The Case of the Missing Peahen

I mentioned an unplanned trip to the city happened during the week.  That was Tuesday.
It's a 7-8 hour round trip and I came home in the late evening to find one of the two peahens not on her usual night time perch. 
I've kept a look out for her each day, with the suspicion she had chosen Tuesday as the day to start sitting on a clutch of hidden eggs.  And hoping the nest wasn't in the neighbouring farmers garden where she set up house last season. 

Today, the missing peahen appeared in the horse paddock just as as I was leaving for an appointment in town, so I enlisted my daughter  on a covert operation to track Griselda back to her nest.
Happily, her mission was successful and Megans stealth skills quite exceptional- along with neighbour PR- and we collected Griselda and her 5 eggs from under a camellia bursting with pink blossom thisafternoon.

Knowing from last years experience Griselda would refuse to sit on the eggs once moved, they have been tucked under one of the broody bantams.  Oh wonderful broody bantam!

 I take back all the negative things I said about you and your sisters in my previous post.  Brood away dear things!  : )

Griselda is now penned with her pal Gemima and their sweetie Kevin.  With luck she will set another batch of eggs, this time in the enclosure!  And Gemima should do the same.  It's sad to not have them free ranging around the homestead, but for the best until breeding season is over.

And in the meantime I am counting down the days until those 5 eggs hatch and the first peachicks for Jingle Bells Farm are born. 
25 days to go...