On Sunday, with Thanksgiving dinners safely in the past, a few dozen wild turkeys emerged from the woods to dine on sunflower seeds beneath the bird feeder. One bird flew up onto the deck to get a closer look at cache of seeds hanging from the pole. I’ve seen many wild turkeys up close, and several have been on the deck before, but this one looked different. It had hairy feathers growing vertically from its head, a white face, and a shiny green neck. I jokingly remarked that a peacock is on the deck.
And I was so close. Only the males are referred to as peacocks, and according the picture on Wikipedia, it appeared that this was an Indian Blue Peahen. I have no idea where this bird came from, but I’m assuming that it’s an escaped domesticated bird. I never heard of peafowl in Michigan, and I don’t know if it can survive the winter, but it was a pleasant surprise.
What a beautiful sight. Thanks for sharing! Why not bring it inside for the winter?
Keep up the good work with the site. We check it out every day.
We just saw 2 beautiful deer in the backyard this morning. They were eating from our bird feeders. I tried to take a photo, but with the glass window reflecting and the heavy fog, it didn’t come out very good. Of course I put out bread, seed and carrots. Maybe they will return.
I can really appreciate your wonderful pictures! MJ
Mary Jean,
Thanks for the comment. I already have mice in the house, so there’s no room for peacocks.
-Kevin