WunderPhotos®

on the 1st of April..'strutting their stuff' for all seemingly oblivious the hens out in the field..what a noisy morning from 6AM till almost 8AM..between the loud gobbles of the males and the incessant clucking of the females!! the following was copied from Wikipedia: The idea that Benjamin Franklin preferred the turkey as the national bird of the United States comes from a letter he wrote to his daughter Sarah Bache on January 26, 1784, criticizing the choice of the Bald Eagle as the national bird and suggesting that a turkey would have made a better alternative. 'For my own part I wish the Bald Eagle had not been chosen the Representative of our Country. He is a Bird of bad moral character. He does not get his Living honestly. You may have seen him perched on some dead Tree near the River, where, too lazy to fish for himself, he watches the Labour of the Fishing Hawk; and when that diligent Bird has at length taken a Fish, and is bearing it to his Nest for the Support of his Mate and young Ones, the Bald Eagle pursues him and takes it from him. With all this Injustice, he is never in good Case but like those among Men who live by Sharping & Robbing he is generally poor and often very lousy. Besides he is a rank Coward: The little King Bird not bigger than a Sparrow attacks him boldly and drives him out of the District. He is therefore by no means a proper Emblem for the brave and honest Cincinnati of America who have driven all the King birds from our Country... I am on this account not displeased that the Figure is not known as a Bald Eagle, but looks more like a Turkey. For in Truth the Turkey is in Comparison a much more respectable Bird, and withal a true original Native of America... He is besides, though a little vain & silly, a Bird of Courage, and would not hesitate to attack a Grenadier of the British Guards who should presume to invade his Farm Yard with a red Coat on.' I took these early morning shots from our upstairs bedroom skylight..I do apologize for the unusual angle and bright sun, but it was the only way to capture some of the amazing action going on below (if I had tried to do this from ground level, the birds would have been gone in a flash once they saw any movement from a window or door)..the heavy frost adds another layer of interest to the scene taking place about 100 yds away and below..