The best place to see and photograph peacocks in London
It is not that difficult to find peacocks in London. Holland Park (at Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea) is probably one of the best places where you can see and photograph these beautiful birds walking freely around. And if you notice a group of people crowded or taking pictures of something it is most probably because the peacocks are displaying their gorgeous tail feathers.
Holland Park: The best place to spot peacocks
Holland Park is a rather small park located in the centre of London (please see the map below). But it is a very diverse park as there are areas of wild woodlands as well as beautifully planted flower gardens.
Peacocks are roaming freely throughout the park. These elegant birds don’t like woodlands and you are more likely to find peacocks in one of the gardens of Holland Park. And there are many: Kyoto Garden, Fukushima Garden, Napoleon Garden, Dutch Garden, etc.
How many peacocks are in Holland Park
Currently there are around six male peacocks in Holland Park. There used to be as many as 30, but not all of them survived. The main reason is that people give them improper food.
The best location to photograph peacocks in London: Kyoto Garden
One of the most common locations where you can spot and take pictures of peacocks is a Kyoto Garden at Holland Park. It is a beautiful small garden which makes a wonderful background for pictures.
Kyoto Garden is a traditional Japanese garden located at the heart of Holland Park. The garden was built in 1991 as a symbol of friendship between the United Kingdom and Japan. It has a small pond with koi carp (huge orange fish).
Sometimes these gorgeous birds like to sit on a small field just around the corner of Kyoto Garden or Fukushima Garden. It is especially beautiful in spring when the crocus flowers are blooming.
At night peacocks roost up high in the trees. This keeps them protected from predators. So you might spot them sitting high up on the branches of large trees at dusk.
The best time to see peacocks in London
Somewhere between Spring and Summer is probably the best time to see and photograph peacocks. They are most photogenic during this time as they will have their gorgeous tail feathers.
During spring their tails will grow in full. Each peacock will have up to 200 individual tail feathers. They will start to loose their beautiful tail feathers in July (at the end of their mating season).
Other Birds you might spot in Holland Park
Apart from peacocks there many different types of birds in Holland Park. Most of them you will probably find in Kyoto Garden.
Grey Herons at Holland Park
One of the frequent visitors to the Holland Park is a grey heron. The bird likes to eat lots of fish which it can easily find in ponds around the park. The image below shows a grey heron near the waterfall in Kyoto gardens hunting for small fish.
Red Robin
Robins are cute little birds with red breasts. They sing all year around from dawn until dusk. Robins are one of the favourite birds in the UK. They are depicted on many Christmas cards in the UK as a symbol of Christmas. This is mainly because of the bird’s red breast which are associated with postmen in red jackets.
Ducks
Ducks can be found in almost any park in London. Holland Park is no exception. Below is the image of a cute duck near a pond in Kyoto gardens.
Pigeons
Most common birds in Holland Park are probably pigeons. They will hunt for food and leftovers. They will fly to you as soon as they spot you feeding cheeky Holland Park squirrels. Squirrels are always happy to receive any treat they can. Although it is not advised to feed pigeons.
