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Dart’s Tree Farm on Main Bayview Road in Southold is well known for its outstanding cut-your-own Christmas trees.

But about seven years ago the Darts added a colorful and unusual feature to their farm — an aviary housing a small flock of peacocks.

The three generation, 17-acre historic family farm is operated by Ed Dart and his wife Judy. It also includes 140 chickens of many sizes and colorful varieties. Their eggs are sold on the farm.

Ed’s grandparents, George Fletcher Downs and his wife Effie, had chickens some 100 years ago. Ed says that Judy just loves having the birds around

When asked why he added the peacocks he said, “I just wanted to have something pretty to have here at the farm for our visitors. They just want to see something pretty that they can’t have at home.”

Typically the term “peacock” is used to refer to both sexes, but technically only the males are peacocks. The females are peahens.

When the peacocks molt the Darts save the tail feathers and at Christmas time they use them to make wreaths.

See more photos below

Neighbor Andreas Juarez, 3, checks out the chickens.
Neighbor Andreas Juarez, 3, checks out the chickens.
 Some of the eggs from the farm. The green one is from an Auracana- chicken. The large one on the right is a peacock egg.
Some of the eggs from the farm. The green one is from an Auracana- chicken. The large one on the right is a peacock egg.

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Farm owner Ed Dart in the peacock aviary.
Farm owner Ed Dart in the peacock aviary.

Your North Fork Sunday Scene features weekly snap shots of life on Long Island’s top fork

Previous North Fork Sunday Scenes:

Roaming the pasture at McCall Vineyards and Ranch

A Southold ‘Renaissance’ man

Winter at the Beach

Sunset over the Sound

An early harbinger of spring

A field of geese? Look again

A North Fork snow day

A New Suffolk Ave. sunset drive

Icicles form at Iron Pier Beach

Birds of many feathers in Riverhead

Blanket-wrapped horses

Katahdin sheep in Jamesport

Late fall harvest at Andrews Family Farm

Feisty Acres quail farm

Fall art in the fields

North Fork fall foliage

Healing with Horses

Harvest is coming

CSA pickup day at Biophilia

A postcard from Love Lane

Bring on summer

A stroll down Oregon Road

‘Zenful’ flowers in Baiting Hollow

Hello from this North Fork mama and her babies

North Fork asparagus is here

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