A peachick grows up in Fort Lauderdale

Lord Byron briefly holds court atop our wooden table.

He's now regularly called "Lord Byron" by Bonnie and I but I don't think any neighbors know that's our name for the blue peachick. He's a big, beautiful creature now, and independent of his mother (which seems to suit her fine).

Unlike his mother, Lord Byron doesn't seem to attach any particular importance to our yard and is more often seen elsewhere. He likes to hang with the crowd of Muscovy ducks when they gather on Victoria Park Road but later you might see him sitting regally atop a roof.

This morning, however, he stopped by and hopped up on the birdbath in our backyard. He's not thirsty; just looking around. His mother never did this.

But, later, he rested briefly on the wooden table on the deck, just as she used to do (but hasn't lately). I managed to get this one photo, but he didn't stay long and he left no feathers.