An adult make turkey is called a “Tom”. We arrived at Mill Stream Run Reservation early on Saturday morning and found a tom and three hens grazing in a field. Tom had his impressive feathers on full display! I was so excited to photograph him, but I had to approach slowly. I felt like I was playing hide and seek, keeping a tree between myself and the turkeys, staying in the shade of the bushes around the field until I was close enough to really see the details in his head and the glint in his eye. You’ve probably heard that Ben Franklin wanted the turkey to be the national bird rather than the bald eagle. When you see them up close in the wild, with feathers fanned, you can see why he favored it. It’s such a magnificent bird!
The next bird we found was a tiny Common Yellowthroat. He was clinging to reeds and blades of grass. In the one pic, if you look closely, you can see the reed right through the little guy! He’s so delicate and fragile-looking compared to the sturdy turkey. The contrast was fun.
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