The valley’s suburban peacocks are a mixed blessing. They are, of course, beautiful, statuesque, even magnificent, among nature’s finest dandies — when they’re not terrorizing Wayne Newton’s neighbors. They are often beloved by the humans around them — unless you’re the person who killed Pete the peacock with a bow and arrow earlier this year. (Karma’s comin’ for you, pal.) And as far as I’ve heard, the specimens in our midst aren’t yet troublesome enough to require publicly funded peacock vasectomies.
The best place to see them is Floyd Lamb Park, where they roam freely. Some of these birds are descendants of the peacocks first brought to the site by former owner Prosper Jacob Goumand some 80 years ago. The area was a working farm then, and, says city historic preservation officer Diane Siebrandt, “Peacocks are actually excellent watch dogs, and they will alert you when someone comes onto your property.” And no doubt they served a soothing decorative function for the women and men who came later, when the acreage became a divorce ranch.
If you encounter a peacock strutting around Floyd Lamb, admire it from afar; up close they are known to be cranky and unfriendly birds — just ask Wayne Newton’s neighbors.
