Pictures for Pam, Day 139: HFF: South Lake Tahoe Meadow

(+3 insets)

Yesterday afternoon I was out at our RV trailer assisting Steve with a project but I couldn't help hearing the ruckus going on next door. It sounded like a turkey-fest going on! They were chirping and cheeping loudly, gobbling and making all kinds of calls. I kept looking to see if I could catch sight of them but they were behind trees. I hoped I might see them and figure out what all the fuss was about.

Near dusk, Steve and I wheeled our garbage and recycling cans down to the road for pickup this morning. Halfway down the hill we finally got a view of the turkeys and all became clear. We stopped and watched the show with delighted grins on our faces. It wasn't possible to keep from snickering at the sights and sounds of it all but we tried to keep it down. After all, we didn't want to be rude. :D

In front of us was a veritable turkey extravaganza! There must have been about 20 and nearly half of them were males. They were spread out for quite a distance on each side of our road and beyond our pond. My goodness, what a display. All of the males were in courtship mode in their finest regalia. Feathers puffed to maximum enormity, tails fanned spectacularly above their backs. Each of them turned slowly this way and that to catch the light, creating even more glorious, rainbow-metallic shine.

The ladies were unimpressed. They walked along, pecking at dirt and plants, looking for insects and other things to eat. Those boys. They were ever-so-tedious. If they weren't trying to convince the other toms around them of their superior status, they were cruising slowly around the hens, trying to herd them by use of turning their tails as they moved towards them. We call it "ruddering" and it's completely hilarious to watch. Ineffective much? The hens couldn't care less about the interest of the toms. The mere idea of these slow-moving, ostentatious motorboats gliding around and trying to direct them…well, it was sheer hilarity as far as they were concerned. Ignoring the outrageous runway show going on all around them, the hens stayed together in a close, protective pack to keep from being harassed.

Steve and I finally started to head down the road again and the noise of the cans caused all of the turkeys to raise a flock-wide alarm gobble, 20 heads pivoting our way. We burst out laughing and then Steve did his best gobble back at them. They gobbled loudly in reply! We howled in laughter, Steve and the turkeys traded gobbles and we parted the crowd so we could open the gate and put our cans at the side of the road.

Walking back to the house, we wiped tears of mirth from our cheeks and affirmed our love and adoration for these amazing modern dinosaurs. How lucky we are that our property is part of their territory. What a true joy to see them.

This morning I went down to the gate on my walk and heard a couple of turkeys taking turns with their loudest gobble. Then I saw a sight that instantly brought a vision into my head of (spaghetti Western) Clint Eastwood facing a foe. The soundtrack to The Good, The Bad, and The Ugly followed to color the scene.

Out in the middle of the road I saw an enormous tom at full, outrageous fluff and about 30 feet up the road was his twin. The two took turns gobbling as loudly as they could, trying to best one another. How grand they were!

The pair was unconcerned by their treacherous location but I was immediately--and extremely--alarmed. Instead of admiring their grandeur, I began clapping my hands and marching quickly towards them to get them off the road. All manner of trucks, cars, and semis roar down this road, especially in the morning, and there is no end to the dead animals who aren't quick enough to get out of the way. That would NOT be happening to this dueling pair of desperados. Thankfully they dropped their tails and trotted off the road and I sighed in relief. Showcasing is fine and dandy but BOYS! NOT IN THE MIDDLE OF THE ROAD!! Sheesh.

Well, as you might have noticed, it's HAPPY FENCE FRIDAY in much of Europe! I like to post mine late on Thursday so I can be part of the crowd. Today's picture is from the motorcycle trip Steve and I went on a few years back with our friend Andy. This fence was photographed as we passed a pretty meadow in South Lake Tahoe…at about 80mph! :D (I'm also including some archive images of turkeys since that was the topic of the day! :)

Pam, I did a search for turkey on your stream and found this gorgeous tom turkey gleaming in dappled light. Incredible!! The colors on this guy are amazing. What a stunning boy! Here's hoping that you had something fun happen to you today too! :)

Explored on 3/29/19, highest placement, #3.