Tag Archives: photo contest

Cedar Waxwings on a variety of crab apple © Stephen Kent

Take 5: Birds Love Berries

As winter closes in, many species of wildlife look to fuel up for the challenging conditions of winter. Fortunately, several plant species take advantage of this in their seed dispersal strategies by producing delicious and nutritious berries that wildlife will eat then excrete, depositing seeds in a new location along with a dose of fertilizer. While many of the fall berries have long since gone by, some varieties last well into winter, providing a larder for the fruit-eating species that are active all winter long.

If you have a fruit-bearing plant in your yard or neighborhood, you’ll have a better chance of capturing a great photo of some fruit-eating birds. Visit our website for more tips to attract birds to your feeders and enjoy these five photos of birds snacking on berries from our annual Picture This: Your Great Outdoors photo contest.

Cedar Waxwings on a variety of crab apple © Stephen Kent
Cedar Waxwings on a variety of crab apple © Stephen Kent
Pine Grosbeak on a variety of crab apple © Kevin Bourinot
Pine Grosbeak on a variety of crab apple © Kevin Bourinot
Eastern Bluebird on Winterberry © Cheryl Rose
Eastern Bluebird on Winterberry © Cheryl Rose
American Robin Eating Winterberries © Alan B. Ward
American Robin Eating Winterberries © Alan B. Ward
Northern Flicker on a variety of crab apple © Peggy Chao
Northern Flicker on a variety of crab apple © Peggy Chao
Wild Turkey © Brad Dinerman

Take 5: Strut Your Stuff

As you may be dining on plenty of turkey this week, we thought we’d turn our attention away from the domesticated variety that graces many a Thanksgiving table, and instead “show off” that iconic show-off, the Wild Turkey.

Wild Turkey can stand four feet tall, with a large, bulky body covered with bronzy, iridescent feathers. The tom (male) has a reddish-blue head and a hair-like “beard” protruding from his breast. The smaller female is duller in coloration than the male.

In the spring, tom turkeys make their famous gobble in order to lure in females. Courtship begins when the tom spreads its tail, fluffs out its feathers, swells out the facial wattles, and struts in front of the females. This elaborate dance may be entertaining for us, but the (turkey) ladies love it! Males are polygamous and will mate with several females if given the opportunity. 

Want to impress your family with a few $5 words this Turkey Day? Brush up on your turkey vocabulary with our handy guide to Wild Turkey Terminology. And enjoy these five photos of toms strutting their stuff for the ladies, all submitted to our annual Picture This: Your Great Outdoors photo contest.

Wild Turkey © Jeffrey Dannay
Wild Turkey © Jeffrey Dannay
Wild Turkey © Mike Snow
Wild Turkey © Mike Snow
Wild Turkey © Brad Dinerman
Wild Turkey © Brad Dinerman
Wild Turkey © Mark Bethoney
Wild Turkey © Mark Bethoney
Wild Turkey © Patti Vartanian Vaughan
Wild Turkey © Patti Vartanian Vaughan