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Peacocks in Surrey

Posted: Jan 23 10:25 am
by Rokman
A small band of Indian Peafowl are known to frequent a neighbourhood in South Surrey, where they have been freely thriving and even nesting for more than a decade. Not everyone may be aware of these birds, so I thought it worth posting here. For more info and exact location, check this URL:
http://ebird.org/ebird/view/checklist/S41829466

Re: Peacocks in Surrey

Posted: Jan 23 12:15 pm
by revs
i was curious to see if these peafowl were a species i may find later this year when i shoot in Vietnam but Indian Peafowl according to Wikipedia are found in India (surprise surprise).
I may have a look Rocko, thanks for posting that here :)

Re: Peacocks in Surrey

Posted: Feb 12 2:10 pm
by jewill
Went over to check out the peacocks in Sullivan Heights, Surrey. Found 2 males right away but no hens. Unfortunately they were not showing off their magnificent tails but possibly in a few weeks as breeding season gets closer.
These birds are not afraid of humans at all; I easily got to within 3 feet of them, too close for pictures. Several passersby commented on how beautiful they are and 1 said that there was 20 or more living in the area.
If anyone is interested I found them on 150th St, about 1 block north of 60th Ave. I parked at the school; the birds were foraging on the north side of the parking lot. I would suggest going on a weekend or holiday when the school is closed.

Image
Indian Peafowl (Male) by Jewill, on Flickr

Image
Indian Peafowl (Male) by Jewill, on Flickr

Re: Peacocks in Surrey

Posted: Feb 12 6:02 pm
by Owlet
I learned about these fancy birds back in December and decided to check em' out (In December)

I ended up writing an article about em' in the BCFO Magazine, which should be in the next magazine.

They are certainly cool to see! I must of seen 20 males at the same time near the garbage cans!

Re: Peacocks in Surrey

Posted: Feb 12 8:29 pm
by zwest
Very nice pictures! I've been meaning to make a little trip over there too.

I remember when they used to roam free in Stanley Park, but I guess those ones are gone now? I haven't heard that "Helllllp" cry in years.

Re: Peacocks in Surrey

Posted: Feb 13 10:52 am
by ogopogo
nice shots Judy! they love unsalted peanuts in the shell, shelled. hold the peanuts in your hand and they will peck them right out (and follow you around for more).
We have a couple dozen in Beacon Hill Park by the Children's Zoo. Last year, a peahen laid her eggs beside a house across the road from the Park that was scheduled for demolition for a condo project and the builders held up production for a couple weeks until she had her chicks. She didn't want to leave the nest area, so they finally had an intervention transporting her and the chicks to the Zoo area (where, sadly, the raccoons poached a couple). It's fun to watch the whole mating dance cycle through to cute chicks; enjoy!

Re: Peacocks in Surrey

Posted: Feb 13 12:14 pm
by jewill
Thanks zwest and ogopogo.
I remember those birds in Stanley Park too. I haven’t been over there in many years but I don’t recall hearing about them in a long time. Possibly when the zoo closed they were shipped out to a hobby farm. I realize they roamed freely about the park but perhaps the powers that be considered them to be part of the zoo?
Yes, I got the impression that the Surrey birds are used to being fed by humans. I got so very close to them, and they were graciously posing for me and kind of looking at me as if to say “Hey, we don’t do this for free you know!”. Unfortunately it never occurred to me to bring anything for them; maybe next time.
You’ll have to post a link to your article when it comes out Adam. I’m sure we would all like to read it. Congratulations on getting published!

Re: Peacocks in Surrey

Posted: Feb 15 10:53 am
by jewill
Arghh! I am new to Flickr and have now learned a lesson. I decided to 'tweak' the 1st photo in my previous post by brightening it up a bit and reducing some of the shadows. I used the photo editor in Flickr thinking it would simply overwrite the original with the updated file. Wrong! It completely replaced the original which now, of course, is no longer available.
So, here's one that's very similar - I decided to trash that 1st one altogether! I'll leave the 2nd one alone.

Image
Indian Peafowl (Male) by Jewill, on Flickr

Re: Peacocks in Surrey

Posted: Feb 15 12:15 pm
by revs
Stunning shots :)

Re: Peacocks in Surrey

Posted: Feb 15 12:57 pm
by jewill
revs wrote:Stunning shots :)
Thank you Paul.

Re: Peacocks in Surrey

Posted: Feb 16 7:48 am
by zwest
So, how many years do we have to wait before this counts as a "BC Bird"? Doesn't seem any different to me than the pheasants we have everywhere. :)

Re: Peacocks in Surrey

Posted: Feb 16 10:18 am
by Rokman
zwest wrote:So, how many years do we have to wait before this counts as a "BC Bird"? Doesn't seem any different to me than the pheasants we have everywhere. :)


The 'difference' is that back in the 70s and 80s, there were thousands of local Pheasants, breeding and self-sustaining. The numbers have gradually dropped to the point that they are now questionable 'counters', as most seen are regular releases for hunting. By contrast, the population of Peafowl at Sullivan Heights (and other similar places in BC) is perhaps a few dozen birds max, and they are sustained at least in part by regular feeding by locals. The numbers are simply much too low for the bird to be considered a viable, countable species.
Rokman

Re: Peacocks in Surrey

Posted: Feb 16 6:16 pm
by SueCoastalObserver
Awesome color in your photos Judy, don't look they need any tweaking, stunning shots!

Re: Peacocks in Surrey

Posted: Feb 16 6:54 pm
by jewill
SueCoastalObserver wrote:Awesome color in your photos Judy, don't look they need any tweaking, stunning shots!
Thank you Sue.

Re: Peacocks in Surrey

Posted: Feb 22 10:21 am
by mcrosbie
Peacocks have been introduced to BC by humans, so I really do not believe they will ever be truly BC birds. I grew up seeing them in Stanley Park and other "man-made" settings. I have never thought of them as anything other than "zoo" birds and I grew up in Vancouver and North Burnaby. I am now a bona fide senior citizen.

I wonder it it was even legal for these Surrey birds to be planted there by humans, as I am pretty sure they were. It would be interesting to discover how they got there.

(Don't misunderstand me, I am not trying to make trouble, just wanted to contribute my view).