Turkey on Our Minds

While some of us have 'turkey' on our minds, I thought I'd share a few of my Wild Turkey photographs in honor of Thanksgiving.  Here's wishing each and every one of you the very best of a beautiful, bountiful, peaceful and blessed Thanksgiving.

Gobble!  Gobble!

All in a Day's Walk

I started out in the woods.  I passed a small swamp which I've never witnessed any sign of life there before other than croaking frogs in the spring, although I'm sure there must be creatures inhabiting the area as well.  So I was taken by surprise when a cormorant shot up out of the water and flew overhead.  I missed that shot, but promised to stop by this swamp again on the way out to see if it returned.  I did.  No cormorants were there, but I did startle a pair of ducks!  I managed to catch them through my lens.

I couldn't very well leave the swamp without photographing a cattail or two.

Not much was moving around in the woods except for lots of squirrels.  These two stopped from their incessive scurrying to each enjoy a little snack.

This one zoomed in on me as I zoomed in on him!

Later in the day I explored a spot I'd never been to before.  Right away I noticed this Belted Kingfisher, perched on a stick, surveying a pond filled with geese.

A few birds flitted about, but I had my eye on an adjacent vast field.  I hoped to see a hawk or perhaps a fox and went closer to investigate.

Sure enough, there was a hawk waiting for me!  I believe this to be a Northern Harrier.

After a moment or two, I followed it as it flew for cover, giving me a nice view of it's wings and flight feathers.

Waterfowl and a Broad-Winged Hawk

While traveling through back-country roads this morning, I noticed a family of swans--the cygnets now juveniles--swimming in the lake we were passing by.  I couldn't resist taking a few shots.

Walking back to my car, I saw this Broad-Winged Hawk land on a branch of a tree.

                                                          Another lake....  more waterfowl.....

                                           And more birds up in the sky.....  and coming in for a landing.

Structurally Speaking...

                              These structures caught my eye during my travels in the past few days.



A Frosty Morning in the Swamp

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A coating of frost crystalized everything in the swamp.

Bird Watching

Falling . . . falling . . . falling . . .

What better way to while away a crisp November morning than to sit quietly on a small dock of a big lake watching the leaves on the trees along the shoreline--blowing from slight winds, coming loose, gently fluttering downward till they reach the water.  Falling...  falling...  falling...  down...  around...  twisting, turning, upside down, carried on a breeze...

And we can't forget about these 'whirligigs' which we used to call 'poliwags', or, simply, 'helicopters' when we were growing up.  Once these maple tree seeds landed, we'd pick them up and toss them in the air as high as we could so we could watch them twirl back down again.  We even used to open them at the seed and stick them onto our noses just for fun!  Ahhh, memories...  on this crisp November morning...  just watchin' the leaves fall...