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Cold Turkey
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| Photo Information |
Copyright: Bob Harrison (BobH)
![Silver Star Critiquer/Gold Note Writer [C: 41 W: 8 N: 192]](http://i1.treknature.com/misc/s-n-g.gif) (638) |
| Genre: Animals |
| Medium: Color |
| Date Taken: 2008-12-12 |
| Categories: Birds |
| Camera: Canon PowerShot S5 IS |
| Exposure: f/3.5, 1/200 seconds |
| Photo Version: Original Version |
| Date Submitted: 2008-12-20 3:22 |
| Viewed: 646 |
| Points: 4 |
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| [Note Guidelines] Photographer's Note |
Since we have 15 cm of new snow this morning and another 20 cm on the way tomorrow, I think this will be my last ice and cold post for a while. I'll go next for something which doesn't remind me of our sudden descent into winter.
But for now, here is a shot of some wild turkeys (Meleagris gallopavo silvestris) in my town. In the last 10 to 20 years Southern Maine has seen a resurgence in its population of turkeys, and they are now quite popular legal prey for many hunters in the area. This trio is part of a larger group that has no worries about getting shot. They live mostly in a state park and spend much of their time foraging in the adjacent farmland and forest margins. They are also fortunate that Cape Elizabeth has tight restrictions on firearms use in town.
Most of the time, these birds were nearly invisible within the ice coated grass, probably hunting for seeds and grass stems not covered by ice. When I first approached the edge of the field, about 10 heads popped into view and eyed me carefully to assess the threat. After a couple of minutes, I was mostly ignored. However, it seemed that at least one bird was watching me the whole time. It would have been spectacular to walk closer and send them flying, but I didn't want to disturb their feeding, which was probably marginal, given the ice storm.
If you have never seen a wild turkey flying, it can be quite an experience. They spend most of their time on the ground, but will take flight suddenly in response to a threat, reaching as much as 80 km/hr. The males can reach 11 kg and nearly 1.5 m wingspan, so when they take off, they make a huge amount of noise. When several of them launch at once it is deafening. It can be especially exciting if you don't know they are there and walk close enough to spook them. The unexpected explosion of noise and huge birds blasting through the open forest can give you a serious jolt of adrenaline and heart-thumping that can take several minutes to subside!
tech note- tweaked shadows/highlights, brightness, contrast for best definition; one step PS sharpening and slight increase in total saturation; significant cropping |
CeltickRanger, Wolfpower has marked this note useful
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hello Bob
excellent close-up shot of the wild turkeys,
with fine POV at the level of the birds, i love the frozen
egetations and the curious glance of the right one, TFS
Asbed
Hello Bob
A wonderful low POV ,I like the way you composed the shot.
The ice covered grass is terrific,very beautiful.
I got a chuckle from your title ,very apt.
TFS
Wolf
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