[Leica] Turkeys and Telyts (long)

[Doug Herr <71247.3542@compuserve.com>]

March is spring in the California central valley.  Responding to the winter
rains, the grasses have returned to green from summer gold and winter drab.
 Fruit trees are blooming throughout the valley and into the foothills of
the Sierra.

For the past two weekends I've watched as hundreds of Sandhill Cranes pass
overhead on their annual spring journey to the arctic.  Red-shouldered
Hawks are calling, woodpeckers are drumming and tukeys are strutting.  The
turkeys have drawn me to Ancil Hoffman Park along the American River in
Sacramento County.

Ordinarily, the Wild Turkey is quite a wild and wary bird but in protected
areas like Sacramento County's parklands along the river they've become
accustomed to people and their activities.  During the week, schoolchildren
come to the Effie Yeaw nature center at Ancil Hoffman park to learn about
the river, the lands surrounding it and the Maidu people who lived with the
river and lands long before the California Gold Rush.  The turkeys mostly
ignore the kids.  On weekends the hikers and nearby golfers are more
numerous than the weekday kids, and the turkeys spend more time in the
brush but still are not alarmed by the people.

In search of turkey photos I brought a couple SLs armed with Kodachromes
and 280-400-560 Telyts to the park.  The 560 stayed in the backpack the
entire morning: the dim light in the forested areas made useful shutter
speeds elusive, and too much brush made working distances too short for the
big Telyt.

As it turned out I used the 280 more than the 400.  A small flock of
turkeys near the nature center were feeding and strutting in the grassy
areas and nearby brush.  With enough patience the turkeys allowed me close
enough for frame-filling photos with the 280.

The SL and 280 responded as they always have: smooth, predictable,
reliable, precise, but a recent medical condition had me wishing (against
my natural inclinations) for AF.  In the last two weeks a serous blister
has developed under the retina of my left eye, the one I've always used for
the camera's viewfinder.  This has impaired my vision on the right side of
the viewfinder and a focus confirmation if not AF would have been handy.

My doctor sez my eye will be back to normal in a month or two.  There's no
definitive cause for this condition but there's a strong correlation
between this problem and males in their mid-40's who are under a lot of
stress.  Did I mention I have a teenager?  Doc sez I should take some time
for myself, do something I enjoy.

The turkeys were outstanding: feathers irridescent in the morning sunlight,
the toms strutting with fully spread tailfeathers, all seen through a
Leicaflex.  Just what the doctor ordered.

Do I derive more pleasure/satisfaction with the computer or with the
Leica??  No-brainer.  It's the Leica.

Doug Herr
Sacramento