You probably wouldn't expect that a subway platform in the middle of Brooklyn would be a wild parrot hot spot, but this borough is filled with small miracles, as long as you have your iPod unplugged and your eyes peeled. (Click on any photo for an enlarged view; all photos by Steve Baldwin).
Why do wild parrots seek out this subway stop? The key is the overhanging apple trees. If you look closely at this photo, you can see ripe red apples dislodged by the parrots scattered on the roof of the platform.
Here's a hungry pair of wild Quakers digging into what look like the tastiest wild red apples in the borough.
This little guy looks like he's already eaten through half of this red apple, which probably weighs as much as he does.
Here's his mate, looking curiously at an N-Train passing below.
So where are these parrots from? Well, the subway station in question is just about eight blocks away from
a major wild parrot colony, which is centered around the "Dust Bowl" sandlot baseball field in Bay Ridge.
Here are a couple of apple-fed Quakers who seem to be very proud of their well-constructed, well-insulated nest.
The parrots seem to visit this subway station every morning, spending many minutes in the apple tree and squawking noisily all the while. It's funny that more people haven't commented on this oddly miraculous event. Perhaps they're too distracted by the economy to notice.
On the other hand, most people in cities never seem to look up, even when the most extraordinary events present themselves to their eyes, such as these Bay Ridge Quaker Parrots frolicking on a television antenna.
How could a Portable PlayStation ever display anything more wondrous than this?
I'm happy to say Judy Irving's wonderful film, The Wild Parrots of Telegraph Hill, is being re-released on a special 2-disk Collector's Edition. This new release is chocked full of more than 100 minutes of extra features, and makes for an ideal Holiday gift.
