When we first arrived at Couples Sans Souci Resort in Jamaica, I spotted two peacocks hanging out at Martini Bar, outside our balcony. It quickly became my mission of the week to capture a nice photo of the male peacock with his tail feathers spread out on full display. We saw the happy peacock couple several times, but he just wouldn’t show off his beautiful tail. It wasn’t until another fella came around that he felt compelled to put on a show in front of his mate. I was thrilled to get a nice photo of him, with his lady friend right behind him.

Peacock couple at the Martini Bar — © Tracey Cullen

Mr. Peacock admiring his reflection — © Tracey Cullen

And finally! Struttin’ his stuff in front of his lady — © Tracey Cullen

We also got to meet the resident parrots and ducks. One parrot, named Crackers, only had one eye, and we heard he was attacked by a mongoose and lost an eye in the fight. He seemed friendly, greeting us with “Hello!” as we approached. But then, after so many “hellos,” I think he tired of us and said “Goodbye!” which I took as my sign to leave him alone. But now I was on my next mission — spot a mongoose!

A friendly duck — © Tracey Cullen

Crackers, the one-eyed parrot– © Tracey Cullen

One of the couples we were traveling with said, “Oh, we saw a mongoose right along the walkway!” So everywhere we went, I had my eyes peeled for the elusive critter. Then, a couple days later, my husband and our other friend saw one in the bushes. By the end of the week, I was giving up hope, as everyone but my friend Karen and I had spotted one. They all kept assuring me it was no big deal, it just looked like a mix between a big squirrel and a ferret, but I HAD to see one with my own eyes. Then, one morning I was relaxing in the clear-blue water right next to the beach, and I heard Karen yell, “One just ran in front of us on our way to the restaurant!” Darn! I was the only one who cared about seeing a mongoose, and I still hadn’t seen one. Finally, on our last full day there, we were strolling to the pool and I got a glimpse of the dark-brown, furry critter. I didn’t get a chance to snap a photo, but I still have the mental picture. I told my friends my next adventure was to pet a mongoose! But they all agreed that is a horrible idea, so I left Jamaica happy with only the memory of the time I saw a mongoose.

In case you’re wondering … this is what a mongoose looks like. — © Elm730 | Dreamstime.com

— Tracey Cullen, art director