Some days, I simply don’t get my camera out fast enough!
Tonight was one of those times…
My story involves Pea Hens (Girl Peacocks), Peacocks, Scoutypants, a few cats, a wayward pony, MamaTess, Remi and me.
I’m not sure if my storytelling will be very good since my photography was gawd awful ~ but I’ll try. ;)
SPRING IS HERE!
Every evening I go down to the barn after dinner to turn down Mama Tess’ bed, as it were. Actually, I close off her veranda, both of her stalls and fluff up her center aisle shavings pile.
This evening, it was still light out as Scout and I ventured down to the barn.
Scout is my 1.5 years old Sicilian Mastiff. She is a goofball who loves stuffed animals. However, if you saw her, you’d probably recall the Zuul character from Ghostbusters (Zuul the Gatekeeper of Gozer is a demigod and minion of Gozer, The Destructor, alongside Vinz Clortho the Keymaster) – and run. Most people do.
Of course, Scoutypants would wonder why you were running away and would run after you – and you can surmise her misunderstood life. A puppy with the face (and body) of a monster, who just wants to play…
As Jessica Rabbit would say, “I’m not bad, I’m just drawn that way…”.
Yup. Poor Scoutypants isn’t bad, she just looks that way.
This is Zuul from Ghostbusters – remember now? My dog, Scout, looks just like her. Well, not really, but kinda…
OK, so Scout and I were strolling across the front lawn on our way to the barn when I noticed Pea Hens moving through the pony pasture.
Awww, this is great! Such a harmonic Spring evening!
Scout was distracted by something up by the house (probably a lizard) so I continued onto the barn without her.
PEACE AND TRANQUILITY
MT was laying quietly on her shavings pile in the middle of the aisle. She stayed down while I calmly told her not to worry and that I was just closing things up for the night.
She nodded.
At the same time, MT motioned over her shoulder to just outside the barn gate.
Wow!
A foot from her nose, outside the barn, were 7 Peacocks, headed by Bob. They were sauntering at a respectable distance behind the Peahens – so as not to look obvious, I’m guessing. After all, it was Saturday night. I figured they were all out cruising…
Anyway, to get back to the story…I’ve written about Bob the Peacock previously. Bob is the biggest, baddest and boldest of the wild Peacocks around here. I don’t know why we all started calling him “Bob”. He is more of an Arthur or George, I think, but we all know him as Bob.
And tonight Bob was fairly spectacular in all of his glorious plumage – as well as all the other young men – some of them with glowing white chests. Truly, peacocks are a wonder. They are incredibly detailed and beautiful. Who thought of them? I mean, really? How did the Creator decide to put these unbelievable feathers on an average looking turkey body and then create such a smooth head with a huge, green eye and then this odd little fringy upright Trojan toupe on the very top of his head.
To see them walking calmly right in front of our noses was breathtaking.
I turned and asked MT if this happens all the time… she said, “In Spring, sure!”
I was enchanted.
Sitting on a shavings bag set up against the barn gate, I watched the perfectly preened troop move slowly away as they pecked at the hay seeds in the grass.
OK, I didn’t take this shot but this is pretty much what I was seeing except mine were all males wandering behind the barn, an inch from my nose with waaaay longer tail feathers.
BLAMMO!
And then, like a blast from a buckshot, all 7 of the peacocks burst into magnanimous, wingsspreadfarandwide, explosive flight, straight up, onto the barn roof.
Awesome!
Except… in the middle was my precious, bull in a china shop, wrestlemania puppy – sliding to a screeching but elegant stop – as she watched the birds escape her.
OMG! “GO TO THE HOUSE NOW,” I screamed at her.
Here we all were, enjoying a peaceful Spring evening and in came Zuulpuppy!
Arrgh.
She didn’t move, of course.
Scouty looked at me, “I didn’t get them, Mom, but I know where they are so don’t you worry!”
These aren’t the exact peacocks that were on my roof, I got this off the internet. But, it looked like this except there were 7 an they had their wings spread. Amazing!
THE SOUND ON THE ROOF
The good part was that I finally figured out exactly what that sound was that I’ve heard on the barn roof and the house roof quite often.
Peacocks.
I thought it was cats but that never felt quite right as the THUMP KLUNKS SHOOSH SHOOSHES seemed heavier.
Now I know…
So anyway, I ran up to the house to get my camera because I had never seen so many peacocks on the barn roof – ever – or at all, really.
I wish you could see the image in my head of the 7 birds standing so regally on that roof… because I never got the shot.
You see, after I chased Scouty back into the house and grabbed my camera, the peacocks were running for their lives – again!
Peacocks may not look that big, but they are hearty with big ‘ol feet… and their feathers make a distinct “shoosh shoosh” when they are on the roof.
CATS ON A HOT BARN ROOF!
Oy, as soon as I ran back out with my camera – about 60 seconds later – I saw the peacocks running for their lives … scrambling/flying/roadrunnering off of the roof and through the tall grasses of the pastures towards the arena and the safety of the other side of the perimeter fence.
Clearly, the peacocks had done this before…
…But why were they running for their lives?
Barn cats.
Barn cats had slunk up to the roof while I was inside.
Yup. 3 ambitious and totally out-of-their-league barncats were on the move behind the full sized peacocks. It was like a Keystone Cops movie… fanciful, outlandish figures weaving in and out of logs, around trees, up over railings… all the while squawking and screaming the distinctive peacock, “Haaalp, Halp, halphalp, Haaaaaalp” as their commotion rustled everything in their path.
I couldn’t get over there fast enough to get any shots because everything was happening in Mutual of Omaha’s Wild Kingdom time. I needed Marlin Perkins (…google it).
I did manage to get this shot of fluffy kitty still on the roof after the others took off to get them some birdys… She is too prissy to chase fowl.
YIKES – KILLER PONIES!
And then to my total dismay, the ponies, who had been very calmly watching this whole thing, jumped onto the bandwagon by lowering their little scruffy heads and charging the exhausted peacocks who were running as fast as their little legs would go.
In another burst of turquiosy greenblue feathered flight, the birds leaped onto the perimeter fence and turned around – all of them – to give one last Roman Headdress tossing salute to their foiled attackers.
“HA!”, they squealed with fowl delight.
And with that, they flew beautifully against the twilight sky into their roosting spots within the gentle oaks.
AND I CAUGHT NONE OF IT.
After the fact, I ran over to the ponies (and donk) and asked WHY DID YOU CHASE THEM… and they said, ‘Well, look what they do to our fence!’
I CAUGHT NONE OF IT.
I was totally behind in all of my shots.
Trust me, it was spectacular, frustrating and hilarious all at once.
I thought to myself… they probably do this every night and I just happened to add myself into the mix tonight.
And even though the dogs, barncats and ponies keep trying to get the best of them… I bet the peacocks always win.
This is my shot of the last peacock before he flew up onto the perimeter fence and into the safety of the oaks.
April Bucket Fund… Summer was swept away in the mudslide and she left behind 19 horses. Click image to learn more.
So where is a shot of Scout/Zuul? I don’t believe I have seen a shot of your bull in the china shop. I’ll be watching for one!