A follow-up to my previous post:
The other day, we were back at the Arboretum in the afternoon to catch birds during the second active time for peafowl (the birds like to get things done in the early morning and late afternoon, with an extended siesta between noon and 4pm). Within minutes of arriving, we’d caught our first male, but didn’t finish processing him until about 5 pm. Sunset was approaching and I didn’t think we’d have enough daylight to nab another. I headed to the bathroom to wash the peablood off of my hands and Rob went to check on our most recent capture, with the understanding that we’d meet back at the car in a few minutes and head home.
On my way back from the bathroom, Rob emerged from behind some shrubbery clutching yet another peacock, this one caught singlehandedly!
As we raced to process this bird before sunset, Rob rather excitedly explained how he’d accomplished his feat. First, he grabbed the bird’s legs from behind as we normally do. Then, he spent a few moments calling out for me, and when he realized I wasn’t coming he sat and puzzled over what he had to do next: singlehandedly get the bird into the reverse position where he would be able to use his body to secure its wings without letting it go.
While I’m still not too clear on the details, I can tell you this much: it involved kicking off his sandals and using his feet.
From February 28, 2008