Biology:

Wild Turkeys are large birds weighing around 8 kg (17 lbs) for males and 4 kg (8.5 lbs) for females. Widespread in North America and normally a wary bird, it becomes accustomed to people where it is protected from hunting. At Ancil Hoffman County Park in Sacramento County, California, the turkeys' breeding season extends from mid-January to mid March, and they are the most tolerant of humans at that time. Turkeys are polygamous with males displaying to attract several females for mating. The nest is on the ground and the female builds it on her own, laying 8-15 eggs and incubating them for 28 days. The young are precocial and will stay with their mother until the next spring. Turkeys are social animals and roam around in flocks foraging for fruits and seeds.

Photographic notes:

Ancil Hoffman County Park is in a floodplain of the American River, in an oak woodland thick with underbrush. The thick understory limits visibility so closer working distances are required to get unobstructed views of the birds, and the dense oak canopy often makes lighting conditions challenging. I find that lenses with a maximum aperture of about f/2.8 to f/4.0 and 250mm to 400mm focal length on a 35mm camera gives a good balance between image size, working distance, portability, and adequate shutter speed.

	Leicaflex SL, 280mm f/4.8 Telyt, Kodachrome 200.
	Leicaflex SL, 250mm f/4.0 Telyt-R, Kodachrome 64.
	Leicaflex SL, 280mm f/4.8 Telyt, Kodachrome 64.

Leicaflex SL, 560mm f/6.8 Telyt-R, E200 film. I used a longer lens for these photos. I've found that the Turkeys have been much more difficult to approach when the bird is perched above the ground.

	Leica R4sP, 280mm f/4.0 APO-Telyt-R, monopod, E100G. In making this photograph and the one below I knelt on the ground so that I would appear less threatening.
	Leicaflex SL, 280mm f/4.0 APO-Telyt-R, extension tube, Kodachrome 64. In making this photograph and the one above I knelt on the ground so that I would appear less threatening. This technique seems to work! At one point in my session with the turkey chicks several of them walked within 4' of me.

Leica R-E, 280mm f/2.8 APO-Telyt-R, Kodak E100G film. I suspect this particular bird was an escaped or released pet because he walked up to me and tested the camera, lens, tripod and photographer for flavor. This bird's plumage and voice were also different from the birds in the local population.

Leicaflex SL, 280mm f/2.8 APO-Telyt-R, Kodachrome 200 film. Same bird as in the two photos above.

Leica R8/DMR, 560mm f/6.8 Telyt-R