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Along the Natchez Trace

Wednesday, April 9, 2014

Let's Talk Turkey....

In yesterday's post I wrote that the turkey hen that's been coming around had an admirer, but I wasn't able to get any photos of the happy couple...

This morning, maybe around 8am, Ms. Turkey came by for breakfast...  with Mr. Tom following close behind.

Mr. Tom is in full "suitor" form....  wings dropped, tail spread high...  puffed up and strutting like a turkey in love.

Wild Turkey   .....   Meleagris gallopavo
In the USA there are a couple of sub-species of turkeys and here in Texas, we have the Rio Grande or merriami.  You've all seen lots of turkey photos...  especially around Thanksgiving...  but it is in the spring that turkey looks his best.  His feathers are shiny and intact...  his wattles (skin flaps under his chin) are bright red...  his naked blueish head stands out.  He has a breast tuft....  a tassel of long feathers hanging from his chest.  All decked out to impress the ladies!

This male might be fairly young as he doesn't seem to have a harem...  so far we've seen him pursue only the one hen.

He strutted....  and postured....  and strutted some more....

The early morning sun picked up golden highlights in his feathers......  glossy and iridescent.

This morning the pair hung out under the deer feeder and just beyond our motorhome for about 20 minutes.  They've been around now for several days and seem to be developing a pattern to their feedings.  We're hoping the female will set a nest nearby.  

They got their fill and the hen wandered off...  back into the brush.  The tom strutted right along behind her...
The End

That's All For Today!

14 comments:

  1. Oh, just look at him strutting around! So glad they came back and that you got some photos of him!

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  2. It's amazing how beautiful the turkey's feathers are in the sunlight. I haven't seen any turkeys all winter and I miss them. We had such a hard winter I worry that they might not have survived. What a wonderful sequence of photos you posted. Thank you from a fellow turkey lover!

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  3. men! ... beautiful birds ... I don't want to and ain't gonna eat 'em... that second picture is beautiful! you know ... seriously ... I wrote about m going to Heifer International here in Little Rock ... chickens and turkeys and so forth were there ... camels! water buffalo and all manner of animals... ANyway... the little intern and I chatted ... she was guarding some eggs. WHICH made me curious as to have eggs became birds.

    The which came first... and wondered how the eggs became fertilized... I know .... I know .. I"m pathetic ... BUT I didn't know... she explained. I said ..,. get out of town... chickens and birds have penises ??? she said ... yes.

    See? I think that's funny .. chicken sex... I never

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    1. lots of typos but they're readable ... I would like to correct the chicken have penises ... I KNOW it's the Rooster ... at least I"m not THAT schtupid ...

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  4. Fascinating. I've never seen them in the wild. I know we have them in Oregon because the spouse hunts them, but he never shoots any!

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  5. Wonderful that you can get up close to check out these wonderful birds.

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  6. Cool photos! If I were a turkey, that tom would be one handsome man!

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  7. I knew some city kids who would have seen that last shot and shouted, "Peacock!!!"

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  8. I'm in love. I also felt the urge to tuck dollar bills into his feathers.

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