New Photo-Essay: Wild Baby Quaker Parrots at Green-Wood Cemetery 2008

A wild baby Quaker Parrot at Green-Wood Cemetery, August 3, 2008

Each July and August, wild parrot watchers in the Northeast U.S.A. delight in the emergence of the latest and greatest crop of wild baby Quaker Parrots. At Brooklyn's Green-Wood Cemetery, these youngsters are easily seen in the grove of trees leading up to the main gate. The babies are inseparable from their parents, upon whom they depend for sustenance delivered through allofeeding (beak-to-beak feeding).

This past Sunday, I photographed some of these newcomers. They are just as cute as those seen in prior years.


How do you spot a baby Quaker Parrot in the wild? Well, the shape of their beak is different, they're just a bit "fresher looking," and their characteristic begging behavior gives them away. Here's one in a tree awaiting Mom's return.


Here, you can compare Mom (on the right) with her hungry youngster. Note the differing beak shapes. Baby Quaker parrots sound very different as well; their calling is far less assertive than their elders.


This busy Mom (center) is allofeeding two hungry babies today!


Another shot of Mom with kids.


Baby Quakers closely shadow their parents. Here, three adult Quakers are digging a hole in a road; the purpose of this project appears to be to consume the soil beneath, which is thought to act as a digestive aid. The baby is second from left. This baby will maintain very close contact with his parents for at least a year and possibly longer.

Next Brooklyn Wild Parrot Safari: Saturday, September 13, 2008

Photo: Wild Quaker Parrots in Flight Over Midwood, Brooklyn
How did they get here? It's a long story!

Attention all Urban Parrot fans: the next Wild Brooklyn Parrot Safari will happen on Saturday, September 13, 2008, at 12 Noon. All interested wild parrot fans should meet at Brooklyn College's Hillel Gate, which is at the intersection of Hillel Place and Campus Road. Our tour runs in two sections. You can attend either section, or both, depending on how many wild parrots you'd like to see!

Please e-mail me if you want to attend, so I know how many folks are coming. Note: the rain date for this trip is Sunday, September 14, same monk time, same monk location.

Wild Parrot Safari -- First Section (Brooklyn College): 12:00 Noon to 1:45PM
At noon, we'll inspect the Brooklyn Parrots' "Ellis Island." Their large nests around the soccer field represents the first major colony in Brooklyn. The site is easy to get to via public transportation. Just take the Number 2 train (Seventh Avenue IRT) to the end of the line, walk one block Southwest on Hillel Street past the new Starbucks, and look for the main Brooklyn College date. The tour begins at the entrance at Noon sharp. Allow some extra time, given that the MTA is doing lots of construction/train re-routing on weekends. Driving instructions are available at Brooklyn College's main Web site. Parking is fairly easy to come by in the neighborhood. If you're late, just call me: I'll give you directions so that you can meet up with us if the tour is already in progress.

Wild Parrot Safari -- Second Section (Green-Wood Cemetery): 2:30PM-5PM.
Due to popular demand, our monthly tour will run an optional "second section." After getting our share of the raucous antics of the Brooklyn College Parrots, at approximately 1:45 PM, our group will walk to the Q Train (BMT) station at Avenue H and journey to Green-Wood Cemetery, where we will observe the late-afternoon antics of the parrots residing there. If you just want to see the Green-Wood parrots, show up at 2:30 PM and we'll be there. To get to Green-Wood, take the R Train to 25th Street and walk one block East to 25th and 5th Avenue.

What to Bring/What to Wear
Please bring a photo ID (this is required by Brooklyn College Security). Bring binoculars and a camera if you'd like to immortalize your wild parrot-watching experience. The weather will be warm if not hot, and we'll be exposed to the wind and possibly strong sun, so bring a hat/sunscreen if you have sensitive skin. I ordinarily do not cancel the tour unless the forecast is for sustained rain in which birds will not fly.

Please feel free to wear anything except bright orange (Monk Parrots freak out when you show them something orange: in fact orange tags are one of the best ways to convince Monk Parrots to build away from electrical infrastructure). Wear green, blue, white, but orange will drive away the birds.

This Tour is Free, But the Parrots Are Hungry!
The Wild Parrot Safari is free - if you wish to help your hungry urban feathered friends, bring some bird seed: trust me, the parrots won't soon forget the gesture. Wild monk parrots also appreciate "real parrot food," especially unshelled peanuts, sliced apples, and raw sunflower seeds. Finch food or millet are always welcomed by our hungry urban "peeps."

See you in wild, exotic Brooklyn!

Steve Baldwin, Webmaster, BrooklynParrots.com
steve@brooklynparrots.com
646-361-2879 (phone)

Wild Parrots in Whitestone, Queens, NY

Created with Admarket's flickrSLiDR.
Wild Quaker Parrots have been living in Whitestone, Queens, for some years now, and the first reliable documentation of their presence there is from 1996. The parrots started out building tree nests in Frances Lewis Park below the eastern side of the Whitestone bridge, but a storm came in 2000 and dispersed them through the neighborhood. Since then they've holed up in power pole nests.

Nobody really knows how these parrots got to Whitestone. There is a large colony across the bay at Throggs Neck, and one in Pelham Bay. Perhaps the parrots in Whitestone are descendants of an early exploratory colony that made its way from JFK Airport in the 1960s. Some even speculate that the colony in Whitestone flew there from Rikers Island in the early 1970s to escape federal eradication efforts.

The fact that there are wild parrots -- even rare wild mitred conures -- roaming the skies of Queens should be a sign of Green Pride. While they may pose a headache for Con Edison and Verizon, they are a source of pride and amusement in the local neighborhood and serve as proof that Whitestone's ecology is sound. Several residents have expressed interest in installing monk bunker alternative nest platforms to house them.

Wild Parrot News From Beyond Brooklyn: Rare Parrot Hatched at Houston Zoo

One of these days, I'm going to have to visit Texas, not just because it's both the home of Railean Rum (the only booze branded with a Monk Parakeet) and is also the home of many wild Monks, but because the Houston Zoo recently hatched one of the most endangered parrots around: the St. Vincent Amazon. Only 800 St. Vincent Amazons are known to exist in the wild, which makes the hatching of Vincent this past May a welcome event. You can read more about Vincent on the site of the Houston Chronicle newspaper.

Wild Parrot News From Beyond Brooklyn: 100,000 Parrots Gather at Indian Temple

A temple in Indore, India, becomes home to hundreds of thousands of Indian Ringneck parrots each year. The parrots gather to eat grain left by worshipers. Check out this awesome BBC video depicting this mass gathering of green parrots. We've got plenty of parrots in Brooklyn but not this many!

Non-Parrot News: The Destruction of Washington Square Park

Community activist Sharon Woolums performs "When They Tore Down Washington Square Park"

I spend so much time in Brooklyn tracking wild parrots that I rarely set foot in Manhattan, the borough where I was born and spent most of my life. So I was shocked when I visited Washington Square Park recently and saw the rampant destruction visited upon it by bulldozers and tree cutters. More than 28 old-growth trees have already been felled, graves have been dug up, the storied fountain has been destroyed (and will be rebuilt with a 45-foot water spray device that will be loud enough to drown out musicians), and the path of destruction has only just begun. Soon a tall fence will be constructed around the park, further restricting access to rare green space in downtown Manhattan.

How did this happen? Why did what once a vital activist community roll over and let powerful interests "privatize" what was once the cultural heart of Greenwich Village? Here lies a story of intrigue and backroom political deals, and I learned enough about it to produce a song and video starring community activist Sharon Woolums, who fought in vain for three years to save Washington Square Park.

So please enjoy When They Tore Down Washington Square Park, recorded at The Monk Bunker, Brooklyn, NY.

Quaker Parrots Featured in New NYC Recycling Spot

A friend on the Quaker Parrot Mailing List pointed out that one of New York's new Green NYC Public Service Announcements appears to feature an animated Quaker Parrot. Of course, real Quaker Parrots don't say "Tweet, Tweet;" they say "Ack Ack." But I'm glad to see one of Brooklyn's own wild Quakers promoting a "Green New York," because more trees mean more places for our remarkable green parrots to perch upon!

Green NYC - 30 second PSA #1

Wild Parrot News From Beyond Brooklyn: Californians Rally to Declare Parrot As New State Bird

The proprietors of ParrotNotQuail.com have organized an online petition which they hope will result in a parrot replacing the quail as the California State Bird. According to the site, more than 200,000 people have signed it.

California is home to a sizable population of wild parrots (whose most storied members are found in San Francisco), and while it's gratifying to see the Golden State's indigenous parrots getting some high-visibility cyber-recognition, California has a bad record in terms of being friendly to our beloved Quaker Parrots, being one of only two U.S. States in which ownership of a pet Quaker is a crime. My hope is that this new movement will underscore the degree to which wild parrot flocks are largely a "value-added species" to North American skies.

Brooklyn Parrots on PetLifeRadio.com

PetLifeRadio.com, a recently-launched pet podcasting site, just uploaded an audio interview between myself and Diane West, editor of NewYorkTails.com. You can listen to this interview or download it to your ipod by clicking here.

Bay Ridge Parrots Face Uncertain Future

Two wild Quaker Parrots at Bay Ridge's Dust Bowl.

The wild parrots which have long lived around one of Brooklyn's last sandlot baseball fields, an area dubbed "The Dust Bowl," will soon face down a $3.2 million renovation of the field that will significantly alter their ecosystem. As reported in the Brooklyn Courier Life newspaper, the project, whose funding was secured by City Councilman Vincent Gentile, involves construction of a "secure synthetic multi-use field consisting of new dugouts, new accessible entrances, six new handicap-accessible drinking fountains and new synthetic turf" and is scheduled to begin this Fall. After completion, the Dust Bowl area will be off-limits to the public, and only be open to authorized sports teams supplied with keys.

While advocates for the project have claimed that steps will be taken to protect the wild parrots during construction, it is highly troubling that synthetic turf will now replace what has been a natural environment of sand and turf, upon which wild birds, including the parrots, regularly forage upon. Synthetic turf is made from recycled rubber tires, and physicians have already raised concerns that it becomes toxic under certain conditions. It cannot be known what long-term effects this will have on the local fauna, or, for that matter, the human population. Losing open access to the Dust Bowl, one of Brooklyn's last genuine "sand lot" fields, is also a concern. Why must humanity always insist on replacing something natural and wild with something artificial and sterile?

Breaking News: Connecticut Wild Parrots Face New and Deadly Threat

A wild Quaker Parrot in Connecticut takes up a defensive position in preparation for further human assaults on his colony.

Two and a half years after activists successfully halted United Illuminating's deadly campaign against the wild parrots of Connecticut, a Connecticut Superior Court judge has allowed UI to resume its parrot-killing policy. While there is no immediate indication that United Illuminating will resort to such deadly measures in the next few weeks, it now has a legal free hand and it appears that nothing short of an act of the Connecticut legislature can spare the parrots from further harm.

This legal defeat is a serious blow to Wild Parrot Conservationists and other groups concerned with the welfare of wild animals. From what I have learned, it appears that the legal strategy pursued by Friends of Animals was deeply flawed. The groups has stated that it intends to appeal the decision but the damage is deep, and the parrots will find themselves in serious danger in the weeks and months ahead.

Memorial Day 2008, Green-Wood Cemetery, Brooklyn

Wild Quaker Parrot rises above markers for American Civil War Dead, Green-Wood Cemetery, Brooklyn, May 25, 2008, by Steve Baldwin

Photos: Bay Ridge 2008 Norwegian Independence Parade

This Sunday, May 18th, was a rainy day, which made it a poor day for photographing Brooklyn's Wild Quaker Parrots. But I ran smack into Bay Ridge's annual Norwegian Independence Day Parade, so I shot some pictures of some colorfully-clad humans marching joyfully through the wet streets. Enjoy!

-steve baldwin

If you can't see the embedded slideshow, you can browse the pix on the Flickr Set I created for this event by clicking here.


Created with Admarket's flickrSLiDR.

Brooklyn "Wild Quaker Parrots" Appear on CSI NY

I don't own a television set, but I received numerous reports this week that a key plot point in the plot of Season 4, Episode 19, of the popular TV show CSI NY centers around the wild Quaker Parrots that live in Brooklyn.

The parrots (or rather several particles of parrot guano) figure into the citywide hunt for the "Cabbie Killer" when this guano is found on a tarp left behind by the killer. The scene concerning the parrots occurs about 18 minutes in; the exposition (on the grounds of the mythical "Kings County College") goes as follows:

• Detective 1: "Analysis of the white trace I pulled off our latest tarp came back as avian waste."


• Detective 2: "There are about a million pigeons in this town."


• Detective 1: "But how many wild South American Quaker Parrots do you think there are? (pointing up at tree upon which numerous squawking parrots are perched). Back in the late sixties there was some crook working the tarmac at JFK unloading cargo planes and he liked to keep some cargo for himself. Only he got more than he bargained for when he opened one from Argentina. It turns out that it was packed full of parrots. Once they flew the coop they took up roost here, multiplying in numbers and noise ever since. So maybe our cabbie killer got his tarps from someplace in this vicinity."

Unfortunately, while CSI's exposition is more or less on target, the parrots shown aren't real wild Quaker Parrots, but seem to be Conures and/or Caiques. Apparently, much of CSI NY is actually shot in California (where Quakers are illegal), hence the odd substitution.

I'm gratified that the Brooklyn Parrots are now solving crimes for the NYPD, but am more than a bit miffed at CBS, because the last thing I want is for people to start racing to Brooklyn looking for flocks of wild Caiques and Conures (there are none here). I don't mean to squawk, but there are enough wild myths about the wild parrots in Brooklyn floating around -- the last thing we need is more misinformation served up to the credulous multitudes!

Is PSE&G The Most Parrot-Friendly Utility Company in the U.S.A.?

Like other utility companies serving customers in regions of the U.S.A. where wild parrots now fly free, New Jersey's Public Service Electric & Gas must occasionally remove nests built by the parrots on electrical infrastructure. But PSE&G has demonstrated extraordinary sensitivity towards both the parrots and the folks who like them, as was demonstrated in a recent e-mail exchange between Alison Evans-Fragale, of EdgewaterParrots.com, and representatives in its Overhead Construction Palisades Division.

This exchange concerned the fact that the nest teardowns scheduled to occur in March and early April (an ideal time when it is both warm enough for de-nested parrots to survive but before their annual breeding cycle begins) could not be performed. Instead of simply doing the nest teardowns later in the Spring (when there would be major damage to eggs in such nests), PSE&G agreed to wait until some time after the babies have fledged (which usually occurs by late summer).

If you're a regular reader of this site, you know that I have written some harsh words about other utility companies whose wild parrot control policies have been heavy-handed and harsh. But PS&G has proven it has a heart by listening to the wildlife community, moving toward best practices, and forging a path that I am confident will lead to a situation of improved coexistence between parrot and man. In a world where money too often wins out over kindness, PSE&G deserves praise by all who value our free-range urban parrots.

Photo-Essay: Wild Parrots Feast and Fight in Brooklyn

Springtime in Brooklyn means lots of tasty leaf buds begin to blossom, attracting flocks of wild Quaker Parrots. At beautiful Green-Wood Cemetery, one of the best places to check out some serious feral parrot action is in some of its soaring chestnut trees. (Click on any photo for an enlarged view; also please check out my other Photo-Essays on the wild parrots).


This Horse Chestnut Tree (Aesculus Hippocastanum), native to Greece and Albania, stands just a few yards from where the wild Quaker Parrots (native to Argentina, Bolivia, Ecuador, and Brazil) have built their huge nest complex.


These wild Quaker Parrots are just getting ready to devour one of their favorite treats: wild Horse Chestnut blossoms.


Do horse chestnut blossoms have some mysterious aphrodisiac quality useful to the Quaker Parrots' pre-mating season rituals? Or are they just delightfully delicious?


Either way, these hungry parrots don't waste any time digging in.


Elsewhere in the Cemetery, there's a lot of arguing going on, and it's par for the course whenever you find wild Quakers undergoing their annual pre-mating season madness.


"Ouch - hey buddy, I wasn't looking at your gal the wrong way, was I?"


The parrots' rambunctious behavior occasionally interrupts their feeding.


But most birds simply enjoy the feast, and leave the noisy physical contact to the teenagers.

What's So Bad About Being Bio-Biased?

The New York Times' Natalie Angier writes amusingly of humans' penchant for favoring animal species anthropocentricly reflective of their own moral values. I suppose I'm guilty of such behavior myself, given how much I write about the peaceful, family-oriented qualities of the free-range Quaker Parrots of Brooklyn. Furthermore, I really do believe that the irrational affinity that many Manhattanites display for hawks and falcons is due to an unconscious self-identification with such stylish predators.

Language plays a big part in the good animal/bad animal dichotomy, which is why my own pupils narrow and adrenaline levels rise whenever somebody unfairly vilifies our newly native Monk Parrots an "invasive species." At this point I must remind them that our beloved monks have been "introduced" to urban environments, just like those fancy peregrine falcons they're so attached to.

Ballad of the Brooklyn Parrots: The (Definitive) Full-Motion Version!

The song "The Ballad of the Brooklyn Parrots" has evolved significantly from its humble roots as a free MP3 file. First folks asked for a Youtube version, so still photographs were added to the track. Then folks began asking for actual MTV-style moving images to accompany the song: the resulting video is embedded below: enjoy! -- and remember, "they're mighty loud and they're mighty raucous; the scientists call them Myiopsitta Monachus!" - Steve Baldwin



Lyrics: The Ballad of the Brooklyn Parrots (Guitar: D /E chord alternation throughout)
I've got some news for you baby, and it might not be so good
There's an avian invader in the neighborhood
Yeah, they're little green parrots from the Argentine
They make their nests so high in the power line

It happened back in 1968, a bunch of parrots broke loose from a shipping crate
Now they're all over the borough, you can see them in the air
The little green birds that just don't care -- about you
Or your girlfriend on a respirator -- yeah, they're avian invaders, baby
And they're all over Brooklyn now

Yeah, they're mighty loud, and they're mighty raucous
The scientists call them Myiopsitta Monachus
And they're all over town, you can look up and they're looking down on you

Yeah, they're little green parrots from the Argentine
They make their nests so high in the power line
And they call them a pest; I wonder if their hearts are true
Living on the avenue

Refrain:
It happened back in 1968, a bunch of parrots broke loose from a shipping crate
It happened back in 1968, a bunch of parrots broke loose from a shipping crate
There's an avian invader in the neighborhood

(Copyright 2006-2008 Steve Baldwin)

Science Notes: Quaker Parrots Directly Related to Tyrannasaurus Rex!

An intriguing article published by the New York Times confirms what many observers of the wild parrots of Brooklyn have long suspected: our airborne "green dragons" are directly related to Tyrannassaurus Rex. Welcome to the 'hood, Dino!

Breaking News: Bronx Wild Parrot Colony Bounces Back!

Wild Parrots at the Throggs Neck Little League Baseball Field, The Bronx, NY

Last June, a major wild parrot rescue operation was mounted to save more than fifty baby Quaker Parrots endangered by a planned lighting replacement project in the Bronx (you can see a photo-essay or watch a Youtube video documenting this event). The rescued baby birds were safely transported to New England, where, now fledged, they constitute a "Strategic Quaker Parrot Reserve" under the care of Foster Parrot's Marc Johnson.

Barry Schwartz, of the Maspeth Bird Haven, recently returned to the Throggs Neck Little League to survey the progress made by the colony to re-establish itself. He reports that "the colony has now built nests on all seven of the light poles; some nests are now of considerable size, and the sounds of Quakers can be heard on all four sides of the block the field occupies. I only had 15 minutes to look around, but would say that the Quakers must have laid bumper clutches since last year, making up for the ones relocated to Foster Parrots."

This happy development will be very welcome news for the residents of Throggs Neck, many of whom feared that last year's light replacement project would leave them parrotless.