Happy Thanksgiving!

A special Thanksgiving photo I crafted from an image I captured in the Fall of 2012 of two Eastern Wild Turkeys roaming around in Mustatatuck National Wildlife Refuge in Seymour, Indiana. I wish everyone in the states a very Happy Thanksgiving!

Thanksgiving is my favorite holiday and I'll be spending it with my sister at her lovely home partaking of turkey and dressing and all of the fixings. I thank God for everyone in my life and all of the wonderful things God has afforded me. I'll also be thinking of everyone in the states who recently suffered losses from floods and tornadoes, and of the people in the Phillipines who are suffering from the horrific typhoon, and hoping and praying that everyone finds a place in their heart to thank God for life itself and cherish each moment we have with all of our loved ones for as long as we have them. Giving thanks. ENJOY!

PHOTOGRAPHER'S NOTE:
My new facebook photography page is open for business. You are welcome to LIKE my page at Carol Mattingly Photography. Just type that in the facebook search at the top of the page. This particular page is where I will be featuring images from an archive of 5,000+ nature and travel database. From Lake Superior National Seashore, Upper Peninsula, Michigan to beautiful Stonington Harbor, Deer Isle, Maine, to Cape Cod and Nantucket Island, Massachusetts, and all of the beautiful places I have visited over the past decade.

Eastern Wild Turkeys, Mustatatuck NWR

As I pulled into Batar Cafe, right outside the main gate to Mustatatuck, to grab a bite to eat last week, there were several Wild Turkeys foraging in and around the cafe's large garden. These are young male Eastern Wild Turkeys, as identified by their reddish heads and wattles hanging from their necks, as well as their protruding beards. Although a small percentage of females have beards also. It appears these males have discovered a prime spot to forage for food, with no less than four to five very busy bird feeders, with various birds dropping seeds almost continuously during my visit.

I've seen Wild Turkeys in my outdoor travels before, but these looked quite a bit more robust, although males are normally considerably larger than females. Something tells me these guys have made this cafe garden home what with all of the trees, shrubs and bushes, not to mention the well stocked bird feeders. For all of you folks along the eastern seaboard, and all of the northeast, including my friends and coworkers at my corporate office which is situated in Lancaster, Pennsylvania, a mere 100 miles from the seashore, I'm praying for you and hoping Sandy doesn't do major damage. Although from what I've seen on the news so far, it appears some significant damage has already been done and there may be more to come with this evening's high tide. I can't recall when in my life I'd heard reports of two major earthquakes and a tsunami along the Pacific corridor and a major hurricane in the Atlantic Ocean, all reported within a 48 hour period. It's been an eventful weather weekend. Perhaps Mother Nature will calm down soon. ENJOY!