Wild turkeys shot in the Pike National Forest, Colorado. Nice way to end a hike, found a flock of 23 on the way home. Very glad I went out today, also got some nice landscapes and drone videos that I'll upload probably tomorrow.
All photos original work copyright 2021 by the author of this post.
Sony A7R4 200-600mm +1.4TC
Enjoy!
@ksteem
Nice photos, and really close up! Don't they usually stay away from people?
Yes, they are usually pretty wary of people. I actually caught these from the car window as I was leaving the forest. They were about 30-40 yards away, gave me the evil eye a few times, but didn't seem to spook them as much being in the car. The super zoom really helps!
Yes, that is something you can see often with animals. They are not worried if someone sits in a car, but freak out if someone is on foot. Even big animals, like Elephants, who really wouldn't need to worry about a human.
May be they sense that a car is not alive, although it moves at times. And a dead object is no threat, just like a rock or so. That conclusion can be fatal of course, on the roads. I always wondered why many animals simply ignore cars and cross the road. They can see them and hear them, and they see that its moving fast - and yet they act as if it doesn't exist and get run over.
Nice captures, turkeys were reintroduced here, back in the late 80’s and they have thrived... I see them often but never been able to get a decent pic....
Thanks, I caught a few nice shots last year with some nice strutting in the driveway, but before that had been years. The longer zoom definitely helps!
I saw that 400! I only have a 300...one day I will upgrade....
This one was actually 200-600 with a 1.4x Teleconverter. It really zooms in nice! My previous was like a 230mm zoom. This is a world of difference!
That’s great you got a large group of them! Biggest one we saw was a group of 10 foraging one rainy day two years ago. Our son loves turkeys so he had a blast watching them from the car lol.
A good use for the telephoto lens you have! Looks like you were a lot closer than you probably were!
Yes, I almost passed by. I barely caught a glimpse of the two under the pine tree with the one that was sitting (on eggs perhaps?). I stopped and backed up a bit for better view, took a couple pics, and then here came the rest that were in thicker cover. Was very good timing. Yes, looks close with the super zoom, but these were across the gravel road and into the field a bit, about 30-50 yards away, and I cropped the shot of the one in the road that was actually 50-60 yards. The high resolution of this camera (61MB raw) allows for some incredible cropping while keeping detail.
Thats a nice healthy flock of turkeys!
Yes, the largest I've seen personally up here in Colorado. I used to see huge flocks of 50-60 frequently back in Missouri 10 years ago..
There are lots of turkey flocks here in Missouri, even in more city areas which has surprised me, I guess they adapt to where there is some space for them.
Great photos! Turkeys are just weird. I have 6 that come up onto my deck everyday. I moved the bird feeder and they stand and look longingly at it trying to figure out how to reach it. They fly up to the roof and look over the edge trying to reach the feeder.
lol, smart in some ways it seems, not so much in others.. That must be a hoot to watch. We get some here at the house once in a while. I just love hearing them gobble!
I'm hopeful that as the weather warms up and I begin spending more time out on the deck that they choose a different route!
I guess they were very shy and didnt let you come any close, right?
But this is a strange view of a turkey in the woods. I only know turkeys from the backyard on the farm. But I am from Europe and that could be the difference 😁