Nov. 21, 2021 - Turkeys

Thursday is Thanksgiving Day, so I went back in my photo archives to find pictures of Wild Turkeys. I should explain the connection to those who don’t live in the United States. Roast turkey is the traditional main course for our Thanksgiving Day feast.

The Wild Turkey population has been increasing all over Minnesota, even in urban areas. These two were part of a flock near our apartment in the Twin Cities suburbs.

TurkeyWildAshStreetLnoLakesRamseyCounty20210915

As I looked over my turkey photos, I realized that I had seen them in many different parts of the United States. This turkey was at Bryce Canyon National Park in Utah.

TurkeyWildBryceCanyon20071015

On one of our trips to Oregon, I photographed this turkey at City Park in Bandon, Oregon.

TurkeyWildCityParkBandon20171020

This turkey was seen at Custer State Park in the Black Hills of South Dakota.

TurkeyWildCusterStateParkBlackHills20081016

Driving from our lake home in northern Minnesota to our apartment in the Twin Cities, I saw this family of turkeys near Floodwood, Minnesota.

TurkeyWildfamilyFloodwoodLouisCounty20210807

I’ve even seen turkeys in the winter. This photo was taken in the Sax Zim Bog in northern Minnesota.

TurkeyWildMaryLou'sHouseSaxZimBogLouisCounty20190316

Turkeys can fly, but they don’t do it very often. They prefer to walk, and, when necessary, they can run pretty fast. This is my only flight shot of a turkey. It was taken at Lake Toho in Kissimmee, Florida.

TurkeyWildflightLakeTohoKissimmee20120129

I stopped along a rural road in northern Minnesota and took a photo of these two turkeys. When I got it down on my computer, I noticed the white tips on the tail feathers of the one on the right. That seemed unusual; my other turkey photos showed tan tips on the tail feathers. So, I sent the photo to someone in the MN DNR and to someone at USDA. They concluded this was a Bronze Turkey, a domestic breed that was probably being raised by someone in that neighborhood. No wonder they didn’t run away when I stopped.

TurkeyWildItascaCounty20211002