One of the Flock by lauriehiggins

One of the Flock

I went to Salt Pond in Eastham this afternoon with the thought of taking photos of the swans, ducks, and other water fowl that permanently reside there. As I got out of my Jeep, I saw all the regular lineup to the left. Then when I glanced to the right, I saw several funny looking birds and realized they were turkeys. I watched as one by one they came down the hill and emerged from the brush until there were about 40 of them. I started shooting and kept moving closer. They seemed to be aware of me, but just kept their backs to me and let me get pretty close. It was really hard to choose whether to post one lone one, or the whole flock. In the end, this one won out for my photo of the day, but I'm posting a group photo in my second album, just because I've never seen so many turkeys in one place in the wild.
Fantastic capture! I love the way he's looking at the camera over his shoulder. I don't ever remember seeing turkeys on Cape as a kid, but last year or maybe the year before, my in-laws had a family living in their neighborhood. The two adults and I think maybe five babies would hang out in their yard for a while each day, eating the seeds that had fallen from their bird feeders, and then off they'd go.
January 12th, 2012  
This is definitely the better photo, and can stand alone. The other is more for storytelling. I have a funny story about turkeys. I saw four, just walking through a parking lot, like they were out window shopping. I took it on my iPhone. They were oblivious to me.
January 12th, 2012  
Animals in the wild make such special pictures. Great shot.
January 12th, 2012  
I really like this one. Such nice composition!
January 12th, 2012  
you got real close and personal with these turkeys...lol...nice close up
January 12th, 2012  
Cool Turkey! I think this one is great but I still like the flock as well!
January 12th, 2012  
My brother-in-Law used to own a home in Eastham, right behind the drive-in... is it still there? gobble-gobble!
January 12th, 2012  
The drive-in... not his house. LOL
January 12th, 2012  
Love the tones!
January 12th, 2012  
Ooh, he's beautiful. Nice catch.
January 12th, 2012  
Great catch. I've seen wild turkeys in the wild only once. Really cool to see them.
January 12th, 2012  
wow- wild turkeys-what a find! Gorgeous bird and what a wonderful surprise!!
January 12th, 2012  
@hown The drive-in is in South Wellfleet, just over the border from Eastham by a few steps. And yes it is still there. I haven't been in a while, but one of my favorite memories of that drive-in is seeing ET on the big, big screen.
January 12th, 2012  
@aj1268 I remember your photo of turkeys! They were so out of context, that it really stood out.
January 12th, 2012  
LH!! Wow Wild Turkey! Not in the liquor cabinet! :-)
Usually, I love the flock, but guy is giving you such a look and you got a great close up! I agree that this was your shot of the day! Gobble gobble!
January 12th, 2012  
They seem to be out in big numbers lately. When I used to hunt, I would never see them
January 12th, 2012  
Amazing capture. Turkeys are usually very shy around people.
January 12th, 2012  
Cool capture!
January 12th, 2012  
You made the right choice! If turkeys can be beautiful, this one is. Let's do a watercolor painting of it next time you are up.
January 12th, 2012  
I don't think I've ever seen a turkey in the wild! Beautiful capture of him:)
January 12th, 2012  
Great find and nice capture
January 12th, 2012  
Fun!!
January 12th, 2012  
I like it! Great composition here, Laurie.
January 12th, 2012  
posing for you, I like it
January 12th, 2012  
I only see wild turkeys up in cottage country and can never get close to them to get a pic. It's pretty scary when a group of them takes off flying!
January 12th, 2012  
Wow, great shot!
January 12th, 2012  
Really great capture. Right place at the right time. Fantastic shot.
January 13th, 2012  
First thing I noticed is that the bird is totally color coordinated to the ground....probably one of those master plan kind of things. He is so cool! How?awesome to see so many in one place :-)
January 13th, 2012  
they have such character, don't they! i love how they run down the road like they own it. cool capture. the background is very complimentary. must have been great to see so many together.
January 13th, 2012  
Aren't they neat looking? I remember seeing flocks of them on my honeymoon and being very excited (the locals thought I was weird, lol). Love the photo and all the pretty feathers on this one
January 13th, 2012  
I love turkey sitings! Nice capture
January 13th, 2012  
She (or he?) is just lovely. I've heard the wild turkey is making a comeback on the Cape and elsewhere. You never used to see any at all, and now they can be spotted here and there in larger numbers. Though now I have to click over to your other album to see the flock. I don't think I've ever seen more than 10 together, so a group of 40 must be something to see.
January 13th, 2012  
great find...never ever seen one....hope you are doing well...thinking about you
January 15th, 2012  
wonderful capture, they usually are so quick!!
January 19th, 2012  
Thanks for posting the date of this post, Laurie! This is a better photo of the two, but I like seeing both. When I take zoomed in shots, I usually make sure to pan back and take a photo of the wider view....I like to see it later. And a large pack of turkeys like that (are they called "packs?" LOL) is just amazing to see. Now this pic...it is gorgeous....looks like a WIld Turkey Bourbon ad or something.
February 19th, 2012  
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