During my week off, Murphy and I wandered around in the back woods. We see deer and the usual line-up of common creatures practically every trip but other more interesting targets are a rarity. On this visit to the no-name pond, we spied a couple of ducks on the far side. I could tell one of them had more white than usual but only took some photos hoping to catch something in focus enough for identification purposes.

This is a hooded merganser (again, identified only back home after significant cropping and flipping through the Eastern Birds volume of the Audubon Handbooks). I am pleased with the outcome of the shot considering I did not use a tripod.

After a trip to the far bog and checking on the beaver colony, we surprised a large group of turkeys at the far edge of the hayfield that lies between the bog and our house. I was able to keep Murphy hidden and caught this pair of birds just before they disappeared into the woods behind them.

We have seen this large contingent of turkeys in many sections of our neighboring woods on both sides of our road this year. Like the deer, we typically come upon them without much warning and with lighting conditions at their worse. Getting a good picture is like being able to draw your gun in a gun fight before the other guy gets you. I would not have lasted long in the wild, wild west.