It was late spring. I had just been checking my courgette plants in the greenhouse when something extraordinary happened. As I stepped out of the door, a huge white bird landed close to my feet. Whatever was it? Definitely not a goose, and too big for a duck. Then I noticed a crest on the bird’s head, golden brown with white tips. Could it be a peacock? This seemed to be the most likely answer, but I had never seen a white one. Perhaps it was a female, a peahen. Indeed, a neighbouring farmer confirmed this identity – a beautiful, and rare, white peahen with dark eyes.
In India peacocks are considered to be sacred. White peafowl are extremely rare in the wild. However, here in the UK a few peacock farms are now breeding and selling them, so escapees will occasionally be seen wandering about. Even so, they are certainly very uncommon.
Evidently the white colouring is due to a genetic condition called leucism. She was therefore not an albino.
The secret nest
For the next few days she wandered around the garden in stately fashion, head held high, only stopping to peck for food. In the evening she would fly high up to the apex of the roof, where she spent the night. For this reason she earned the name ‘Lofty’. Then she unexpectedly vanished.
A few days later I was on my knees close to the house doing some weeding when I noticed a movement – Lofty had made a cosy nest right by the wall among some tall plants. Although she was pure white underneath, there were streaks and patches of brown on her wings, which, when folded, helped to conceal her.
She suddenly took off, revealing three buff-coloured speckled eggs. I was both enchanted and concerned. If these were fertile, then she was going to have a family and neither I nor my husband had any idea how to care for them. Moreover, we had holiday plans in the months ahead. Would the birds be able to fend for themselves if we were away? Then there was our German shepherd dog, Lucy, who could harm them. It seemed urgent to find out if the eggs would hatch.
An egg, a flame and a sacred connection
My father used to keep chickens, and a dim memory came back to me of how he used to discover if the eggs were fertile by holding a candle up to them. Not sure how to do this, we did some research on candling eggs. Meanwhile we had noticed that Lofty left the nest from time to time to feed. We prepared everything carefully by darkening a room and lighting a candle, then while she was away we quickly took one of the eggs. Holding it up to the lighted candle a pattern of veins could be clearly seen. Yes, the egg was fertile!
Now we had to make plans. Incubation takes 28 days until hatching. That allowed us time to learn how to feed the chicks and how to keep them safe. After quickly returning the egg, we were happy to see that Lofty was once again sitting.
For the next couple of weeks we found out as much as we could about these exotic birds. Native to India, the Hindus regard them as sacred. The striking iridescent circular patterns within the adult male plumage are considered to be the eyes of the gods. The deity Lord Kartikeya is often depicted clothed in turquoise in imitation of the male bird’s colouring and riding on its back. I had once seen a peacock displaying his magnificent tail by fanning it out and vibrating it. The beauty of the shimmering colours was truly breath-taking.
Caring for peafowl
From a more practical perspective, we learnt how to nurture the birds. Peafowl are omnivores, liking oats and corn, insects, seeds, berries and even small mammals and reptiles. Figs are a special treat. Our local pet shop recommended a high protein game bird crumble for the chicks up to three months, after which they would need the adult feed.
It wasn’t long before we were excited to see three tiny fluffy hatchlings following their mother. Taking our peafowl parenting responsibilities seriously, we guided the family into the dog run, hoping that here they would be safe from the jaws of foxes and other predators until the chicks could fend for themselves.
Early one evening I was astonished to see Lofty helping her small offspring up onto the roof. Although born with flight wings, the chicks weren’t yet strong enough to fly independently. I watched, heart in mouth, as they flapped furiously. It was an alarming scramble up the side of the house, each with mother’s support, until finally, to my intense relief, all four were sitting in a row along the ridge.
We had been warned that peafowl chicks are extremely vulnerable to cold and wet. If the weather turned bad we would have to put them indoors. There was no need to worry. Lofty had the good sense to create a warm home in the greenhouse. She had made a nest in a box which I had left on top of the staging after planting the courgettes out into the vegetable patch.
Our growing family
The chicks grew rapidly. Two of them began to develop turquoise feathers on their breasts and around their necks, so these were clearly males. The third, by six months, was a mirror image of its mother. Although Lucy eyed them with keen interest, we managed to train her not to chase them. Amazingly, she seemed to understand that the birds were part of our larger family.
The chicks began to explore and started to stray into other gardens. Yet they always stayed close together, mother proudly in charge. One day we had a phone call from some neighbours saying that our peacocks were in their greenhouse eating their chili peppers. Could we please come and rescue them? Fortunately, they suffered no harm from this spicy feast.
Holidays and homes
Our holidays were now fast approaching and it seemed imperative that we find a new home for our birds. If left alone they could get into trouble from local farmers for damaging crops, or worse, be killed on the road.
Despite several emails and phone calls, no one wanted them. The main objection was that they make a loud noise! So far the birds had made none whatsoever, other than soft communications with each other. However, it is true that from three years of age, during the breeding season, the mature adult males will make high-pitched calls for a mate. It seemed so sad to me that, rather than revering these majestic birds, as in India, here in the West many people merely regard them as a nuisance.
Finally, the Easton Farm Park agreed to look after them. I was so relieved and pleased that visiting children would have the joy of seeing our fascinating peacock family.
The day arrived to transport them to their new home. With some difficulty, we managed to lure each with their favourite treats – figs – into a borrowed dog cage and carefully lift it into the car. It took several trips. The farm park owners had made a spacious house and run for them, for use while they settled in. When we finally released the last chick into the run, all four huddled together reassuringly beak to beak, the family bond re-established and secure.
It was a sorrowful goodbye. Yet my abiding memory will always be of our four beautiful birds, united in their new home in a loving avian embrace.
More from East Anglia Bylines
