Sunday, June 12, 2011

Meeting Frankie's Royal Cousins

Back in April, Tom jumped on a Craig's List offer for free firewood. He had to cut it himself, but he didn't mind  when he spotted peacocks roaming through the couple's yard and neighborhood. 
He got a kick out of the eldest male who spent hours admiring his own reflection in Tom's hubcaps, full fan.
"You need to go out there with your camera," he told me.
So I did.

I first spotted the females, so beautiful in a subtle way, don't you agree?



Something around the face reminded me of Frankie...

Then I spotted him, the King, running from the paparazzi.


He led me to his sons, the princes, regally pacing a neighbor's porch roof, proclaiming their royalty with loud calls that sounded strangely similar to the maawwwing of a Siamese cat in heat.


King skittered back across the street and through the woods and up to his own throne.



My best sweet talk failed to coax him into a full fan for me - obviously he wasn't in the mood and just wanted to be left alone to rule his kingdom in peace...


So I left.
But I went back a few days later, determined to capture that full fan.

You again? he said. (Not out loud of course. But I could see it in his eyes.)


He tried to ignore me, but I kept snapping anyway, captivated by his gorgeous feathers. 
Full fan or not, they were breathtaking. Such rich color and diverse patterns!
The black and white feathers reminded me of Frankie, of course.



Harassment, er, I mean, persistence pays off...





I suspect this is some kind of avian insult, but I still think it's pretty cool.


I guess he felt kind of sorry for me...






"Okay, show's over, lady. Go home," he told me. 
(I could read it in his tail feathers.)


I snapped a few more...





But I finally took the hint that his Majesty was tiring of my paparazzi antics. 
(That, plus I didn't feel like crawling through bushes.)


"I'm a peacock, you gotta let me fly!" ~ Mark Wahlberg in "The Other Guys"

18 comments:

  1. Wow! lovely to say the least. Love the variety of angles and the color is beyond imagination. Keep up the good work!

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  2. Oh My, Oh My, Oh My, Oh My!!!!! I think my fave is the eighth one from the bottom, but they are all glorious! Well done!

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  3. Oula la la la simply wonderful!!!!
    loooove them!!!

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  4. haha ~ aren't these the 'showiest' birds? So beautiful. You captured them perfectly Barbara!
    xo Catherine

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  5. These are wonderful Barbara!
    How lucky you were to be able to capture them,
    Truly magnificent creatures.

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  6. Hi Barbara...your commentary was just perfect for each shot..you could almost hear that peacock saying those very words.. How beautiful their feathers are..did you find any laying around? hoping all is good in your world!
    ox

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  7. Beautiful! At Warwick Castle in England, the male peacock would spread his feathers for a crisp (potato chip). Looks like your persistance paid off with lots of wonderful photos! I hope you did find some feathers to bring home.

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  8. I'm captivated by these... gorgeous shots - gorgeous color!
    I'm so glad you persisted and got those shots!

    Just found your blog...will be back!

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  9. Each and every one of these is fantastic! So glad you were patient enough to wait for the fan. Isn't nature beautiful and fascinating?!

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  10. these are amazing photog...and wait, these birds are in your yard ?

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  11. Wow!! I find peacocks so captivating and your shots capture him so beautifully!!

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  12. It's pretty hard to beat the beauty of the peacock's feathers. Such brilliant blue and green. Good job on the photos!

    Di

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  13. Absolutely amazing photos Barbara. The colors are truly stunning - and quite surreal acutally.

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  14. Wow - these shots are spectacular!

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  15. Wow, what gorgeous photos. When his feathers were completely extended in the fan, those spots looked exactly like eyes!

    Thanks for sharing.

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  16. The third from the last made me gasp. Nicely done.

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