Photos by Donna

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Never did I expect this sighting in our backyard.

Yesterday, my husband hollered, “TURKEY”!

I came a-running through the house 😂 grabbing my camera along the way.  From our kitchen bay window, we watched a tom meandering through the bordering tree line and marsh behind us. I sneaked outside onto our back porch, and waited to see if it would come out for some photos.

He did, and proudly too!

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Wild Turkey (tom/male)

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After that strutting display, the tom began walking to the left and disappeared behind my flowerbed.  I spotted a hen hidden in the thicket and moved slowly out of my hiding spot to try to see where the tom went.  He had turned back, caught sight of me darn it, and took off running to our trees on the side of the house.  To my surprise, he was followed by four fast-running hens!

Fact:  If a Wild Turkey is spooked, it can reach a running speed of 20-25 mph (32-40 km/h)!

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Wild Turkey (two of the hens/females)

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Handsome fella!

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