Wild Turkeys Westbrook Maine Pet Photographer

Me...blog about wild turkeys?  No way...but then again...I see them almost everyday...so why not?  Usually I see a handful of them, in the fields near our middle school or by the cattle farm.  So yesterday while driving through I saw a huge number of them relatively close to the road.  I thought this a great opportunity for some cool photos, however, by the time I got home and grabbed my gear and returned to the site...the turkeys had moved further into the field and no longer offered the coolest of photo opportunities...but then again...I was here now so I took a stab at it.  (I should also mention it started snowing pellet balls during this wild turkey photo shoot episode.)  Then this morning, I was shooting a few photos of a house for a realtor friend, and walking through the back yard was a wild tom turkey!  So hence, the subject of today's post.  I've always been a bit curious about them...and they definitely caught my attention yesterday...so here are a few facts I pulled from the Maine Department of Inland fisheries and Wildlife website.

The average adult hens weigh between 8 - 12 lb. and adult toms between 10 - 20 lb., but a large tom can weigh in excess of 25 lb.

Heads of gobblers (adult toms) are generally bare and blue with a hint of pink and red, but colors can change with the mood of the tom. (yes...once again the boys are prettier than the girls!)

Turkeys can fly up to 60 miles per hour and a distance of 1 mile?  (Please God never allow this flock of turkeys to fly in my presence when I'm behind the wheel...a crash would be inevitable)

Wild Turkeys in Maine breed during April and May, and the dominant toms do most of the breeding, through elaborate strutting and gobbling, they try to attract and mate with as many hens as they can, which may be as many as 12 or more.  (dawgs...no comment!)

I'm guessing if I return to this spot in a few months...it might be possible to see some little ones in the flock!

My Cardinal Westbrook Pet Photographer

For the past few weeks, ever since we sprung our clocks ahead, I've had the pleasure of hearing a very loud songbird outside my window.  Honestly, I have never given a squat about what sounds birds make...until just a few years ago...and now I might add, I'm even a bit fascinated by them.  I've learned to identify just a few, one being the Cardinal, and I knew that's what I was looking for...and I found him...but he's always in the highest branch of the tallest tree!  I did get a decent picture, on my third attempt.  I used my 270mm lens, took the photo at the highest resolution my camera can manage, and cropped it closer for a better look.  Here are a few more interesting facts about cardinals...I pulled these from the National Geographic website.  (there's an audio on their site that will drive a cat nuts!) 

Cardinals have about two dozen songs.

Only males sport the brilliant red plumage for which their species is known. The color is a key to mating success—the brighter the better. Females are an attractive tan/gray.

Cardinals are fairly social and join in flocks that may even include birds of other species. During mating season, however, groups dissolve into pairs. Male birds feed their monogamous partners as they incubate clutches of eggs—typically three per season.

Maine Wedding Photographer Minor Moments Photography

Phhwew...finally!  I spent the last week and a half moving my website over from the free platform it was on, to the semi free platform mandatory move it had to go on.  Good news is, I did it myself, and I got it done before the deadline.  With that done...I thought it was time for a blog face lift too...so here it is.  During this process, I have discovered that I don't really exist...in cyberspace that is!  What I've discovered is that if I Google either wedding photographer, or pet photographer...I can page through page after page of google listings...and low and behold...Minor Moments doesn't even appear as an option.  So, with that said, my goal for the next few weeks is to boost my presence in cyberspace.  I am armed with my 311 page paperback "the complete Idiot's guide to Search Engine Optimization" and I've just posted my first video slide show to You Tube.

Thank you to all my current friends and clients...please keep believing in me and sharing my name!  Cyberspace...here I come!

Website Update

Just a quick note, about my website...it's under a bit of construction...and unavailable at the moment.
...I am aware...and working on it...hope to have it back up real soon!!

Dior the Standard Poodle

Here are photos of Dior, January's Dog Wash portrait winner.  Dior is a well mannered 4 year old standard poodle with lots of puppy inside!