Would Barack Obama Be a Parrot-Friendly President?

To my knowledge, none of the current presidential candidates have taken a position on the wild Quaker Parrots inhabiting many of America's cities. Frankly, this might be a good thing, given that any debate over the parrots should be conducted in a measured manner to minimize the risk that the issue might further polarize the political landscape.

Still, it seems that of all the current candidates, Barack Obama might have the strongest emotional affinity with the Quakers, because one of his political mentors, former mayor Harold Washington, did so much to help them back in the 1980's. After numerous parties attempted to eradicate them from Chicago, Washington went to bat for them. He died too young, but the parrots he helped have thrived in Hyde Park (now, fittingly, Harold Washington Park). We lost our indigenous parrot (the Carolina Parakeet) 100 years ago: let's hope that our next president manages to conserve their kind.

Green Parrots and Irish Pride: It's the Annual Bay Ridge St. Patrick's Day Parade!

I'm part Irish and part parrot, so I always enjoy the annual St. Patrick's Day Parade which happens in Brooklyn a couple of weeks after the Manhattan parade. The parade happens tomorrow (March 30, 2008), its official site is here; the weather should be good, and here's a video I shot of the 2007 parade. Enjoy!

Green-Wood Wild Parrots on ScienceFriday.com!

Carl Flatow of ScienceFriday.com produced a nice online video about the wild parrots at Green-Wood Ceremony. I'm the "MC" and there are some excellent shots of the parrots reacting to the appearance of a local raptor. Enjoy!

NBC Nightly News Report: Parrots vs. Power Companies

NBC News investigative reporter Aram Roston recently uploaded on the current controversies involving Monk Parakeets and energy companies. It runs for a bit longer than 3 minutes and there are some very good video sequences showing Brooklyn's beloved "boids." Interestingly, Aram Roston doesn't just investigate Monk Parakeets; he's written a brand new book called The Man Who Pushed America to War: The Extraordinary Life, Adventures and Obsessions of Ahmad Chalabi - check it out!

Lucky Quaker Parrot Freed From California Shelter, Granted Asylum in Oregon

Quaker Parrots are illegal in California, and when one recently escaped, was sent to a shelter, and the authorities were notified, it seemed that certain death lay ahead (Pennsylvania and California both have "instant kill" policies for wild Quaker Parrots.

Fortunately, several kind-hearted humans intervened and managed to have this little bird flown to Oregon, a state willing to provide asylum for his kind. Here's to the good folks at SD Exotic Bird Rescue who saved this cute little fellow -- you can read more at SD Exotic Bird Rescue's site.