World's Ugliest Bird

[molested_cow]

My ex coworker said he once saw a Muscovy Duck cold plate on a bar menu in Singapore, expensive dish. The irony is, in Florida these ducks are protected.

 

[PixelRabbit]

Great shots Scott! I was getting ready to also ask what most others asked, how the heck you got so close, these guys see you coming a mile away I kinda cheated getting the shots I have of them, they came to my feeder lol I love the iridescence in their feathers. My biggest problem shooting them is I laugh uncontrollably when they run away, they are fast but such an awkward jerky gait lol

 

[SCraig]

You've done an excellent job here bringing out their inner...err..ugliness.
I do like the way the iridescence of the feathers shows in your photos, but yeah...that face, ugh!!!

Turkeys and vultures are just hopelessly ugly. Not sure about vultures, but turkeys have the distinction of being ugly AND stupid. :lmao:

From what I understand about wild turkeys they really aren't that stupid. People who hunt them have told me that they are actually quite smart, at least as far as their survival goes.

I kept hoping one of the males would display his tail feathers in the traditional fan shape. One of them was when I first walked up but he was half behind a tree and I missed it. That was the only time he did it, naturally

 

[SCraig]

My ex coworker said he once saw a Muscovy Duck cold plate on a bar menu in Singapore, expensive dish. The irony is, in Florida these ducks are protected.

I don't know if they are legally protected around here, but none of the duck hunters I used to know would shoot one. Heck, I don't even know if they can fly or not! They are strange looking though, I'll give you that.

 

[molested_cow]

Well there are plenty of them in S.Florida. They have weird temper. They are all over the parking lot and they don't move for traffic. Yes they fly, but usually only for relatively short distances. I hear they were brought to the US by early Spanish folks and they eat mosquitoes, making them valuable animals for the southern states. They like to have rough sex, and in spring, you see ducklings all over the place. They usually combine families to care for the young, and it's common to see a group of 30+ ducklings moving together with a few adult females. As for the males... they are nowhere to be seen near the ducklings.

In Florida, generally you are not allowed to interact with wild animals, endangered or not. I hear that if you "disturb" them, you can get fined.

 

[Sarmad]

The third pic is kinda gross for me, Though all pics are surprisingly sharp, Which lens and body you use? That sharpness smells $$$$..

 

[SCraig]

Great shots Scott! I was getting ready to also ask what most others asked, how the heck you got so close, these guys see you coming a mile away I kinda cheated getting the shots I have of them, they came to my feeder lol I love the iridescence in their feathers. My biggest problem shooting them is I laugh uncontrollably when they run away, they are fast but such an awkward jerky gait lol

Thanks, Judi.

Shooting bird photos in this area should be considered cheating since they all know they are safe. Except for most of the ducks they generally don't run. These guys were milling around where two paths come together, and people were lined up on both paths watching them. They were pretty unconcerned about it to. The ducks there are the opposite though. As soon as they see people walking close they head for the middle of the lake.

 

[SCraig]

The third pic is kinda gross for me, Though all pics are surprisingly sharp, Which lens and body you use? That sharpness smells $$$$..

They are kind of gross looking. Especially with that big, hairy knot sticking out of their face

EXIF data is intact, but I used a Nikon D7000 and Sigma 150-500mm lens. The middle one was shot at 380mm and the other two at 500mm.

 

[SCraig]

Well there are plenty of them in S.Florida. They have weird temper. They are all over the parking lot and they don't move for traffic. Yes they fly, but usually only for relatively short distances. I hear they were brought to the US by early Spanish folks and they eat mosquitoes, making them valuable animals for the southern states. They like to have rough sex, and in spring, you see ducklings all over the place. They usually combine families to care for the young, and it's common to see a group of 30+ ducklings moving together with a few adult females. As for the males... they are nowhere to be seen near the ducklings.

In Florida, generally you are not allowed to interact with wild animals, endangered or not. I hear that if you "disturb" them, you can get fined.

Interesting, thanks for passing that along. I've seen them but honestly never really looked up any information about them for some reason.

The state park where I shot these photos is much the same. They have rules posted EVERYWHERE, and most anything you would normally do in a state park is forbidden here. No running on the paths, no pets on the paths (there is a paved road through the middle and that's the only place running, bicycles, or pets is allowed), no swimming, no fishing, do not get off the paths, no musical instruments, no weddings (yeah, they really did post the last two), no picnicking, no picking the flowers, no feeding the birds. The list goes on and on and on, and that's why I really dislike going there. The reason I do go there is that it's close to home and there are always birds and deer to photograph.

 

[molested_cow]

They should just ban humans altogether.

 

[SCraig]

They should just ban humans altogether.

Agreed. I keep waiting to see new signs stating "No talking, no breathing, no ANYTHING. Just look from here and don't touch or disturb anything."

 

[Sarmad]

The third pic is kinda gross for me, Though all pics are surprisingly sharp, Which lens and body you use? That sharpness smells $$$$..

They are kind of gross looking. Especially with that big, hairy knot sticking out of their face

EXIF data is intact, but I used a Nikon D7000 and Sigma 150-500mm lens. The middle one was shot at 380mm and the other two at 500mm.

Right :thumbsup:.
That lens must be huge.

 

[flow]

The state park where I shot these photos is much the same. They have rules posted EVERYWHERE, and most anything you would normally do in a state park is forbidden here. No running on the paths, no pets on the paths (there is a paved road through the middle and that's the only place running, bicycles, or pets is allowed), no swimming, no fishing, do not get off the paths, no musical instruments, no weddings (yeah, they really did post the last two), no picnicking, no picking the flowers, no feeding the birds. The list goes on and on and on, and that's why I really dislike going there. The reason I do go there is that it's close to home and there are always birds and deer to photograph.

The reason there are always birds and deer around is because of the rules. Well, except for the instruments and weddings ones, those are just weird. But you're not allowed to pick flowers or mess with the resident critters in any state or national park. Many of the stricter ones with lots of traffic, like Yellowstone, you will most definitely earn a ranger lecture for going off the marked paths (unless you get a permit). You aren't supposed to take rocks or seashells either (although around here, the seashell thing is pretty much ignored). The rules have been standard for at least a couple of decades now.

 

[SCraig]

Right :thumbsup:.
That lens must be huge.

Details of it are Here. It is 94.7mm in diameter, 252mm long, and weighs 1910 grams. The lens hood adds another 75mm or so to the length.

 

[Ashlee_Duh]

I honestly never paid attention to the look of a turkey before. I always just see them at the dinner table haha. They are really interesting looking creatures. The feathers are what I'm most drawn to. Nice shots! Like others have mentioned the sharpness looks amazing.