They being turkeys and that being flying! I will admit I had no idea. We have chickens and although they can “fly” they can’t really FLY. Our hens can run fast and that is their first thought when panicked. If they run fast enough and far enough they lift their wings for balance and some then flap their wings and manage a few feet of flight at about 18 inches off the ground. They can also jump+flap to get over fences or onto perches. I hadn’t given it much thought, but I generally assumed wild turkeys would have the same level of expertise.

I was wrong.

I saw Tom turkey heading towards the orchard, so I grabbed my camera, and by the time I got there, he was out of sight on the other side of the fence. Just at that moment, I heard the neighbor’s dog bark and the turkey took flight – coming straight at me!

It’s not a great picture, I still thought he wouldn’t be good at flying and that maybe he was going to crash into me.

I watched in amazement as he gained height, but he still looked a bit awkward.

I could hear his wings flap a couple more times as he rose higher and then he tucked up his feet (like the landing gear on an airplane) and flew away.