Saturday, March 16, 2019

Beautiful Peacocks

Thursday, Rajan and I went to the Folsom Zoo, a delightful, sprawling area on the edge of town that is actually a sanctuary for rescued animals. We like zoos, although we haven't been to one for a long time, but we especially liked that this was for rescue animals, many of them the local wildlife.

Our reason for going to the zoo Thursday was to meet with the Recreation Director in connection with an author reading and book signing I may have in June.  But afterward, as we bought tickets and wandered around, we were delighted, with what we saw. The animals are considered rescue animals if they have been raised in captivity (because they will never be able to function in the wild after that), or had been found to be mistreated or used for entertainment, etc., or used for breeding purposes in captivity by those who planned to sell the offspring. Other causes for rescue: accidents that rendered them unable to function in the wild (a bird's broken wing, for example). 

There is a wonderful array of wildlife in enclosures that are constructed to give the animal a sense of its natural environment.  We saw mountain lions, tigers, and bobcats. Deer wandered around in what looked so much like open space, it took a lot of staring to finally figure out that there was a distant fence that kept them from the road. We were not able to see the black bears, because they were sleeping inside their dens. Likewise the foxes in their burrows. But we did see raccoons (which we also sometimes see in our back yard, lol). And a good variety of birds, including horned owls and the peafowl.

I have always been entranced by peacocks. You normally see pictures of them fanning out their tails. But folded and trailing, they look fabulous, too. I normally think of the lovely teal blue color of their neck and body. But look at the sparkling emerald green of the tail when it's folded. 

You can tell he knows he's gorgeous. He started strutting regally down the boardwalk we were on, and let me follow along, taking pics. The less spectacular peahens sedately roosted nearby on a tree, watching (and no doubt commenting, privately.) Here he is, strutting his stuff:












It seemed fitting to meet up with peacocks on this visit. One of the stories in the book I'll be signing involves peafowl. 

And it seems fitting to include these pictures on my Victorian Scribbles blog, since the Victorians were charmed by peacocks as well. There is a nice blog post by Mimi Matthews HERE if you'd like to know more about that. 


Are you intrigued by peacocks? Are you intrigued by birds in general? What catches your fancy about plumage? (At the opposite end of that question, have you ever been frightened by birds?) 

20 comments:

Rosi said...

They are spectacularly beautiful birds, but I have heard they can be pretty mean. Be careful out there!

Elizabeth Varadan, Author said...

Yes, I've heard that, too. They certainly aren't shy, I noticed that. This one strutted around me with amazing confidence.

Anvilcloud said...

What great lengths to get a lady. Amazing how this has been partially inverted in humans. I say partially because in the end, the female still makes the choice. But it's complicated.

Bleubeard and Elizabeth said...

I'm back and will play catch-up as best I can. This has been a very trying time being without internet, but I HOPE this has been the cure. I'll explain on Wednesday, because it's too convoluted to explain here. Beautiful photos of the peacock. I also love zoos.

Elizabeth Varadan, Author said...

Hi, AC, thanks for a morning smile. I do think these are such beautiful birds. I remember when I was a child, it was a big deal to get a peacock feather at the fair.

Elizabeth Varadan, Author said...

Hi, Elizabeth, I hope all your Internet woes are fixed. It's terrible how dependent we become, isn't it! Glad you like the photos.

Donna K. Weaver said...

Peacocks are such beautiful birds. When they cry, it can sound like someone's calling for help though. lol

Elizabeth Varadan, Author said...

You are right, Donna, although I never thought of that before. But they do sound like calling for help. Although, they seem pretty well able to take care of themselves. (smile)

Sandra said...

Blessings to those who rescue.
The signing sounds like fun.
Have a great weekend.

Elizabeth Varadan, Author said...

Sandra, I agree. I'm so glad these rescue societies and organizations (the bonafide ones — Folsom Zoo has had to rescue some of their tigers from "rescue" organizations) exist. These are beautiful animals, and happy ones. Thanks for stopping by.

Vicki Lane said...

Beautiful birds! And how nice that the zoo is for rescues!

Elizabeth Varadan, Author said...

Yes, I so agree, Vicki. The splendid tale simply takes my breath away. Thanks for stopping by.

Mirka Breen said...

Peacocks have earned the right to be proud. Such beauty is not to be believed.

Kate Larkindale said...

Beautiful! There's an island near Berlin called the Peacock Island and there are hundreds of peacocks there. Apparently one of the kings used to hide is mistress there and peacocks are a symbol for infidelity....

Elizabeth Varadan, Author said...

Hi, Mirka, thanks for stopping by. I agree. They just look regal, don't they! Wouldn't you love to have a floor-length cloak with the pattern in their tails?

Elizabeth Varadan, Author said...

Hi, Kate. Peacock Island! That's so interesting. I didn't realize peacocks symbolized infidelity. They seem to symbolize so many different things in different cultures. That's a nice tidbit of information.

Sandra said...

Peacocks are so regal, aren't they?

Elizabeth Varadan, Author said...

They sure are, Sandra. They just look so elegant!

Shilpa said...

This peacock made my day.how beautiful

Elizabeth Varadan, Author said...

Hi, Shilpa. Aren't they beautiful! I've been enamored of Pea fowl all my life. As a kid, I remember being able to buy a feather somewhere at some novelty store and I thought it the most wondrous thing in the world.