I took a school trip to Hampton Court Palace a few years ago and the kids were horrifed to discover that Henry VIII often ate peacocks for dinner.... There's a room near the kitchen with a few stuffed ones hanging up to illustrate the point - along with the swans and other assorted fowl that the Tudors saw fit to consume! Perhaps Painton could have passed them on to the guy who eats road-kill in that area - I'm sure he would have been delighted, a whole new delicacy! Or they could serve them up in their restaurant - we ate ostrich on a game reserve in South Africa! Clothcat (off to plan supper...)
I've eaten kangaroo and emu....the two animals on our coat of arms. As well as croc, quail and pigeon.
The euthanised animals don't make good meals, since they're somewhat toxic. If the zoo incinerated those wonderful birds after euthanasia, their life was useless. Peacocks make a great display, both alive and not-so-alive.
Paignton Zoo Peacock... Am I the only one who likes to hear peafowl? We had them in an aviary near the house for years. Wonderful wild sound. I like to hear Herring Gulls as well.
Actually I like their calls too- in the daytime. But the one that lives across the road from us occassionally on a fine night in spring will call- the full 'Miaaaaaow' call- at regular intervals in the the night too, and wakes me each time that happens. Herring Gulls is a great sound.
File alongside people who move near or next to airpots then complain about aircraft noise. Holy thread resurrection, just noticed when this was! Up here, in Dunfermline, we have all but lost our free ranging peacocks because the Council couldn't afford to look after them.
Or people who move to the country and complain about country sounds like Cockerels, Geese or Donkeys... You could say the same about me and the peacock, except I've lived here a lot longer than the Peacock and they aren't something you necessarily expect to turn up, though there seem a lot of them roaming free in our countryside & villages. Actually for six months of the year you wouldn't know our bird was here, its almost silent in the out of season months.
Or people who move onto the village green and think it idyllic so long as the church clock is stopped for them and the bells not rung, hundreds of years of history go by the board for one winger. I must say I do dislike the sound of peacocks, it goes through you some how, but so do motor scooters but a lot of youngsters have them here to get around before they move on to cars, and the Clark lorries that trundle past at 4am to the next village or vice versa,though we knew about them when we moved here. We hadn't realized we are in the narrowest part of the lane and the wagons can't pass another vehicle without going into the hedges mind you. But we have never complained, griped at times but never officially complained. the world is full of the little people who want it all there own way. My partner always mentions some where in the conversation he has about me "Dean prefers animals to most people" I used to complain about it, but the more I read of my fellow man,the more I think it's understandable. I'm only surprised health and safety didn't come into it myself.
It does go through you, particularly at 3.a.m. in total darkness. On rare occassions about once a year, I have been known to take action. He roosts high up in a big tree in the churchyard. At dusk I go and displace him from his perch, he runs off up the bridletrack and sleeps further way for a couple of nights- complete peace!, but he soon returns. This has been going on for several years now. There used to be two but one disappeared- nothing to do with me, I might add.. That loud pop-popping noise from the exhaust of some Motor scooters is excruciating too- I sometimes wonder if it exceeds accepted limits.
Paignton Zoo Peacock...... Let's imagine this is not a peacock, but a dragon, a unicorn or something equally fabulous. It's beautiful, it's rare, it's a privilege to have it around. Who cares if it makes a noise or (heaven forbid) a mess? We've got a dragon (unicorn, hippogriff, or whatever) in the neighbourhood & we're pleased to have it. Now apply this to the peacock. Enormous blue bird that is fortunately really common. Looks amazing. It's a privilege to have this glorious creature around. Who cares if....... See what I mean? Peacock/chicken/seagull wakes me up, I curse it & go back to sleep. All part of life's rich pattern (or tapestry if you're middle class).
tapestry. But that's the whole thing, when it calls every fifteen minutes during darkness from less than fifty yards away, you don't go back to sleep. A broken night's sleep is of course a rare occurrence and I do like the look of Peacocks, and their calls-at a distance, just not quite so close. It is interesting how this village bird calls in response to other loud noises too- lorries clattering past, any banging sound or thunder, they all set it off. I've had plenty of time to study its habits. This year, the very cold, bitter winds in March set it back by several weeks- it usually starts calling about mid February and is a true herald of Spring just around the corner-but this year it was completely silent until April- I thought it had died.
I'll stick with pattern. Somebody once said 'If the Arcangel Michael came down from Heaven, some people would complain about him leaving feathers everywhere'. I rest my case. I could tell you who said that.
I yesterday received my copy of 'Bird Atlas 2007-2011' , the breeding and wintering birds of Britain and Ireland . It reports confirmed wild breeding of Indian Peafowl in a number of locations . Most reports are from Bedfordshire , Norfolk , Suffolk , Herefordshire , Yorkshire , Lothian , Borders and east Inverness-shire . It is considered that breeding in the wild is under-recorded . I see from the map one report from my area of South Wales
Paignton Zoo Peacock...... How many of these are just 'present in suitable habitat in the breeding season', I wonder. Given the mortality rate of naturally reared peachicks in wet weather, and the amount of food such large birds have to find, I suspect successful breeding without human support is very unusual.
They should have allowed someone to dispose of them and eat them, rather than injecting them unnecessarily with a toxic substance. I know people with Peacocks who have a shoot every couple of years to keep their numbers under control. There is no shortage of people who want to eat peacock as they are ment to be very nice.
I would also expect Foxes to limit/prevent chick survival as they do with the Bustards on Salisbury Plain.
I see some semi wild ones at one of my gardens which also has a shoot connected to it, they feed in the game cover, i haven't seen any for a while so they have either been recaptured or have been had by the fox, stoat, though I don't see many of the former I see a lot of the latter chasing rabbits. i must say the sound of the rabbit screaming is worse than the peacocks call.
