful than the site of one of them being pulled from the oven. Just one man's opinion of course.. lol