Houston, We Have Peacocks

[Parrothead]

Okay, so I have been driving around taking photos of my neighborhood for a photo project for our baby's scrapbook. Basically it's supposed to document your everyday life during your pregnancy, what you see, etc....I took some pics of the school, some azalea bushes that are blooming, the view out the baby's window, etc...you know, just stuff. Boring, right?

Well, nothing in my life ever stays boring, I can tell you that much.

We've had some peahens around our street for about two years. Yeah--peahens. Female peacocks. They are quite fascinating. The first time I saw one I almost fell over. It was just walking down the street, and then I saw a few more up ahead. They were all hens; I never got to see the male. I honestly could have stared at them for hours. Of course they are not nearly as splendiferous as the males in color or plumage but they are lovely in their own right. They've been having a marvelous time and everyone seems to just leave them alone. They've never really shown much fear toward humans.

The rumor is that someone had these as pets in the area and let them go. No one really knows, but they love our neighborhood and walk about freely. People will come through and stop and stare because who the heck can believe peacocks are running through Houston wild?

Well, this morning, Matt and I were on the way to the Park-n-Ride and I saw what looked like a colorful trash bag up ahead, in the street, but it was moving--I was like, "Matt, what the he*l is that?" and as SOON as I said it I KNEW! It was the male! I couldn't believe it! Thankfully I had my trusty camera with me (thank you photo project!!) and I got out and took all sorts of pics. He is absolutely beautiful. I looked all over for his hen and finally spotted her perched high up on someone's chimney! What a privilege it was to get a chance to see him.

This week, we again went the same route, and wouldn't you know, the male was there in all his glory! He finally opened up his tail feathers, totally for display for his little hen! He was doing this little dance, going back and forth from front to back right there in the driveway! God only knows what the owners of this house must think!! It was really so very cool. In most of the pics you can see his hen off to the right, looking thoroughly unimpressed

My biggest fear is that someone will come trap them and take them away--they're worth quite a bit of money. Hopefully people will just leave them alone though. They are very happy and not at all bothered by people. I was pretty close, but I didn't want to get any closer because I didn't want to freak him out, especially in the middle of what seemed to be some sort of mating ritual! He really could have cared less though! LOL!! Here are some pics!!

Front shot.

Dancing around in a circle....this was so funny!! He was wiggling his butt!

[Lowbrow]

The neighborhood back behind the NW corner of westheimer and gessner with the 3-6 million dollar properties has tons of peacocks. We can see them all from our windows of our offices. They roam from property to property, not sure who they may belong to.

[UrbaNerd]

That's pretty cool, lol.

[RaiderDude]

neat lol

[MidtownCoog]

Great pics!

There are also some in the Exxon fields near Scarsdale Blvd. and Hwy 3.

Most of the ones you will see are either released or escaped from their owners.

[Guest danax]

The neighborhood back behind the NW corner of westheimer and gessner with the 3-6 million dollar properties has tons of peacocks. We can see them all from our windows of our offices. They roam from property to property, not sure who they may belong to.

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

The fancy neighborhoods get the peacocks......I have chickens and roosters.

[Guest KOKON Steel]

man that's scary.

Just give them the house.

[kzseattle]

The neighborhood back behind the NW corner of westheimer and gessner with the 3-6 million dollar properties has tons of peacocks. We can see them all from our windows of our offices. They roam from property to property, not sure who they may belong to.

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

Yeah, I have seen them too. Always wondered who own them.

[UrbaNerd]

No, no - that's just from living on the eastside!

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

Yeah..that's kind of funny..seeing roosters and the skyline in the same picture!

[westguy]

I saw one running across Gessner & Westheimer. I had to doubletake to make sure that it was a peacock.

[Guest danax]

Yeah..that's kind of funny..seeing roosters and the skyline in the same picture!

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

Well, let me just say that the humor was gone by 3:30 am the next morning. There's actually a city ordinance against having fowl but when no one owns them, that creates a problem. They're gone now, don't know what happened to all of them, with all the little chicks.

And no,...I'm a vegetarian.

[mike]

I was driving through Garden Villas about three weeks ago when I noticed 4 or 5 peacocks near the road. Then I noticed there were about 11 more on the roof of one particular house at that juncture of the street.

[rps324]

The fancy neighborhoods get the peacocks......I have chickens and roosters.

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

paint their tail feathers fancy colors and pretend!

[Parrothead]

Uh, do you mean LeVar Burton, 27? Who is Lamar?

[SpaceAge]

The fancy neighborhoods get the peacocks......I have chickens and roosters.

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

Fancy neighborhoods don't have dumpsters lining the streets on trash day!

But seriously, the peacocks have become a real nuisance in the Rivercrest area. A former Rivercrest neighbor of mine said they were only around Vargo's in the 1970's but have since spread to the west and north.

The peacocks have become very overpopulated mainly in the older estates which have smaller homes and a great deal of heavy native vegetation. With the increase in the popularity of this area, dozens of the properties have been extensively cleared to provide a more appropriate setting for some very ostentatious McMansions.

The recent clearing of 75 or 80 plus acres in the Rivercrest area has really agitated the birds. They seem to be in a frantic, desperite constant search for a safe habitat. I have found their eggs dropped and broken uncerimoniously in my yard. One of my neighbors has a cannon that fires intermittently to scare the birds from his area. Their screeching is eerie.

[BayouCityGirl]

I have seen the Peacocks in the Memorial wooded area.

[DJ V Lawrence]

Man.. you get more excited than Lamar Burton at a book fair.

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

Take a look, it's in a book at Reading RAINBOOOOOOOWWWWW!!!!!! Yo, how does a Star Trekie like him read children's books with Trippy glasses like his?

Personally, I've seen peacocks rumaging in my things at my H-Town home a couple times. But if I ever, EVER wake up to see one INSIDE my house, I'm calling the Crocodile Hunter to wrestle this "fasinating spectacle of a specimen vermion that can only be found in the wild" as he would say. :-)

[debmartin]

driving past vargo's you can often see peacocks milling around outside of the gate, by the street. every time this happens i give them a quick call and almost always they tell me someone has already alerted them. i have a friend who lives next door to the restaurant and when i've been over we've seen peacocks in the parking lot, by the garages. i had no idea there were so many of them all over the city.

deb martin

[DJ V Lawrence]

driving past vargo's you can often see peacocks milling around outside of the gate, by the street.  every time this happens i give them a quick call and almost always they tell me someone has already alerted them.  i have a friend who lives next door to the restaurant and when i've been over we've seen peacocks in the parking lot, by the garages. i had no idea there were so many of them all over the city.

deb martin

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

Peacocks are cool :-)

[BayouCityGirl]

Take a look, it's in a book at Reading RAINBOOOOOOOWWWWW!!!!!! Yo, how does a Star Trekie like him read children's books with Trippy glasses like his?

Personally, I've seen peacocks rumaging in my things at my H-Town home a couple times. But if I ever, EVER wake up to see one INSIDE my house, I'm calling the Crocodile Hunter to wrestle this "fasinating spectacle of a specimen vermion that can only be found in the wild" as he would say. :-)

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

Good one mate! Beautiful Sheila the peacock is. The male peacock plummage is so plentiful and gor-geous! Let's have it a go!

P.S. I don't think I have seen Levar Burton at a Trek con (when I went) but I have met some Trek actors at the conventions. Just to name a few who are awesome:

J.G. Hertlizer

Rob O'Reilly

Armin Shimmerman

Chase Masterson-not sure about

Michael Dorn

Brent Spiner

Nicole deBoer (not sure about)

just to name a few

[DJ V Lawrence]

I have met some Trek actors at the conventions. Just to name a few who are awesome:

J.G. Hertlizer

Rob O'Reilly

Armin Shimmerman

Chase Masterson-not sure about

Michael Dorn

Brent Spiner

Nicole deBoer (not sure about)

just to name a few

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

were any of them Peacocks? :-)

[DJ V Lawrence]

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

Good one mate! Beautiful Sheila the peacock is. The male peacock plummage is so plentiful and gor-geous!  Let's have it a go!

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

"Kroi-ky! It seems as if the vermion Peacock has erected himself to frighten the potential captor lion. Peacocks can be VERY teritorial with their parking garages, as you can see here. Maximus, it seems as if the peacock is marking his territory! Tune in next week as we attempt to capture a wild kitten..."

---Crocodile Hunter, the episode that never happened

[olekebbie]

Are peacocks considered an endangered species? If so, perhaps the EPA could be brought to bear on the pattern of land clearing that occurs on the Rivercrest estates. Granted, they're not native to the area, but past rulings have been made to protect the environments of non-native species. While I'm generally against many of the decisions the EPA makes regarding the usage of privately owned land, I'd support this if it helped to turn the tide on the spread of McMansions. (Especially those that are oversized for the lot.)

[kzseattle]

While I'm generally against many of the decisions the EPA makes regarding the usage of privately owned land, I'd support this if it helped to turn the tide on the spread of McMansions.  (Especially those that are oversized for the lot.)

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

And what would you like to see instead? By the way, in Rivercrest area, lots are so large that it is hard for houses in that region to be oversized for those lots.

[Parrothead]

Fancy neighborhoods don't have dumpsters lining the streets on trash day!

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

I dunno about that! Don't all city of Houston folks have to put their cans out? Even ones with housekeepers? When you're driving through this neighborhood, where the cheapest listing is a $270K "fixer-upper" from 1959 I'd say it's pretty fancy--at least in my book.

Unfortunately we can only afford a condo. A fixer-upper at that.

[SpaceAge]

Most of the nicer neighborhoods pay extra to have a private trash service which picks up at the back door twice a week.

The city provided service comes only one time per week and the trash has to be placed at the curb in the giant containers. Those containers are not convenient to store due to their size and they can get odorous being emptied only once a week.

[Parrothead]

Where I grew up we had that (Kingwood). It was great--they drove little golf-cart looking trucks up your driveway and took your trash and put your cans right back where they were by the garage. You never had to do a thing. But I have yet to see that service anywhere in the city of Houston (except maybe River Oaks, but then...it's River Oaks. ). Do they do it in other parts of town too? I swear I have lived here my whole life and never saw it. Must be all that crack I smoked back in the 80's. We didn't even have that when I lived in Fleetwood, so this has really gotten my curious side. Maybe your "nicer neighborhoods" is different from my "nicer neighborhoods"--I dunno?