16 October 2026
A peacock came to greet us
Dragging his heavy tail
Marked only by one feather
His turquoise proof of male
Among our Autumn colours –
Those yellow-orange hues
That dapple over oak trees
And hint of Winter blues –
We’d come to search for peacocks
To see them pick and strut
Foraging for insects, food
Inside the damp earth. But
Their colours fade in Winter
Regrowth must wait till Spring
When April’s blossom pierces
Our blue skies. Then we’ll sing
As tails raise in triumph
To prove their mates will call
In praise of masculinity
And we shall love them all.
With gratitude to the devoted team of keepers who guard the precious
birds and immaculately maintain their extraordinary spacious landscape.
A pair of peacocks sit on a wall at Nuneham Courtenay, ready to brave the winter storms, inspect the traffic by Peacock Gate, and ignore the crowds who come to look and admire. Photo by Miranda Karaj