THE PECKISH PEACOCKS STRUTTING AROUND A CITY SERVICE STATION
How an A55 stopoff became home to a pair of birds with a taste for French fries
A PAIR of peacocks have become a familiar sight at an A55 service station in Gwynedd.
While some first-time motorists do a double-take when they see the birds strutting around, others can’t wait to see them when they pull up.
The peacocks, it is said, are partial to French fries dropped by customers.
They settled at the Junction 11 Bangor Services a year ago, as part of a diaspora of peacocks in the area.
Where Llandudno has its wild goats, Bangor has its peacocks, numbers having grown steadily since an escape from a nearby farm five or six years ago.
The birds have been spotted on Bangor mountain, the university and in various gardens.
They perch on rooftops and go window shopping in the city centre.
Customers are advised not to be alarmed if they see one ambling around the aisles of local stores.
Recently, a driver had a shock when she called at Bangor Services a couple of miles from the city centre and found a peacock blocking her way.
“It’s hanging out by Burger King!” she posted on social media.
“The daft bird wandered in front of my car where I couldn’t see it.
“I had to get a staff member to tell me when it was safe to drive away from the window.
“Apparently this one eats a lot of fries!” Other food service outlets are also available at Bangor Services, including Starbucks, a Lavazza coffee shop and a branch of Sainsbury’s On The Go, offering plenty of easy pickings for hungry peacocks.
Staff are not allowed to feed them, but some customers may have fewer scruples.
While feral peacocks are pretty hardy, there is concern that they can become dependent on handouts and may stop foraging on their own.
At Bangor Services, some have been photographed wandering around the drive-thru at night, seemingly searching for scraps that may have been casually dropped.
Others have been seen perching perilously on gas canisters at the site or hanging around the Travelodge, as if looking for somewhere more comfortable to sleep.
In recent months, their popularity has soared and pictures of the birds at Bangor Services have multiplied on social media accounts set up to celebrate Bangor’s peacocks.
They sprang to prominence when several took advantage of pandemic lockdowns to stroll along Bangor’s empty streets.
Favourite haunts are places like St Mary’s Village, Environment Centre Wales and the New Look fashion store, even though a bird so beautifully plumaged must have little need of accessories.
The appearance of chicks in the city confirmed suspicions they were nesting and breeding, and this is thought to be the case at Bangor Services.
Hatching season is in April, so it’s not impossible that visiting motorists may soon hear the patter of tiny peachicks.