smoke phase – Mia McPherson's On The Wing Photography

Spring Wild Turkey Tom Displays

By Mia McPherson|March 17th, 2021|Categories: Birds, Tooele County, Utah, West Desert, Wild Turkeys|Tags: breeding display, courtship display, display, displaying, female, grasses, hen, junipers, male, Meleagris gallopavo, mountains, plumage variation, smoke phase, spring, strutting, tom, turkey, turkeys, upland terrestrial birds, Wild Turkey|

The last time I was up in the Wasatch Mountains I found a Wild Turkey tom displaying next to some old farm equipment for the nearby hens.

Smoke Phase Wild Turkey Hen Photos

By Mia McPherson|April 3rd, 2020|Categories: Birds, Stansbury Mountains, Tooele County, Utah, West Desert, Wild Turkeys|Tags: adult, female, footprints, forest, garbage, grasses, hen, junipers, Meleagris gallopavo, morphs, mountains, mutations, Pack it in, pack it out, plumage variation, recessive genes, smoke phase, smokey phase, smoky-gray phase, snow, soda can, spring, trash, turkey, turkeys, upland terrestrial birds, Wild Turkey|

Someone at sometime had tossed a soda can into the junipers and the Wild Turkey hen walked right in front of it during the few seconds she was out in the open.

Smoke Phase Wild Turkey Hen Plus A Displaying Tom

By Mia McPherson|April 2nd, 2020|Categories: Birds, Stansbury Mountains, Tooele County, Utah, West Desert, Wild Turkeys|Tags: breeding display, courtship display, displaying, female, forest, grasses, hen, junipers, male, Meleagris gallopavo, morphs, mountains, mutations, plumage variation, recessive genes, smoke phase, smokey phase, smoky-gray phase, spring, tom, turkey, turkeys, upland terrestrial birds, Wild Turkey|

If I hadn't have been paying attention yesterday I might have missed out on spotting a flock of turkeys in some junipers and photographing a smoke phase Wild Turkey hen.