Three years ago by this date I was already taking Wild Turkey photos in the canyons of the sky island mountains of the West Desert of Utah. That isn’t going to happen today or even for the next week. Nope. There is simply too much snow on the ground this year. And it snowed overnight, again. I can’t tell how much new snow there is because it is still pitch black outside.
Displaying Wild Turkey tom in spring snow – Nikon D500, f9, 1/1000, ISO 500, Nikkor 500mm VR, natural light, not baited or called in
But three years ago I had a grand old time photographing a displaying tom turkey that I found at the edge of a dirt road in a canyon. He was a pretty tom and his feathers seemed to glow in the lovely morning light. There was just a bit of new snow on that ground that year. I think it added a touch of visual interest to my photos.
Wild Turkey hen in spring snow – Nikon D500, f9, 1/1600, ISO 500, Nikkor 500mm VR, natural light, not baited or called in
That year I also found a smoke phase Wild Turkey hen in the flock of hens near the displaying tom. The other hens had normal coloration, like the one in the image above. The hen Wild Turkeys weren’t paying much mind to the displaying toms. They were more focused on finding breakfast under the thin blanket of snow.
Snowy April 3rd in Salt Lake County – Cell phone photo
Yesterday morning we got more than six inches of snow where I live in the Salt Lake Valley. After I finished shoveling the snow off of the sidewalk and driveway I took a few cell phone images of the snow covered trees. I liked the way this image turned out of some snow-laden branches.
I should have brought out my D810 and taken photos with it too. I’ll probably be able to do that today and tomorrow through the afternoon because the snow is supposed to last that long.
The truth is though, that I’d really rather be out in the field with the turkeys.
Life is good.
Mia
Click here to see more of my Wild Turkey photos plus facts and information about this species. Click here to see more of my Utah landscape photos.
Tom’s dazzling, hen’s delightful, and even the snowy branches are beautiful. Reminder to fellow amateur and/or phone photo buffs . . . with snow covered ground remember to overexpose by a good 1.5+ stops.