Today, we are back at Kirkleatham Owl Centre, giving you a behind the scenes tour. Read about the birds, watch their progress in training, and get up close and personal with other residents, including the meerkat and porcupine families. This week, we join the strutting peacock

All grand country estates need a peacock strutting about, or at least that’s what we think.

And Kirkleatham is no different – our owl centre is located next to the Kirkleatham Old Hall Museum, and that hall was once at the heart of a thriving country estate of which many of its historic buildings, walls and monuments can still be seen today.

The Northern Echo:

Kirkleatham Old Hall Museum

As people visit the centre and the estate they will likely encounter what we like to call our “wandering wildlife”, beautiful peacocks displaying on the lawns, groups of cackling guinea fowl and fancy looking frill-back pigeons, with curly white feathers, looking as though they have had a perm.

The Northern Echo:

Up close with the peacocks

The delight and joy visitors get from encountering these birds is clear to see – all the wandering birds are so confident that they happily strut past people on the footpaths, or attempt to ‘’share’’ someone’s picnic. When a male peacock fans his tail feathers to display in a sunny spot on the lawn, it is like a celebrity has appeared. Crowds of people will gather, cameras and phones clicking away – and peacocks, being one of nature’s ultimate show offs, lap up the attention.

The Northern Echo:

More peacock posing

The birds require little looking after for much of the year. In the spring, summer and autumn they forage in the fields and woods finding most of their own food.

We provide extra feed in the winter months, and any veterinary care they may need.

Whether it is the sheer beauty of a displaying peacock, a strange looking frill back pigeon waddling past or sharing a picnic with a gaggle of guinea fowl, for visitors these birds are by far the Kirkleatham estate’s most popular residents.