During the hot summers here in the Wind River Canyon we have one of the biggest wild birds in North America, and the smallest! Wild turkeys (Meleagris gallopavo) in the canyon are a relatively new addition. Last year a hen had shown up for the first time, but only one of her six babies survived. Most of the others were killed on the roadway, including their mother whom I picked up from the middle-of-the-road right on the yellow lines!
The remaining yearling mostly hung around our cabin since it was the only place she knew that was safe; she also liked our sunflower seeds. In the fall another younger hen and three males (toms) seemingly arrived out-of-nowhere. Our lonely wild turkey finally had company and they all spent the winter visiting us.
It seemed obvious what was to happen this springtime. Last week the group arrived with their little baby turkeys in tow. I took a lot of photographs, but a video seemed more appropriate; and more fun. It's one minute and two seconds with a cute jiggle at the end when I hit the off button; I could have edited it out in post-production. This is the very first video ever made of baby wild turkeys in the Wind River Canyon!
Wild Turkeys and their BabiesWild Turkeys and their babies video documented in the Wind River Canyon in the state of Wyoming.
The wild turkey group (hey, it's what they're called) comes around early each morning for their helping of sunflower seeds. Kids grow up so fast, don't they? That "horn" of flesh on their beaks is called a snood; you just learned something new.
Day before yesterday I had a close encounter with a baby rufous hummingbird (Selasphorus rufus) that was born right here in the canyon; as they are each and every summer. Hummingbirds are very inquisitive and this young male baby rufous was no exception. These moments with camera in-hand and hummingbirds are truly magical. It's super-fast photography shot at lightning speeds. If there's a better word than challenging, I don't know what it is. The image below was photographed at 1/4000th of a second with the Canon EOS M6 Mark II!
Baby Rufous Hummigbird In-Flight 2021Baby Rufous Hummingbird imaged in-flight in the Wind River Canyon in the state of Wyoming.
The acrobatics in-flight are just an added bonus when photographing hummingbirds, and it all takes place in the blink-of-an-eye.
Thank you for taking time out of your day to read about wildlife in the Wind River Canyon, here in the middle of the state of Wyoming. All content in my Wind River Canyon Blog and my website HogbatsPhotography.com is protected by international copyright and all rights are reserved.
My name is Michael John Balog and I live in the Wind River Canyon.
MjB