A small flock of Wild Turkeys (Meleagris gallopavo) disappeared into the underbrush on Tuesday at Occoquan Bay National Wildlife Refuge, but I kept on eye on them and managed to get this first shot as one of them made its way through the dried stalks of vegetation.
Later that same day, I had another sighting of turkeys and captured a familiar view of a turkey hurrying across the road. I like the way that the second shot shows the turkey’s “beard,” the tuft that looks a bit like a miniature horsetail dangling from its breast.
© Michael Q. Powell. All rights reserved.
Mike Powell 
Nice Mike! Enjoyed seeing them!
Nice!
Blue Rock Horses Frederick County, Virginia bluerockhorses.com
Nice photos, Mike. I think the turkeys would approve.
Nice shots, Mike. I suspect the toms are on the move seeking out hens. Spring is in the air!
One of the biggest community fundraisers around here is the Pearland Turkey Shoot. Golfers have turkey shoot tournaments, too, but I’ve never come close to understanding the rules for those!
I checked out the Pearland Turkey Shoot link and was happy to see it involved targets, not actual turkeys. I chuckled, though, when I saw the prize list, “Sportsmen and women can play various shotgun shooting games to showcase their skills and win prizes of bacon, turkey, and ham just in time for the holidays.”
Turkeys–wonderful. I’m glad the “shoot” is metaphorical.
I generally try to avoid using the verb “shoot” when talking about my photography–too many people misinterpret my intentions when I tell them I like to shoot wildlife. Apparently I also cradle my camera with my long telephoto lens in a way similar to the way some hunters carry their shotguns, or so I have been told. In this case, I chose to use “turkey shoot” as the title of the posting because it was short and I figured it might draw in a few folks to see if the posting was about hunting or photography. 🙂
Good strategy. I remember seeing a gunstock used as a platform for a camera with a long telephoto lens and a mechanical cable release configured to be comfortable as a trigger. It seemed like a pretty good idea, provided you had the wherewithal to add it to your arsenal–and the roadie to carry it around for you.
I periodically get caught in the infamous Gear Acquisition Syndrome and have trouble resisting all of the gadgets and accessories that in theory will improve my capabilities. It is easy to get so much “stuff” that I would need a packmule, roadie, or sherpa to carry it all. Even though I generally have three lenses with me when I am out shooting, I rarely change my lens. I could probably lighten my load a lot by carrying just the real necessities, like a spare battery and memory card and a big trash bag to cover my gear if it starts to rain hard. I don’t mind getting wet, but most of my equipment is not waterproof.
Great shots, Mike!
Thanks, TOny.