Glimpses of South Pasadena: Peacock on the Roof

Friday, April 2, 2010

Peacock on the Roof

Just another day in South Pas.

27 comments:

Antjas said...: Is this an escapee from Arcadia?; April 2, 2010 at 4:41 AM
Judy Williams said...: I don't know why, but this just cracks me up. Who woulda thunk? Love the composition with the angled outline of the chimney, the craggy rock facade and then the diagonal line that connects to the bird and across the sweep of his tail. THAT's not something you see every day. :)

There are all sorts of stories about the peacock. I found this and thought you might find it interesting:

Peacocks in myth and legend; April 2, 2010 at 5:01 AM
Mister Earl said...: If you like being awakened by honking at 4:00 am, peacocks are for you!; April 2, 2010 at 6:37 AM
Yakpate said...: OMG! One of your most beautiful and magical shots.

How on EARTH do you manage to be in the right place at the right time, day after day, to get these great shots???!!!; April 2, 2010 at 7:49 AM
Anonymous said...: I love these guys! They think they're all that, probably because they are. Lucky Baldwin brought the first peacocks to SoCal.; April 2, 2010 at 7:58 AM
Barbara said...: I hear the peacocks calling, mostly around dusk in the warm months. I wonder if this one has very discerning taste in chimneys, or if you followed him from roof to roof until he reached the right one.

My mother wouldn't let us bring peacock feathers in our house. I think the superstition was that they symbolized pride, which preceded a fall. My Irish American grandma had at least a thousand superstitions, severely curtailing what we could wear and bring home.; April 2, 2010 at 8:03 AM
Thursday Girl/Hollis the Cat said...: What is it with Peacocks on Roofs in South Pas?

I was walking a few months ago and saw a peacock walking on a driveway, then flew up to the roof and walked around there for awhile. Unfortunately, I did not have my camera...; April 2, 2010 at 11:01 AM
ben wideman said...: AWESOME.; April 2, 2010 at 11:21 AM
dbdubya said...: For some reasons, peafowl like to get up high - on roofs and on top of cars. I guess they want to see and be seen. While nice to look at, they can be real pests. Messy, destructive, and very noisy. La Canada has a neighborhood with them and a few years ago it was a real controversy. Some residents liked them and others wanted them removed. Traps were set but they were too smart to get caught. So, they remain.; April 2, 2010 at 1:13 PM
Laurie Allee said...: We have a young peacock who lives near us and struts down the street on a regular basis. But I think it's a girl -- no big feathers and only a small rough of blue. Either that, or he's too young for the long feathers but since he's over a year old now, I think he is a she.

This one was up on Via Del Rey the other day and Little Bit just about had a fit when she saw him. He was just walking up the sidewalk, then up a fence, then onto this roof as if he owned the place. I LOVE it.; April 2, 2010 at 2:04 PM
Laurie Allee said...: DB, the peacock lovers vs. haters reminds me of the deer situation in Austin. Some people love the fact that deer roam the neighborhoods. They put out deer corn. Others can't stand the critters because they eat ALL landscaping plants, and even some that are considered inedible. (Dixie Jane has some thoughts on that one!) Since I don't have to deal with those on a regular basis, I love them as much as I love our parrots and peacocks.; April 2, 2010 at 2:06 PM
dbdubya said...: I have deer and coyotes in our neighborhood. Some don't like them. I do. Nice reminder of what this area was like before we all moved in.; April 2, 2010 at 2:09 PM
Shanna said...: You mentioned peacoks where Dick and I lived in Austin, at Laguna Gloria. I really don't remember seeing them. But if anyone would have seen them it would have been little Laurie girl.; April 2, 2010 at 2:10 PM
Judy Williams said...: I knew there had to be a great poem about these controversial peafowl!

Me Peacock

What riches to him
That has made a great peacock
With the pride of his eye?
The wind-beaten, stone-grey,
And desolate Three Rock
Would nourish his whim.
Live he or die
Amid wet rocks and heather,
His ghost will be gay
Adding feather to feather
For the pride of his eye.
WHAT'S riches to him
That has made a great peacock
With the pride of his eye?
The wind-beaten, stone-grey,
And desolate Three Rock
Would nourish his whim.
Live he or die
Amid wet rocks and heather,
His ghost will be gay
Adding feather to feather
For the pride of his eye.

William Butler Yeats; April 2, 2010 at 2:14 PM
TheChieftess said...: I was dive bombed by a peacock at the LA zoo once...; April 2, 2010 at 2:39 PM
TheChieftess said...: Call me crazy...I love seeing peacocks and parrots, deer and raccoon...not so much coyotes...

Don't think I'd like the parrots or peacocks as much if I heard the racket and lived with the mess they make though...

A couple of years ago, I saw 9 deer on a nearby street including one buck...the others were mostly adult females with a couple of younguns...

When I was growing up...the roof on our house was white rock and when the moon was full, the raccoons liked to play on the roof above my bedroom, then go play in the shallow end of the pool...they were a hoot!!!; April 2, 2010 at 2:45 PM
Pasadena Adjacent said...: ok...maybe yesterdays sighting will probably get the commentary this roofed pea cock did.; April 2, 2010 at 3:38 PM
Pasadena Adjacent said...: insert >never< between will and probably; April 2, 2010 at 3:38 PM
Mister Earl said...: This comment has been removed by the author.; April 2, 2010 at 4:16 PM
Mister Earl said...: We have snakes in South Pasadena, too. They hang out around Mound and Mission, and can be found under the table or behind your back.; April 2, 2010 at 4:18 PM
Petrea Burchard said...: This made me laugh, and the comments are great! Just another (wonderful) day in South Pas.; April 2, 2010 at 5:02 PM
alex said...: The caption is no lie: this REALLY is just another day in South Pas.

Peacocks first started becoming regulars in Monterey Hills around when I was in high school, at the turn of the millenium. My parents' neighbor used to sit outside on his porch with a hose after work and shoot water at them when they approached his property. Meanwhile, his daughter (who at the time was probably Little Bit's age) would chase them. The peacocks are remarkably unafraid of people.

I must agree with Mr Earl about the noise...it's not the most pleasant. But other than the squaking, they seem pretty harmless to me and obviously add some character to the city:); April 2, 2010 at 9:18 PM
Laurie Allee said...: Thanks, you guys!

Alex, Little Bit would have chased that bird right over the roof if I had unstrapped her from the car seat! Instead, we squawked back at him. I was hoping he'd fan out that tail for a REALLY cool picture. Oh well, I guess we weren't that threatening. Or interesting, because he trotted over to the far side of the roof.

Until tomorrow, everyone...; April 2, 2010 at 11:09 PM
Virginia said...: This one has me laughing out loud. Lordy that just priceless. Down here we have raccoons. NOT the same.
V; April 3, 2010 at 7:39 AM
New York City Personal Injury lawyer said...: What a great sight.; April 22, 2010 at 12:59 PM
Terence Watthens said...: Just like Virginia said, it's pretty much different in other areas that it's not as funny and precious as that. Some places have squirrels, raccoons, or pigeons running over their roofs. Having a peacock there's pretty cool in some level. lol; October 31, 2011 at 1:13 PM
Rebecca A. Maynard said...: Edo’s notebook is thick, with a blue hard cover. It has a white ribbon separator. There is a sticker on the cover.vinyl fence gate; January 4, 2018 at 3:08 AM