Tuesday, October 9, 2012

Wild Turkeys in the Smokies

With my Wild Turkeys in the Smokies, I am linking up with Wild Bird Wednesday and Nature Notes

Hubby and I came home yesterday from a 4night 5day road trip to the Smoky Mountain National Park. We stayed in Gatlinburg Tennessee and visited various parts of the Smoky Mountain National Park. One of the most common birds I saw while driving around the Smokies were the Wild Turkeys. We saw them while on the Cades Cove Motor drive and on the Roaring Fork Motor drive.


We drove the Roaring Fork Motor Drive three times during our visit to the Smoky Mountain National Park. On this day it was really foggy.


Benjamin Franklin preferred the Turkey over the Bald Eagle as the national bird of the United States. Benjamin remarked that the turkey is a true original native of America. He called the turkey a little vain and silly but, a bird of courage that would protect his farm yard.


 The Wild Turkey is native to North America and is the heaviest member of chicken-like group called Galliformes.


These are the Wild Turkeys we saw while driving the Roaring Fork Motor drive, but we saw the wild turkeys all around the park mostly standing next to the roads. This group did not seem to mind people stopping to see them. I hope they stay safe.


I guess with this heavy fog we were lucky to see anything.



To see more beautiful and wonderful photos please visit: Stewart's Wild Bird Wednesday and Nature Notes.
Thanks to Stewart for hosting Wild Bird Wednesday and thanks to Michelle for hosting Nature Notes.

50 comments:

  1. I love the foggy view, full of mysteries.

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  2. the hubby & i love the area as well. gorgeous country. we have been to many of the locations you mentioned. hope to get back there soon. no wonder dolly built her "dollywood" there. God's country for sure. (:

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  3. Hallo Eileen!I love your header!The photos with the fog those beautiful places you visit,the wild turkeys,I am speechless by such beauty!Τhanks for sharing this with us!Wish you a lovely week my dear!
    Dimi..

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  4. Wild lebend habe ich sie noch nie gesehen...

    Lieben herbstlichen Gruß und Sonne im Herzen

    Cloudy

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  5. it looks very atmospheric with all that fog!

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  6. Oh My... Sorry the weather wasn't better. Hope you enjoyed yourself anyhow... Did you see either bears or deer in the Cove???? We get lucky ever so often... BUT--we always see the turkeys...They are like dogs (ordinary) down here. ha ha...

    Can't wait to see what else you did. Hope you enjoyed it despite the weather.

    Cold here this week... We've had a fire in the fireplace all week... LOVE it.
    Hugs,
    Betsy

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  7. Beautiful photos of your foggy drive! Love the picture of the twin turkeys.
    I would love to visit the Smokey Mountains but will have to enjoy your photos for now.

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  8. that is one bird i have never seen here! send some down! :)

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  9. Sounds like a very nice trip- love the spooky woodsy shots and the turkeys are awesome. I've actually been to that park many years ago and had a great time camping. Hope to see more from this trip!

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  10. Misty day there! I always have mixed feelings when I spot birds beside the road like that. Happy cuz I can see them and get a picture but worried for their safety.

    I love to see wild turkeys but I'm rather glad Mr Franklin didn't get his way.

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  11. Wild turkeys are interesting birds and hard to find around here. I did see a group of them while in Wisconsin, but we were in the car and I didn't get a chance to take pictures. I think the fog adds to the appeal of the photos ... and it usually burns off by noon, so you have the chance for clearer pictures later, right? So, nice job ...

    Andrea @ From The Sol

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  12. Hi Eileen, those foggy images create a mystery and magic in your interesting post today. Have a great day. Jo

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  13. Nice photos in the fog! We don't have any wild turkeys here in Sweden. I understand your National parks are really big ones.
    Thanks for your comment! :)
    Greetings Pia

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  14. lovely to experience the mood of the day in your photographs; I enjoyed each one

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  15. Hello Eileen, mi piace molto la foto n°1.
    Mi piacerebbe poter fare delle escursioni in questo luogo.
    Buona serata.
    Myriam :)

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  16. Great post Eileen, love all the photos and fun to see the ones of the turkeys.

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  17. Intersting post!! Boom & Gary of the Vermilon River, Canada.

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  18. Oh my goodness...talk about being in the right place at the right time!!! Fantastic images. Love the misty, damp, atmosphere in the photos too.

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  19. Exciting to see all those turkeys! I can see why they're called the Smokies!

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  20. Beautiful, moody pictures! I love all the fog and mist. Love the turkeys too!

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  21. i LOVE the fog and the turkeys but more the fog and path. it's magical!!

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  22. Great photos of the turkeys and the scenic photos with the mist are beautiful.

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  23. love that last one, of the trees.

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  24. My very favorite place to drive! I love Gatlinburg and the Roaring Fork drive and Cades Cove! We always do the Roaring Fork, but this time didn't do Cades Cove...you have some great photos. I love shooting in the fog - it always ends up being really dramatic!

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  25. I was also fortunate to have visited the Great Smokey Mountains -- such a beautiful area and especially beautiful this time of the year, Eileen! I also enjoyed your photos of the area on facebook.

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  26. Kind of eerie with the fog! Sounds like a great trip. Those turkeys look huge!

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  27. Thanks for the virtual trip.
    Some day I want to join you for real.

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  28. Shame about the foggy day Eileen but you got to see lots of Wild Turkeys. You must go back there again on a better weather day as the whole place looks so interesting.

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  29. Beautiful turkeys, you took pictures in the fog, you're a genius.

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  30. I like the mist in the photographs Eileen, very pretty .

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  31. Nice set of pictures - you got a much better view than my first (and so far only!) sight of this bird. It does look very much like autumn with you.

    Thanks for linking to WBW

    Stewart M - Australia

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  32. Beautiful photos of both the Turkeys and the foggy landscape Eileen! I wonder if those two light colored birds are leucistic?

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  33. Love the foggy pictures. Reminds me of my foggy morning walks. : )

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  34. All great but my favourite is the last in your series. Wow!

    Shooting in foggy conditions isn't easy.

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  35. Beautiful shots of the foggy trail. It's so neat to see flocks of these iconic birds.

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  36. Wow the last photo looks like a movie scence, fantastic! well done

    Hugs

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  37. · Shocking images. There's no free turkeys here, only in farms.

    · regards

    CR· & ·LMA
    ________________________________
    ·

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  38. those birds are really big. :) Te fog gave you some pretty pics. :)

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  39. The Smokies are wonderful for wildlife sightings. Love your cool pictures. Turkeys Rock!

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  40. Hi Eileen, we are back and I love your new banner look and images. Smokey Mountains...not so far from here...great images~

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  41. I love the foggy shots and also the wild turkeys.

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  42. Love the two turkeys. The mist gives the place an eerie look.

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  43. Looks and sounds like a great trip.

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  44. Wonderful atmospheric shots of your trip Eileen. I also love the beautiful fall shots that you have added to your header too, very colourful :)

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  45. Rain. Turkeys. Misty roads and trails. I think I'd have some coffee with me. This is fantastic. The turkeys are great. Love the white feathers on the pair in the picture.

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  46. Hi Helen. Great pictures, and what a trip down a foggy road. I live in Toronto, Ontario, Canada, and over the past year, my wife and I have come upon several Wild Turkeys up here. And much like you, except not in fog, we found ourselves driving down snowy roads, in a blinding blizzard to find them. This past summer we even came upon a hen with her baby turkey flying up into a tree. Fortunately, we had our camera with us and got some good video and pictures. We have posted them for anyone interested at: http://frametoframe.ca/photo-essay-wild-turkey-sightings-ontario

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  47. Wow, it's a fantastic landscape...very eerie and dark, but it makes dream :)

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