I remember the first time I heard them. It must have been about 12 years ago, right after we moved here. “What in the heck is that!?” I asked my wife. She said it sounded like a baby was crying. Sounded more like some poor woman was screaming at the top of her lungs to me. Bone chilling is what it was. I thought, what kind of neighborhood is this!
Well, it wasn’t a baby, or any kind of evil doing going on in the hood. It was the famous Forest Gale Peakcocks.
Peakcocks?
According to the local rumor mill – a local farmer used to raise them nearby, long before Forest Gale Heights was fully developed. I’m not sure what happened to the farmer, but his brood of peafowl remained – and multiplied. At one point in time they were everywhere. Oh sure – they are pretty to look at. But once you get woke up by them screaming at 5am, or have to clean up after them, you may change your mind. I’ve had them on my roof, in my lawn, on the sidewalk, and everywhere in between. And they don’t just leave typical little bird droppings when they go. Oh no. Think more like – hairballs. Lots of them. Nasty.
Peacocks and peahens—are members of the pheasant family. Although most people call the whole species peacocks, the word really only refers to the male bird. Just like chickens, where the male is called a rooster or cock and the female is called a hen, male peafowl are peacocks, female peafowl are peahens, and babies are peachicks. There are three species of peafowl in the world: the Indian, or blue peafowl, the green peafowl, and the Congo peafowl. Up here in the Heights, we have the Indian Blue.
Lucky us.
So if you are out for a Sunday drive, and happen to be in Forest Gale Heights, don’t be surprised if you see a parade of peakcocks and hens crossing the street in front of you. One warning – they cross the street very slowly. Very, very slowly. If you get out and try and take a picture of them, they usually run, but if you leave the back seat open, maybe you can entice them into your car with some cat food. They like that. Then you could take them home with you. Start another brood. Say in – Washougal?
Please?
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Wow! I didn’t know we had them here, too.
My hubby is originally from Palos Verdes, CA and they have those suckers EVERYWHERE in those hills, too. And you’re right, the loud shreiking they do is horrible.
My mom used to raise all kinds of fowl and her peacocks and hens were always getting out of the enclosure and wreaking havoc. I think the males are pretty but yeah, I’d not want to have to deal with them.
Sorry you have this problem. And the zoo kicked theirs out last year for being too aggressive so I don’t think you’ll have any takers there.
Good luck!