Sunday, February 19, 2006
JUNE AND JULY....2005
Well, the Ozarks are familiar with strange and unusual things but I have to admit, what I’m going to write about even has old timers scratching their heads. Becky had a guest who was sitting on her garden bench, reading a book, when his peripheral vision noticed movement. He looked straight into the face of an inquisitive and very large bird with strange markings and a crown on his head.
Being a city guy he came on the run to see if I might know what kind of creature this was. He said it looked like some kind of an exotic bird. From his rather excited description I thought it might be a wild turkey because of the size he indicated. Little could I expect what I was about to see. I went back with him hoping to get a glimpse before the “thing” moved on. I took my camera just in case we needed to identify the critter.
When we walked back to Becky’s yard, there he was, a young peacock, grazing through Becky’s flower garden. I took a lot of pictures because I figured he’d move on and I wanted Becky and Rocky to see what found us. I came home and thought that was the end of it. Eight months later he is still with us. Still very much with Rocky and me.
It started out that he was Becky’s bird. She got on the internet to see what they liked to eat and following the information she tossed slices of bread in small pieces to him along with a dish of dry cat food. He obliged and ate it which pleased us all. Rocky bought a large bag of wild game bird feed and he had a constant bowl of that, fresh water and bread every morning and night. It became a ritual of ours to walk up to Becky’s about dusk, call him like a chicken, and watch him come from the neighbor’s pasture straight to us. He would eat the bread and then fly up to a nearby tree where he spent the night.
We worried and fussed over him and did any and everything we could think of to make him want to stay with us. At times he would spend nights at the neighbor’s house and he took great delight sitting on their porch rail looking in their living room. We found peacocks to be very inquisitive birds….they seem to like investigating everything around them. We thought he had forsaken us and moved on, but no!!! We went through several separations, each time thinking he was gone for good……but just about that time, he would appear once more and enjoy his old routine.
He started coming down here. It was a gradual migration but predictable. The lot between Becky and us belongs to George. That made a perfect parking place for Rocky to put all of the “toys” he brought over from his farm when he sold it. He has an old Mark IV which he keeps for sentimental reasons, a rare ‘75 International pickup which is in poor repair….various and sundry other piles of pipe, dog cages etc;…….all of which attracted the peacock. He began perching here and there because at that time, cats made his life miserable.
They loved to stalk him and then lunge after him which sent him squawking and flying up on one of the buildings. Gradually, I began offering him food since he was close enough now that I could observe his habits. I chased the cats for him and gave him muffins, cake, cookies, cat food, homemade bread and cereals……..of course, his wild bird food along with all the rest. He had a taste for my pancakes and doughnuts, too.
One evening about dusk he flew up into our large oak tree in the front yard. I was thrilled! Since then he has only been absent a time or two and we have fallen into a routine understood by both of us. He is a fixture in our yard, though he does travel up and down the yards at times, and though Rocky built a cover from the weather on the back of his old pickup, Napoleon still prefers to fly up in the big oak and spend his nights on a high branch. During the day he does take shelter under the tarp on the truck if it’s necessary .
He was named Napoleon by Becky after she asked our blog readers for suggestions. Ellen won the name contest with Napoleon. Becky thought he should have a regal and courageous name since he had to adapt to living in a world foreign to his origins and without the company of his kind. He has become quite tame and anytime I am outside the three kitties come running with Napoleon bringing up the rear. They have all made peace with each other and are growing fat and happy in their new lives.
….all little strays that were alone, scared and hungry……who found a whole lot of love with the Rockenbach’s. We are the purveyors of the lost……….
Until the next time,
Essentially Esther
Being a city guy he came on the run to see if I might know what kind of creature this was. He said it looked like some kind of an exotic bird. From his rather excited description I thought it might be a wild turkey because of the size he indicated. Little could I expect what I was about to see. I went back with him hoping to get a glimpse before the “thing” moved on. I took my camera just in case we needed to identify the critter.
When we walked back to Becky’s yard, there he was, a young peacock, grazing through Becky’s flower garden. I took a lot of pictures because I figured he’d move on and I wanted Becky and Rocky to see what found us. I came home and thought that was the end of it. Eight months later he is still with us. Still very much with Rocky and me.
It started out that he was Becky’s bird. She got on the internet to see what they liked to eat and following the information she tossed slices of bread in small pieces to him along with a dish of dry cat food. He obliged and ate it which pleased us all. Rocky bought a large bag of wild game bird feed and he had a constant bowl of that, fresh water and bread every morning and night. It became a ritual of ours to walk up to Becky’s about dusk, call him like a chicken, and watch him come from the neighbor’s pasture straight to us. He would eat the bread and then fly up to a nearby tree where he spent the night.
We worried and fussed over him and did any and everything we could think of to make him want to stay with us. At times he would spend nights at the neighbor’s house and he took great delight sitting on their porch rail looking in their living room. We found peacocks to be very inquisitive birds….they seem to like investigating everything around them. We thought he had forsaken us and moved on, but no!!! We went through several separations, each time thinking he was gone for good……but just about that time, he would appear once more and enjoy his old routine.
He started coming down here. It was a gradual migration but predictable. The lot between Becky and us belongs to George. That made a perfect parking place for Rocky to put all of the “toys” he brought over from his farm when he sold it. He has an old Mark IV which he keeps for sentimental reasons, a rare ‘75 International pickup which is in poor repair….various and sundry other piles of pipe, dog cages etc;…….all of which attracted the peacock. He began perching here and there because at that time, cats made his life miserable.
They loved to stalk him and then lunge after him which sent him squawking and flying up on one of the buildings. Gradually, I began offering him food since he was close enough now that I could observe his habits. I chased the cats for him and gave him muffins, cake, cookies, cat food, homemade bread and cereals……..of course, his wild bird food along with all the rest. He had a taste for my pancakes and doughnuts, too.
One evening about dusk he flew up into our large oak tree in the front yard. I was thrilled! Since then he has only been absent a time or two and we have fallen into a routine understood by both of us. He is a fixture in our yard, though he does travel up and down the yards at times, and though Rocky built a cover from the weather on the back of his old pickup, Napoleon still prefers to fly up in the big oak and spend his nights on a high branch. During the day he does take shelter under the tarp on the truck if it’s necessary .
He was named Napoleon by Becky after she asked our blog readers for suggestions. Ellen won the name contest with Napoleon. Becky thought he should have a regal and courageous name since he had to adapt to living in a world foreign to his origins and without the company of his kind. He has become quite tame and anytime I am outside the three kitties come running with Napoleon bringing up the rear. They have all made peace with each other and are growing fat and happy in their new lives.
….all little strays that were alone, scared and hungry……who found a whole lot of love with the Rockenbach’s. We are the purveyors of the lost……….
Until the next time,
Essentially Esther
