Percy and George are resident peacocks at Markshall Estate, where I spend a great deal of my time - both working and volunteering. These chaps tend to spend most of their time in different parts of the arboretum, strutting their stuff for anyone who will pay them some attention. On this occasion, I’d watched them for half an hour or so, doing what appeared to be a square dance around each other. Their performance culminated in this final display of superiority, though they both walked away from the dance floor with their heads held high as if nothing had happened. They are real tarts these two.

Sibling rivalry