Sunday, June 8, 2008

Unexpected Company

The rain today had just let up, and I happened to walk by the back doors, which are windowed. I'm so glad I looked outside just then.

At first glance, at first I registered "hawk!"...but when I did a doubletake, for a second I thought it was wild turkeys. After all, you expect them...or hawks..now and then.

Then I noticed that stunning blue!


And as I observed them out my back french door, they were obviously checking our place out! Peacocks! There were five males, with no females in sight. They spent the first five minutes with their tail feathers upright, facing toward the back ditch. This is why I initially thought they were turkeys...until they turned around. Hellooooo!


The parade was beautiful. The visitors toured Bucketville, and nibbled a couple of things here and there...


They were checking out the various contents of the planted buckets...


Here's a closeup of one...look at that crown! (is that what it's called?)


This fellow was really enjoying himself. It's one of my favorite pictures...


Magnificent!!! Mr. Peacock, you take my breath away.

More parade...


Do they not personify gracefulness, with those lovely curvaceous necks?


Irridescence...


I'm not sure who he's wooing here...no hens around. But it was a really great show!

The rain began again, and they wandered off via the vacant lot next door...

16 comments:

Maria said...

Wow! That's is awesome! I never thought about peacocks in the wild! Really cool!!

Meg said...

Oh, wow. You don't see that every day! You got some awesome photos of them.

Robbyn said...

Maria, I suspect they live across the way where people are allowed to keep livestock. I've seen a flock (is that the right word for a collection of peacocks?) of them before, only there were hens, too, near a big entry gate and drive. I wonder if they are allowed to roam, or if their original owners abandoned them? They certainly look like they're comfortable fending for themselves, and you can hear peacock cries at sunset outside...I imagine it's them or some of their friends. I've been wondering about peacocks on the homestead...are they allowed to roost in trees at night, or do predators pick them off there, and they need to be kept in a safe area?

Meg, yes, it really surprised me! Thanks to my camera, which is smarter by far than I am at photography. It was really fortunate that as I began shooting the photos, they began walking toward me (I was inside, the perfect bird blind). Woudnt they be lovely on a homestead?? My daughter thinks they're in the guinea family of birds...I'll have to read up on it

tina f. said...

Love the beautiful pictures.

We knew some people that had semi wild peacocks. Whenever we visited them it sounded like the peacocks were calling my husband's name, "Biiillll! Biiiiiilllll!" Just watch your Bucketville!

Ps-I'll be checking on your new blog for inspiration, as I have some of the same issues, ie; very overweight, high bp, high cholesterol, type 2 diabetes, yada yada.

Connie said...

Beautiful photos. I think they are somewhat self-reliant, though I'm sure they would get picked off by the more aggressive dogs and such.

Unknown said...

What a treat! Much better than watching TV! Lucky you!
have a great day!
Christina

Mrs. K's Lemonade Stand said...

Oh my, they are GEORGOUS! What a treat! I have Peacock envy now! :)

Dancingfarmer said...

Cool!

Danni said...

Unexpected company, that's for sure. I would have been giggling hysterically to come upon this sight in my backyard! They are such incredible creatures, but they are so, so...ornamental, it's just hard for me to ever conceive what they *do* or what service they provide. Hilarious when they start displaying for the females, though, because they have a set of hard feathers on their backside that they can set to "clacking" to attract attention. What a great set of pictures!!

Anonymous said...

Gorgeous!


I'm back! I actually posted.

Don't faint!


Blessings!
Lacy

Robbyn said...

Tina, so THAT's who they were looking for! ha The only bills we have around here are the paper sort (ugh :)) On another note, it's encouraging to know I'm not the only one out here trying to gain some groud (and lose some weight) for health reasons, to keep going with this homestead-mindset. That's the purpose of the other site...just to moan and groan about the aches a little bit and to have accountability...and to find inspiration enough to make me get out and do it again the next day. I can really feel a difference, and it's all good!

Verde, I had wondered how they elude predators...just fly up into a tree? Do hawks not get them? We have a LOT of hawks around here.

Christina, yes, much better than watching OUR Tv since we don't get tv reception..ha!

Mrs. K, Yes! I can't believe those colors actually exist without human tampering, but then again, look at the outrageous Florida sunsets, and so many other creatures in the wild...why am I surprised? Stunning :)

Monica, yes they were :)

DKS, not sure what they do...but I was fascinated seeing if Bucketville would be a curiosity to them...or lunch!

Lacy, hey girl! Welcome back!!

Carolyn said...

How cool is that! Such pretty birds!

Phelan said...

Very pretty. We have some down the way. The owner thought it would be cool to have them, then they got loud so he threw them over the fence hoping predetors would eat them. No suck luck, no we have many reproducing peacocks running wild (and hens) They make lots of noise at sunset.

Granny Sue said...

xxThese are beautiful, Robbyn! Now I want peacocks. I never considered them, but your photos show how incredible they are.

Robbyn said...

Carolyn, Phelan, Granny Sue...how interesting they can roam! It has us wondering if we might want some someday, too! They're really beautiful and their calls don't bother us.

clown princess said...

What a gift to have these beauties parade through! I've always loved peacocks...in awe of their beauty. Still trying to convince DH that they're a good idea! :)