3 years after B.C. village's resident peacocks disappeared, new sightings have locals talking

The reported sighting of two young peacocks in Naramata, B.C., has residents buzzing about the possible return of the exotic birds to the Okanagan community, which has a storied history with the colourful creatures.

For decades, peacocks roamed freely in the village on the shores of Okanagan Lake, 20 kilometres north of Penticton, capturing the attention of locals and visitors alike. But in 2022, the last two resident peacocks disappeared, believed to have been killed by bobcats, marking the end of the birds in the community.

Now, a photo of what appears to be one of two young male peacocks spotted near Naramata's downtown area has sparked excitement and curiosity among residents, reigniting conversations about the birds' place within the community—and the mystery of how they arrived back in the village.

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"There's lots of excitement," said longtime resident and musician Yanti Sharples, who first saw the news on a community Facebook group.

"They were dropped somewhere downtown. They're roaming around, checking out the place, seeing if they want to hang out."

Radio West9:12Yanti Sharples, a long time resident of Naramata says she's excited to hear there are a couple of new peacocks hanging around town, after the last one suffered a terrible death a few years ago

Yanti Sharples, a long time resident of Naramata says she's excited to hear there are a couple of new peacocks hanging around town, after the last one suffered a terrible death a few years ago

Resident Jordie Graham posted a photo on the page of a peacock perching on a utility line. Graham told CBC News his son had taken the picture and spotted a second bird as well.

Dozens of people have commented on the post about the peacock sighting, many expressing delight about the possible return of birds to the community.

For at least 20 years, up until early 2022, a group of peafowl roamed freely in Naramata. A peahen that bore chicks each year increased the numbers, according to Sharples. Around 2010, someone removed the peahen and her chicks from the village, leaving three adult male birds in the village.

Their loud, distinctive squawk could be heard throughout the town, and the birds delighted residents and visitors with their colourful fan tails, on full display. 

Not everyone was happy about living with roaming peacocks, according to Sharples, who remembers the birds perching on parked cars, sometimes scratching the paint, and chasing after the municipal garbage truck every Thursday as it made its weekly route through town.

"There are two sides of the argument. Some people love them. Some people don't," Sharples said.

"They can be a menace, they really can. But they are also beautiful and amazing and made themselves known in the village. They would come out." 

Residents affectionately named the birds, but in January 2022, the last two peacocks, known to many as Kevin and Peter, disappeared. It's believed the peacocks were killed off by wild bobcats. 

Sharples remembers that as a sad time for the community, during the height of the pandemic with public health orders restricting people from gathering.

She composed a spoken word piece and invited her neighbour to contribute to the piece with their photos of the peacocks. 

But now, after a three-year void of peacock-squawking, Sharples and others in Naramata are hoping the birds spotted in town will stay.

"I mean, always, they spark art and creativeness. There's lots of murals and artwork and photographs," she said.

The sighting also begs the question of how the peacocks arrived.

"That's the big question mark with back then and now. Who is bringing these peacocks to the village?" She asked.

"Somebody knows actually where they came from. I don't, and most people don't, but there's a couple of somebodies that know what's happening right now."