Rio Grande Turkeys Strutting at Wichita Mountains

On March 15th, 2020, while camping at the Doris Campground in the Wichita Mountains Wildlife Refuge in Oklahoma, I had the pleasure of photographing two magnificent Rio Grande Turkeys. Every morning and evening, a group of hens accompanied by these two impressive Toms would wander through the campsites, providing perfect opportunities for observation and photography.

 Displaying Rio Grande Toms at Wichita Mountains Wildlife Refuge
Two Rio Grande Turkey Toms strutting and displaying vibrant plumage during spring at Wichita Mountains Wildlife Refuge, Oklahoma.

To capture these moments, I positioned myself behind a tree, hand-holding my Fujifilm X-T3 camera fitted with a Canon EF 100–400mm f/4.5–5.6L IS II lens via a Fringer EF-FX Pro adapter. Bracing the camera against the tree gave me the stability needed to get sharp images of the turkeys as they strutted and displayed their vibrant plumage.

Camera Settings:

  • Aperture: f/5.6
  • ISO: 1600
  • Shutter Speed: 1/800 sec
  • Focal Length: 263 mm