We've had a few days above freezing this season and what happens on those days is the top of our snow pack melts a little, dribbles down through the snow but does not absorb into the earth as it forms a layer of Ice on the frozen surface. After 10 to 12 weeks of this the ice layer becomes to thick for wildlife to 'dig down' and find some food, either grubs or vegetation to get them through.
The last two weeks, we've had a flock of wild turkeys coming through our backyard and a few would venture up to the ground around our bird feeders, picking anything up they could digest. Over this last weekend we started throwing about a litre of sunflower seeds out every morning, a little farther from the house to make a nice little 'dining area' for them and they didn't have to cross my driveway to get to it.
Anyways, my lady happened to be walking by the window, noticed the birds and grabbed her camera
For reference, the bench that is in the photo is 4' long, a tad over a meter. No two of those birds would fit on the bench.
Even though we have seen a good sized flock here lately, 11 at one time, we have never seen the 'male'. They have a habit of staying hidden, even during the summer and just watching over his flock. Well, that's him on the right, the one with what is called a 'beard' hanging from his chest.
This time of year they don't have the bright colors that sets them off in the spring and summer, and they don't have their plumes covering their heads either.
I estimate him to be about 20 to 25 pounds as is and the females 14 to 18 pounds. That male is easily as long as the bench, head to tail and when he flies(yeah, they can fly) his wingspan approaches 5 foot
Was to darn cold to go to work today so I thought I'd share...
Brad
*edit* wrong image link on one
I just gave him a quick pat from behind. If I was there any longer I sure he would have bitten me. 
