jmgoyder

When the birds alter the position of their wings and feathers

little whispers of breeze flit across my nightmares and I wake up

to see a gathering outside the window

at dawn,

waiting for the stale bread I forgot to collect yesterday

Their clicks of disapproval dissolve when I explain that I will get some bread later in the day

They peck gently at my hands which I open out into little tables,

then they unfold their tail feathers and practise their flirting in front of each other,

in front of the window,

in front of me,

looking for approval.

Then, whispering off into their day, they lead me to where the best sunshine is,

and I follow them.

Finally, in our second month of Autumn, it is raining properly. Yeeha – the paddocks are green, we don’t have to water the potplants, the birds are in heaven and we might be able to light our incinerators!

This morning, the rooftop was alive with scrambling peafowl for a better view of the clouds. Eventually they flew onto the washhouse roof. It’s the females who are the best weather forecasters….

Young peahen: Do you think rain is coming, Mummy? 

Queenie: It certainly is, darling, and we will have to be very quick to get the first worms before those dreadful geese do. 

Well, it’s pouring down with rain now so I hope they are all happy – me, I have to wade through puddles to put the gang away and feed the Emerys their evening cabbage.

I have a bit of a love/hate relationship with the rain.

As most of you know, we have a lot of peafowl. Most of them are blue but we also have the three white ones. Many posts ago, I wrote about ‘Angelina’ (white peahen) and ‘Brad’ (blue peacock) and their budding romance. Since then, their relationship has had a few ups and downs (because all of the peacocks love Angie and all of the peahens love Brad), however they are still very much together.

I hadn’t given a thought to what their offspring might look like until my friend/niece, Jane, sent me this picture from flickr….

http://www.flickr.com/photos/chi-liu/with/123909406/

So, the future looks very interesting indeed!

This morning I was sitting on the back doorstep feeding bits of bread to the peafowl. When I ran out of bread, I was lucky enough to witness and photograph this lovely scene.

Teenage peacock (left): What perfume are you wearing?

Teenage peahen: I don’t wear perfume – I’m a bird, silly!

Teenage peacock: Well, you smell lovely!

Teenage peahen: Thanks. Are you okay? You are acting a bit weird.

Teenage peacock: I like your shoes too.

Teenage peahen: Oh, will you just stop these ridiculous compliments and kiss me?

Teenage peacock: I thought you’d never ask!

Once again, romance is born!

Brad (blue peacock) kisses Angelina (white peahen) for the first time, heavily chaperoned by Angelina’s brother, Malay chook and Brad’s brother.

Brad: Was that okay, Angie, darling?

Angelina: Oh yes! So does this mean we’re married now, even though your tail feathers haven’t grown yet?

Brad: Did you have to say that? 

Oh, this is too beautiful.

I have been watching these two peafowl for some time – the blue peacock and the white peahen – because, over the last couple of months, they seem to have formed a tentative romantic relationship. As they are adolescents, it is still at the shy stage of things, and I’ve noticed that they only get close if none of the others are around.

So yesterday, in the early evening, I was surprised to see them together but, as I watched, they were both very careful not to be too forward with each other. They would stand next to each other but refrain from making eye contact and mostly look around as if neither were aware of the other’s presence.

Instead, the peacock looked up into the wattle tree, as if there were something to be alarmed about, and the peahen did the same. That’s when I realised they were flirting with each other because, as we all now know, there was nothing in that tree – not even a Willy Wagtail!

I continued to watch, fascinated, as the peacock kept cocking his head here there and everywhere, pretending (I think!) and the peahen did the same.

They didn’t make eye contact with each other but they did, eventually, begin to look in the same direction as if they had both found a common interest. I began to feel as if my presence, and my camera, were unwanted and that they needed some privacy.

So I left them alone to be too beautiful together.

We only have one adult peacock who we call King. I bought him and his ‘wife’ from some people who wanted goats instead (I haven’t quite been able to figure that one out but then again I did have my pig phase didn’t I). King spends his days strutting around looking regal, or perched on top of the old dairy roof surveying his kingdom. Our other 15 peacocks are adolescents and they keep their distance, as if in awe.

 When we have visitors, everyone always wants to see King do his fantail thing but he will not be coerced even if I give him a bit of bribery bread.

Inevitably, the moment the visitors leave, and I’m the only human witness, he begins his dance. It starts with a rustling sound, then his whole body shakes, then the feathers come up and he circles slowly. He can maintain this dance for up to an hour, especially if he can see himself in the reflection of a window (so he is often blocking the back door and I have to stroke his feathers down to get past!)

As you can see he is also quite proud of his substantial bum! The funniest thing about this ritual, however, is that instead of all the young females (the peahens)  watching and waiting, hoping they’ll be the first he asks to dance, it’s the young males who are most impressed. From a respectful distance, they attempt to copy his every move. It’s both beautiful and hilarious!