Happy Friday II...Peacock Passion!

Some years ago, late to an early dental appointment, I slung open the front door and stepped back with a gasp, closing the door gently, turning and crooking my finger to my husband, indicating he needed to be very quiet, and to look outside with me. I carefully opened the door, and we were met by the most gorgeous peacock I have ever seen. His spectacular tail feathers were spread from one end of our little front porch to the other. I must have surprised him as well, making him spread his magnificent plumage.

Stunned into immobility, we watched as the bird regally turned and with tail feathers still royally displayed, stepped onto the grass and commenced his stately walk across our front yard, across the road and across to the neighbors house across the street!

This was in the last days of film photography, and as usual, we didn't have film in the camera. I had to go to my appointment, but Bill got to enjoy the bird. Bill sat on the porch, and watched as the bird went from one house to another, pausing at the front door to each, as though looking for something, then proceeding on. The subdivision is exactly one mile in a circular track. The peacock did his duly appointed rounds each morning, at about the same time. We found out from our other neighbors that this was his routine.

This was farmland, and it's not at all unusual for peafowl to be included on many farms, to keep bugs down, and just because they are so darn pretty. Apparently when the farm was sold, and subdivided, they just left the peahens, peacock included. They all seemed happy where they were. The peacock 'chose' a home three houses down from us as 'his' roost, and apparently the people living there were good with it.

Over the years we learned different things about Peacocks. They aren't personable. They have their little Peacock world arranged just so, and do not deign to interact with us mere mortal humans. They live a looooong time. Twenty years or more. This particular peafowl was 'or more'. He didn't let any of the neighborhood dog's or cats near, and if they did get at him, he defended himself just fine. Until the fateful day he didn't.

The woman who owned the home that the Peacock called home as well, sent a letter to everyone in the subdivision that there were three feral dogs loose and they had badly hurt the peacock once, and she had spoken with the owners, but they didn't seem to care. (There's a leash law in the county). Two weeks later, the pack of dogs did what over 20 years of neighborhood dogs, kids, cars and wild varmints couldn't do. They got the Peacock and killed the beautiful bird. There were no repercussions for the people who let their animals run as a pack. The Peacock woman sent the letter out to everyone in hopes that folks would watch their children carefully, since the dogs running as a pack were a threat now to humans too.

Nothing ever happened, but I miss the wild sound of the Peacock on hot summer nights. I remember one of the first times my brother-in-law and his wife came over for dinner, and everyone was outside chatting. Out of the stillness of the evening came a horrific long warbling call! My brother-in

law is always short and to the point. “People, whatever that was~ it wasn't from around here! And a few weeks later, we met the Peacock! He was right!

My brother's wife, Cheryl, loves Peacocks. She sent me a picture of one of the most gorgeous ones I believe I've ever seen. I posted it on LinkedIn for folks to enjoy. I wanted to tell them more about the picture, but Cheryl said she had seen it on Facebook, and just reposted it. She thought it might be Japanese. I've looked, but haven't found anything about that particular fowl. I have found out more than I ever thought I would about the peahen family.

Lets see, they are originally from India. They live about twenty years. The wild ones all look like they all woke up and didn't brush their feathers. They are very disheveled looking. There are lots and lots...LOTS of hybrids. There are lots and lots of peacocks that, well, for want of a better word...aren't particularly handsome. I noted more hybrids than the green and blue ones that most of us associate with the bird.

Nobody seems to know anything about this beautiful bird. Perhaps it's photoshopped. If anyone knows anything about this bird...please let us know. There are people needing to know!

In my travels on the net I did find some odd peafowl. The gorgeous white peacock:

There's a black one, but I didn't find a corresponding picture.

There's the pink peacock:

There's the purple peacock:

And the confused and confusing half white and half 'regular' peacock.

That would be the blue peacock or green peacock...who started this entire mess!

Photo above courtesy David Whitcome. I apologise David, your last name got cut off...so if it's incorrect it's my fault, and you will have it corrected. It's truely a beautiful peacock picture!

I dedicate this article to Cheryl, who sent me on my peacock extravaganza never figuring I would be sucked into a virtual world of travel to unravel the mystery of her yellow peacock. Frax is just glad we didn't have to do any travel further than the comforts of the bed, where he could lend his wholehearted support and keep to his nap schedule too!

P.S.~ Cheryl: Frax says he's sorry he stole your birthday scarf and slimed it...

he stole it 'fair and square' tho. He just wanted you to know how much he

loves it. Purple is his color too! He wants you to know he's not spoiled.