At this time of the year holiday preparations become intertwined at retail stores. I have already seen lots of displays for Halloween and suspect that I will see Christmas decorations for sale as well if I look a little harder. Indigenous Peoples Day and Thanksgiving Day are also part of this autumn blitz.
So I guess that it is not that surprising that I immediately thought of Thanksgiving Day when I spotted this Wild Turkey (Meleagris gallopavo) last week at Occoquan Bay National Wildlife Refuge. Turkeys are part of the lore of Thanksgiving and play a central role in the traditional feast, though commercial turkeys no longer bear much resemblance to their wild counterparts.
There are several flocks of wild turkeys at this wildlife refuge and I often encounter them foraging along the trails. When they see me, they usually move slowly into the undergrowth—I suspect that they have grown accustomed to the presence of humans, but do not want to interact with them most of the time. Strangely enough, that’s the same attitude that I display when I am out in the wild with my camera.
© Michael Q. Powell. All rights reserved.
Mike Powell 
I can relate to every word you write! Great capture, Mike!
I love your final line, Mike. Feel the same way when I’m the only human at the marsh. 😌
Some folks who do bird counts seem to consider it a team sport, with lots of noisy interactions with other participants. I tend to view my search for wildlife as a more quiet, solitary pursuit. 🙂
The woods near my home used to be full of wild turkeys, but it’s been a few years since I’ve seen any around. Avoiding humans is a good idea.