What's In A Name?

Maybe we should rename her "Lava"... Because she's still molten. Molting. Get it?

The Downside

Downside of large, molting bird hanging out on your patio. We fondly call her poophen (as opposed to peahen).

Poophen Would Be More Accurate

The only real downside of having such a large bird take up residence on your back patio - the poop. But she sure is beautiful, isn't she?

Don't Ask, Don't Tell

What peahen?

Sent By A Friend

And Then, There Were Two

Not peahens, but feathers.

Summer Fence has dropped two more large plumes from her left wing in the past two days.

As of today, there are only two large feathers left.

Reading up on peafowl online.

The birds molt in June, July and August so although we've only seen her lose feathers from the left wing since she's been here, it's possible she lost other feathers throughout the summer. It's also possible the blood was simply from a blood feather - not an injury.

By all other accounts, the peahen appears healthy. She eats (and poops) and sleeps. She grazes in the lawn and takes dust baths.

And poops some more.

Play It Again, Sissy

Sissy went from spying on Summer Fence to entertaining her. Not sure whether the peahen could actually hear the keyboard through our double-pane windows, but she sure seemed to be listening!

Birds Of A Feather

More like: a bird without feathers.

Summer Fence lost another large feather from her left wing. That makes for a total of four plus a few, smaller downy plumes.

The peahen's left wing now sports a decidedly bare patch. Will it affect her ability to fly?

She's Always There

 

First thing in the morning until the sun goes down, Summer Fence can be found most days on our back patio.

On occasion she can be seen resting in the shade of the American Linden tree in the northwest corner of our quarter-acre yard. The tree shares the corner with our massive thornless blackberry bush.

I like to imagine Summer Fence nibbling on the few plump, juicy low-hanging berries the kids can't - or are too lazy to - reach.

On the other side of our house there are tell tale signs Summer Fence uses an area of loose decomposed granite for dust baths. Massive fowl footprints are visible in the grains surrounding a bowled-out area.

It seems the peahen is making herself at home.

Bright Red Blood

The peahen's arrival - and prolonged stay - have proven a mystery until this past weekend.

It started with one large, loose feather on her left wing. The feather stuck out awkwardly all day while she groomed and groomed until it eventually fell out. Not what you imagine when you  think "peacock" feather but it was large and strong - what you would imagine ideal when crafting a quill pen.

Two days later a second feather was seen sticking out of the same wing. Groom, groom, it came loose and we added it to our small but growing Summer Fence feather collection.

The next day, this past Sunday, we saw a third feather poking out of the peahen's wing and I wondered allowed, "Maybe she was injured and her wing is healing and that's why she doesn't fly too far away."

The third feather dropped shortly thereafter and I went out to examine it. Unlike the two previous feathers, this one had a nub and the quill was soft and flimsy. And then I saw something else: bright red drops of fresh blood dotting the patio.

But Summer Fence seemed fine and the bleeding didn't last long. The kids worried about the blood and to calm them, I said that last feather must have been like a scab coming off - it bled a little, but stopped real quick to heal.

The mystery remains however... What happened to the peahen's wing? Was she part of a flock spotted in our area? Did they get attacked by a feral dog or coyote, she injured and separated from the others?

Wherefore Art Thou?

Day 2. Where does she go when she's not here? (Feeders and chicken food provided by Nana - she had extras.)

Today, I BBQd With A Peahen

The photo kind of says it all...

This afternoon, I barbecued chicken legs for Nana and the kids under the watchful eye of the peahen-in-residence.

Seems wrong, doesn't it? Grilling fowl while a bird looks on?

The peahen wouldn't venture any closer while we were all on the patio, but as soon as we went inside to eat she returned to her favorite corner by the slider.

Once there, she watched us dine with interest, cocking her head from side to side.

Does she think she's a person? Nana says maybe the peahen's real owners are gone from home all day and she simply finds us more interesting.

True, hanging out with a peahen is far from boring.

Yes, She's Here

For now.

I have posted on both Craigslist and the Bee.

So far, the only response has been someone who wanted to adopt her and someone asking for more information. My response to the latter?

"Did you lose a peahen?"

I Missed You, SF

Is it possible to miss something that doesn't even belong to you?

The short answer: yes.

I checked all the usual spots throughout the day, even played Hawaiian music on the outdoor speakers hoping to lure her to the patio. No luck.

Last night's thunderstorm surely scared the peahen off.

Yet, as dusk settled and I chatted on the telephone with a friend about how the peahen had gone - I saw the wild flapping of large wings out of the corner of my eye. Was it? I craned my head to see better through my daughter's bedroom window.

Yes, Summer Fence had returned. And I was overjoyed.

Peahen Watching Over Me

The first thing I did this morning was look for the peahen.

It starts under the guise of opening up the house to run the whole-house fan, but when she's not in her regular spot on our back patio, I venture outside. I look near our Japanese garden, where the kids say they saw her yesterday and then behind the thorn-less blackberry bush - a perfect hiding spot for such a large bird. No luck.

I look in the American Linden, the only tree in our backyard large enough for a roosting peahen. Not there. I scan the roof line of our rare single-story abode nestled in the Sacramento suburbs and that of the two-story mammoth next door. She's not there either.

So I ask my son, who's always the first person up in our house, "Have you seen the peahen?" He says he hasn't, but I can tell he didn't even look for her when he got up this morning. Why does this annoy me? She's not even our peahen.

I open a window (got to get that fan on) and in the process decide to look one more place - the front porch where we first found her. Again, I'm disappointed. No peahen.

In my pajamas I venture a few steps down the walkway to peer again at the neighbor's house - and there she is! On top of the second story, where I had looked only moments before!

She stands like a sentinel, pacing back-and-forth along the gutters looking intently at our backyard.

Like One Of The Family

The peahen-in-residence is like a member of the family - except for the way she scurries off when we come near her. It's almost like a game.

Summer Fence prefers the cool corner on our back patio with a bird's-eye-view into our kitchen and family room.

Whenever we open the sliding-glass door, she runs to the wall surrounding our patio and jumps onto the grass. But she doesn't go far. Less than a beat passes and she's peering around the barbecue to see whether it's safe to return to her spot.

Today, was the first time she spoke to us.

She hurried away when I went outside to feed the tortoises some lettuce and tomatoes. I was bent over the tortoise pen when I heard it - HONK!

When I walked onto the patio, Summer Fence was standing in front of the sliding glass door - HONK!

Catching sight of me she HONKed again, hopped the wall surrounding our patio and down onto the grass.

Just Being Neighborly

The peahen startled our next door neighbors today, by tapping on a second-floor window - pictured here.

Ever Feel Like You're Being Watched?

I Like Hawaiian Music

A Visitor In Our Midst