This week I'll be mostly pursuing peacocks for photographic purposes

Percy and Penelope at it again.

The peacocks are back. They seem to have decided that our front door step is the perfect place for a bit of peacock how's-your-father.

The day we moved here, there was a peacock loitering by the front door. We named him Percy, and wondered if he was going to stick around. He did for a while, then on and off over the autumn and winter, and a few times this spring. We did wonder if there were two peacocks, because sometimes Percy seemed a bit, well ... different, but we were never quite sure.



Then on Tuesday morning we were awakened by a peacock calling round the back of the house. (No, not calling at the door with a delivery to sign for, but calling like this). Abbie was also woken up by what turned out to be another peacock round the front of the house. So there were two of them. They both came round the front, so I got the camera quick to get a shot of them together. While I was snapping away, a peahen turned up. She stood around on the lawn and watched. We named the new ones Prescott and Penelope, and spent the morning watching them.

The three of them basically eyed each other up for a bit. There was a bit of call-and-response going on, and Percy and Prescott fluffing their necks up, and lots of pooing. Then Penelope came over. Percy and Prescott went all submissive, with their heads bowed down to the floor. Penelope appeared to shoo Prescott away. Then Percy fanned out his tail feathers and seemed to back Penelope into a corner. He'd flap his wings at her, then she'd move round the front and he'd shake his plumage at her, then she'd go round the back again. This went on all morning. We practically couldn't get out the front door to go to school and work.

This morning they are back. Same routine, right outside the front door. So we're becoming peafowl experts. Although the novelty is already wearing off - today I shooed them away with a tennis racquet.