I never imagined peacocks would bring me so much joy. I knew I’d be mesmerized by their vibrant colors and their “strutting” – the fanning of their feathers. But they are also funny – often dumb, but highly instinctive – making them quite the oxymoron and such an interesting creature to observe. They are noisy and loud (mainly during mating season), curious and quirky. They move and peck like chickens, yell like women fighting and act strangely curious like cats – but yet hypnotize us with a dignified look seemingly fit only for royalty.

I find them in the garage eating from the cat food bowl, perched on the hood of my car, peeking down at me from the rooftop or staring at me in the window, literally sprinting in the pasture and napping on top of their cage…because inside would make too much sense. They roam all day finding insects and even small animals like lizards and snakes to eat; and by dusk – like clockwork – they find their way to their roosting post to steer clear from any predators which are mostly bobcats and coyotes here. Lately Sturgill has been roosting on my chimney, but they will also roost on top of the barn nearby or in trees.

I have two peacocks – Sturgill and Loretta (we thought Loretta was a “she” and we just never changed his name when he matured) and June, a peahen. June is smitten with Loretta and it’s a little sad that Sturgill is on his own, but that means he spends more time hanging out with us. And we give him plenty of love.

I take TONS of videos and pictures of them, all the time. It doesn’t get old because I am never bored of their beauty or intriguing behavior. Springtime is particularly fun because the males really hone their strutting techniques. Constantly unfurling their brilliant feathers in hopes of gaining the female’s attention – and also the humans’ – they are truly captivating. I rarely have my real camera out but tonight Sturgill was around the pool near the bird feeders and I dropped what I was doing to catch some really neat shots of him. He performed for me for probably a half hour. I also captured some unique video of him as well.

He might just become a world famous peacock.

To us, he’s already a star.