Wild Parrots in New Jersey: Some Recent Photos

New Jersey's Incredible Wild Parrots Take to the Air in Edgewater's "Parrot Park."

Note: If you enjoy these photos, please check out Monk Parrots Invade New Jersey Beaches, which shows these parrots frolicking by the shore!

I'm a bit down this weekend. I had planned to do a tour of Edgewater's famous parrots on Sunday but it just didn't happen. I hope to do a tour soon and will advise you of such trips on this site. As always, these these trips will be free to the public. In lieu of conducting an actual trip, I've uploaded some previously unpublished photos I took of these charming parrots in the past few months. These pictures can't possibly substitute for seeing them in person, but they should give you a taste of the wild parrot wonders you'll see in Edgewater. (click on any photo to see an enlarged view).


There are many good spots to view the wild parrots of Edgewater; one of the lesser known locations is in the little park next to its City Hall building. There's a public pool there, and even during months when the pool is not in operation, the parrots often gather to take baths in water that pools in the tarp placed over the pool. Here, a family of three prepares to do some bathing.


As mentioned, this is a public pool. Parrots, sparrows, pigeons, and starlings are welcome.


A sparrow splashes merrily as two puffed-up parrots take a dip.


Edgewater's "Big W" tree is one of the city's prized parrot-watching spots. Here, two parrots recreate (somewhat noisily) on a Saturday afternoon.


There's always a lot of raucous activity at the "Big W" tree. Here, two parrots struggle over a particularly choice twig. The struggle seems a bit peculiar, given that twigs aren't exactly scarce in Edgewater. Is this a serious struggle or just a fun game of tug-of-war?


One parrot triumphantly seizes the twig; the other seems to say "just wait until next time, buster!"

Three other parrots sitting on lower branches seem to be laughing at the way the twig-pulling match turned out.

This photo isn't too interesting, until you magnify it. This little parrot is wearing a leg band, which means he or she was born in captivity. But Monk Parrots are illegal to sell in New Jersey! So where did this bird come from? Well, probably from New York, where Monk Parrots are legal to sell(but only if they wear leg bands.) This parrot, who either escaped from or was abandoned by his human owners, clearly heard the "call of the wild" and flew across the Hudson River to rejoin his wild cousins. This little champ, a truly "feral" parrot who's reverted to his or her natural instincts, seems to fit right in with the "wild ones" of New Jersey.Six New Jersey wild parrots demonstrate their amazing ability to fly in close, ground-hugging formation. They remind me of the amazing acrobatic jets in the U.S. Navy's Blue Angels Demonstration Squadron.