I do not know about the reactions of the lady turkeys, but I was mighty impressed by the display of this male Wild Turkey (Meleagris gallopavo) early yesterday morning at Occoquan Bay National Wildlife Refuge. A lot of male birds go to great lengths to impress and attract females during the early spring, but this wild turkey’s presentation might take the prize for being so flamboyant and ostentatious. I guess he has truly embraced the motto, “Go big or go home.”
© Michael Q. Powell. All rights reserved.
Mike Powell 
This is quit a display… very impressive.
Beautiful shot, Mike!
Blue Rock Horses Frederick County, Virginia bluerockhorses.com
Three cheers for Spring! I watched three Toms with a flock of about 15 hens yesterday. Didn’t have my camera! 😳 Your photo is magnificent, Mike!
Blue Rock Horses Frederick County, Virginia bluerockhorses.com
If you have it, I guess you need to show it off.
Wow!
Great shot!!!
Nice Mike! Like the feather display!
Beauty shot!
Tom turkeys sure are impressive when it comes to courting rituals. Nice shot, Mike, he’s a handsome one.
Very showy!
There are tropical birds that are even more showy than that, of course, but this is about as good as it gets here. 🙂
He would certainly win my vote for most flamboyant!!
Mine too.
What a spectacular display!
There are wild turkeys in Seneca Creek St Pk, but I haven’t seen one for many years. Once I saw one on my court (which abuts the park).
On another topic, we dug an old oriole feeder out of storage, cleaned it up and have put it out to see if we can attract orioles. The first time we tried this (in the 80s), it was a failure. But a neighbor up the street says one came to her yard, so let’s give it another shot. I read it might help to display some orange ribbon or strips of plastic, visible from the air.
I see wild turkeys fairly regularly at “my” wildlife refuge, but I think this was only the second or third time that I have seen one display like this. Good luck, Nina, in attracting orioles.
Wow, that’s quite a display, Mike! Sometimes the ladies are put off by too much puffery, he might need to tone it down! Great capture of the action.