Death of a Wild Parrot

One thing I usuallly don't talk about is the fact that I occasionally find dead wild parrots on my frequent journeys through their habitats in the Northeast.

I usually try to avoid this subject: if I see a dead parrot on one of my tours, and there are kids in tow (as there frequently are), I usually mutter that "death is a part of life" and try to move on as quickly as I can to where I want the focus to be: on the big wide fields where there's lots of life, light, and green-winged flight.

I don't like Death, but that doesn't stop it from happening. On Sunday, I went out to Edgewater, New Jersey, because I wanted to see the big flock of New Jersey parrots that never fails to cheer me up.

Of course, Death had other plans, because I was only there a few hours before Death showed up and forced me to make a choice. Death came in the form of a lovely little wild parrot who came down with the big flock into Parrot Park. I noticed that one of his little feet was stiff: I'd seen this before in Edgewater, which does not lack for environmental hazards (there's at least one large EPA Superfund in Edgewater and environmental problems are well-documented in its neighboring towns).

Whenever you see a wild parrot flopping around with a stiff foot, it's a surefire sign of lead poisoning. Lead is an invisible killer, and there seems to be enough lead in the environment in Edgewater to kill plenty of birds (this is the third wild parrot I've run across in Edgewater with obvious signs of lead poisoning).

I could have just walked away and that would have been it. Another dead parrot had been seen earlier in Parrot Park and it was plain that something bad was happening in Edgewater. But I decided to do what I could, so I easily captured this little guy and Mike Trachtenberg, of Edgewater's 07020.com, who happened along earlier, produced a small shoe box in which we placed him. It's illegal to bring any wild parrot to a vet in New Jersey so I persuaded Mike to drive me to the ferry at Point Imperial to take him across the Hudson River to Brooklyn.

I didn't have the financial resources to bring my ailing friend to The Animal Medical Center, in Manhattan, which charges $1,000 before its staff will even see a sick animal. Instead, I wanted to bring him home to Brooklyn, and do what I could to make his last hours more pleasant than they would have been in New Jersey, where he would have probably been nailed by a hawk before sunset.

We floated across the river together on the ferry, traversed 42nd Street, and then descended to the BMT N train. I checked him every five minutes and he looked OK. We heard music from the Andes that musicians played at the Times Square station and then I started to cry, because I knew that he was likely hearing this kind of music -- the sweet flute music of his homeland -- for the first and last time.

We crossed the Manhattan Bridge above the sparkling waters of the harbor. My sick friend made a few hopeful Quaker sounds as we passed under Brooklyn, home of his grandparents, site of his species' initial appearance in North America. We made it back to Bay Ridge and I finally unboxed him. He wanted to climb up the walls but I dissuaded him from this idea: he was just too weak. I made a place for him on the carpet using a cardboard box with a towel inside. I put out food and Gatorade in the top of the shoe box. He really wanted to sleep, but I stroked his head, hoping that he'd somehow perk up. He did rouse, once or twice, but his eyes wanted to close, and I didn't push it.

Lots of people happened to call me during these hours, and I mentioned that I had on my hands a very sick bird. My mother reported that my sister, who suffered a second nervous breakdown last week, might be doing better. I heard from my ex-wife, who is unable to convince my daughter, who is suffering a mysterious chronic cough, to see a doctor. I called my daughter, and made her promise to me that she would go to a clinic, even though she has no insurance coverage. I promised to pay for whatever it would take to get her well, even though I have no money myself to pay for this. Finally, I went to bed, but not before checking on my sick wild parrot.

He was still alive, sitting on the carpet in the little nook I had built for him, head turned around and buried in his wings, as if in sleep. I stroked his head and his eyes opened. I told him "It's OK if you die, but I hope that you live, because I need a friend. As long as you need me, I'll heal you, and if you get better, I'll bring you back to Edgewater, and you'll be free again."

I went to sleep early, around nine, and turned out the lights. Around 10:30, I woke up, and looked for him. He had crawled from his nook over to my sleeping bag, as if he wanted to say goodbye, but I could tell that he was gone. His little body was still warm but it was clear that Death had won. I placed him back in the little nook that I had built for him and stroked his head.

There was nothing more that I could do. I could curse the town of Edgewater, which doesn't seem to care that lead and other poisons are leaching through its every mortgaged pore. I could curse the whole damned system, which makes it illegal to help a wild parrot in New Jersey, or the chemical companies, which just don't care that they're poisoning the planet, or the real estate barons building New Jersey's "Gold Coast" on deadly, poisoned land. But the only thing I did was stroke my friend's head one last time, saying five times over, "I'm sorry," before collapsing in tears.

Tomorrow, this long night will end, the sun will rise, and the parrots will flock again. I will bear myself off in a series of antiseptic steel tubes to my job on Long Island, and I'll probably not think of what happened today much. But here, right now, in the middle of the night, it's all I can think of. If my wild little green friend had lived, my life would have been a little brighter, and I would have seen this miracle as a sign from God that all would be redeemed.

But things don't work out this way, at least, most of the time. The poisons that we place in our world will last for centuries. The species that we are extincting won't come back. Humans will eventually wake up to the fact that lead, and uncountable other poisons in the air and water, are slowly and silently killing us. This will only occur once people begin to topple and fall, palsied, like my little green friend, unable to even raise themselves to eat.

My little green departed friend was one of those "canaries in the coal mine" and I really hoped he would make it. His death will only be marked here. Nobody, including the media, and especially the politicians, whose livelihoods are supported by the commercial poisoners, will make a peep about it. He will have died in vain, as so many of us do.

Maybe that's what I'm really crying about.

Video Clip: Wild Parrot Pizza Party!

This past Saturday, BrooklynParrots.com and EdgewaterParrots.com conducted a joint inspection tour of the impressive wild Quaker Parrot colony in Edgewater, New Jersey. Lots of great folks turned out, and I made a short video with highlights of this latest "wild parrot Safari." Like any good safari, it finished up with pizza (which the parrots love). We even had a special guest - a beautiful green Amazon parrot - who attended lunch with the gathered wild parrot enthusiasts.

New York 1 was on hand, and has posted a good article on its Website about the trip, and about the current effort to remove the Quaker Parrot from New Jersey's list of "potentially dangerous" species.

Like all of the video clips posted here, this video will be incorporated into our ongoing video documentary on wild Quaker Parrots in the U.S.A.

Field Notes: Wild New Jersey Parrots Crave Pizza

Two wild parrots in New Jersey inspect pizza distributed in their environment.

Wild Quaker Parrot watchers have long known that the parrots that live in Brooklyn have a passion for pizza. Would the same unusual craving affect the parrots living in New Jersey? To answer this question, pizza was distributed in Edgewater's Parrot Park by researchers from both the Brooklyn Parrot Society and EdgewaterParrots.com.

(Click on any photo for an enlarged view).


After the pizza was discovered, we noticed the same peculiar expression of bliss on the Jersey Parrots' faces that had been previously been observed in Brooklyn.


The presence of pizza attracts a local starling, who is clearly interested in the distributed treat.


A tug of war ensues between the starling and the parrot.


The starling is clearly not pleased that this monk parrot's grip on the slice was stronger than his. Fortunately, there is plenty of pizza to go around for both birds.


The pizza clearly had an energizing effect on the parrots.


On this December day, the extra nutrition provided by pizza clearly made these parrots' construction chores easier. Here, a strong monk installs a heavy piece of lumber in a pole nest undergoing renovations.


Coordinated construction operations conducted by the parrots can be witnessed throughout the day in Edgewater.


Watching these parrots wolf down the pizza made us hungry, so we went off and got some for ourselves.

Photo Essay: The Big Flock

Wild parrots, wheeling in the sky, catch the sun in Edgewater, New Jersey, December 3rd, 2006. (Click on any photo for an enlarged view)

As you probably know, I'm partial to the wild parrots that live in Brooklyn, because they are the direct descendants of the original psitticine escapees that audaciously claimed freedom by busting out of Kennedy Airport in the 1960's. But I'm also a big fan of the wild parrots which live in New Jersey, and I'm consistently amazed whenever I'm out there, because New Jersey hosts what is most likely the biggest flock of wild parrots in the whole Northeast.

How big? Well, I counted at least 75 parrots flocking, and I'm sure there were more in the general vicinity. I mean, at times these parrots filled the whole sky (and you should have heard the shrieks: it sounded like a world ending (or beginning)!


New Jersey's wild parrots like to hang out "on the waterfront." In this photo, at least 70 parrots forage just yards from the mighty Hudson River.



Sometimes, you'll find so many parrots settling in a small tree that the tree seems to bend over.


Unlike their Brooklyn cousins, New Jersey's wild parrots like to build nests in trees. At least seven nests are visible here, in Edgewater's "Parrot Park."


"The Big Flock," is always in a constant state of commotion. Hawks nesting in the Palisades like to prey on the parrots, making quick reflexes and good communication essential for survival.


When the Big Flock takes off, you're likely to forget that you're in the Garden State, and fantasize that you're standing in an exotic parrot-laden rainforest in South America.


The Big Flock flies high, fast, and with breathtaking precision. They have to maintain a high degree of group cohesion in order to drive off the birds of prey which go after them.


Graceful in flight, statuesque, and speedy, the wild Quaker Parrots of New Jersey are certainly one of the weirdest, most wonderful wildlife spectacles you'll ever experience in the Garden State.

If you're interested in learning more about New Jersey's magnificent wild parrots, I have more info and photos on them in the following articles:

Monk Parrots Invading New Jersey Beaches(June 2006)
Wild Parrots in New Jersey: Some Recent Photos (June 2006)
Wild Parrots on the Hudson (April 2005)

To learn more about events in Edgewater, check out EdgewaterParrots.com, run by Alison Evans-Fragale, and 07020.com, run by Mike Trachtenberg.

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.

Monk Parrots Invading New Jersey Beaches!

New Jerseyans have been "going to the shore" on weekends since the dawn of time, so it's only natural that on a beautiful day in June, New Jersey's wild monk parrots would do the same.

Last weekend, I found myself in the quiet hamlet of Edgewater, New Jersey, a place I visit on alternative weekends to broaden my parrot-watching horizons beyond Brooklyn. My first destination upon arriving by bus was Veterans' Field, a place known to be a site frequented by foraging monk parrots. After searching in vain for such parrots on the lawn areas, I settled onto a bench by the Hudson River to ponder my next move.

Suddenly, I heard remarkably parrot-like sounds emanating from the rocky beach just a few feet from my bench. I crept closer, camera armed and ready, in High-Speed Shutter mode. As the beachscape expanded in my vision, I could clearly see, among the slippery, mossy rocks, a small group of monk parrots walking on the beach, making tiny zygodactyl footprints. I began snapping pictures in quick succession, realizing that I was on the cusp of yet another significant discovery conerning the living habits of monk parrots in the New York area: just like the metropolis' human residents, in Summertime they are active beach-goers!

It didn't take me long to see why these parrots had come to this rocky beach: for food, in the form of algea which coated the rocks, and in the seaweed which had washed up on the shore, which were both consumed continuously throughout the morning hours. The parrots seemed to find both substances delicious.

Among aviculturists, the benefits of seaweed as a nutritional supplement are well-known. Rich in minerals, seaweed is both high-protein and low fat, and contains substances which can flush toxins from the body. The benefits of algae are less well known, although at least one species of parrot, the tiny Pygmy Parrot, is an algea-eater. Less is known of the monk parrot's delight for algea, although it has been reported in UK that the parrots have been seen congregating on roof gutters containing such algea.

For those seeking to experience the surreal vision of wild parrots walking on a New Jersey beach with the spectacular island of Manhattan in the background, look no further than Edgewater's Veterans Field. Here are some photos (click on a them to see an enlarged view).


For a wild New Jersey parrot, this rocky beach on the edge of Edgewater's Veterans field offers more fun than the boardwalk in Atlantic City. (If you really look carefully, you can see three small green shapes on the rocks -- they're not mossy stones, they're monk parrots!)


What delights can a monk parrot hope to find on a New Jersey beach? Well, reasonably fresh water, delicious algae and sea vegatables, and the chance to catch some rays!



Incoming parrots usually settle on a willow tree before beginning their beach-walking. Here are two which have just arrived at "Parrot Beach."


Let's see, what's on the menu today? Sea vegatables or algea? Well, both!



Seaweed is a tasty, nutritious treat for the wild monks of New Jersey, and it also has properties which can flush toxins from the body, a pretty important thing for the wild NJ parrots, who must breathe in their share of car and truck-produced pollutants on busy River Road.


The parrots are often joined on the beach by resident Canada Geese, who tower over them but are completely peaceful toward them.



This young gosling is experiencing her first Summer on the New Jersey shore, and seems to be enjoying herself.



Sometimes the beach can turn into a mob scene that seems as crowded as Whole Foods on a Saturday afternoon, as algae-eating parrots converge to take advantage of the free buffet.


Among wild parrot watching spots in the Northeast, Edgewater's "Parrot Beach" is one of the most picturesque. I shall certainly return this summer whenever I have time.

Wild Parrots in New Jersey Need Your Help!

The wild parrots of New Jersey live in a gregarious flock that has delighted many residents if the town of Edgewater, a borough just across the Hudson River from Manhattan's Upper West Side. But unlike their cousins in Brooklyn, the "Joisey Boids" live under a cloud created when the State of New Jersey labelled them a "Potentially Dangerous Species" back in the 1970's.

One of the Brooklyn Parrot Society's boardmembers, Alison Evans-Fragale, has fought tirelessly alongside Edgewater's civic leaders to reform the laws in NJ to take account of the fact that these wild parrots pose no danger to human health or other animal wildlife, and after much work, she got the NJ Legislature to introduce a bill, A1237, which provides the removal of the monk parrot from the "Potentially Dangerous Species" list. On Monday, May 22nd, in a bi-partisan triumph, Bill A1237 was unanimously passed by the full Assembly.

Within the next few days, Bill A1237 will go before the Senate Environmental Committee as Bill S1768 (see: http://www.njleg.state.nj.us/2006/Bills/S2000/1768_I1.HTM

Passage of this bill is not ensured (there are those who, for reasons of their own, find it convenient to label this gentle parrot "dangerous"). So please, if you'd like to do something nice for the wild parrots of New Jersey, please communicate your support for this bill to the following New Jersey Senators, all of whom are members of the Environmental Commitee:

Senator Bob Smith, Chair
SenBSmith@njleg.org
216 Stelton Road, Suite E-5, Piscataway, NJ 08854
732-752-0770

Senator Stephen M. Sweeney, Vice-Chair
SenSweeney@njleg.org
Kingsway Commons
935 Kings Highway, Suite 400, Thorofare, NJ 08086
856-251-9801

Senator Henry P McNamara
SenMcNamara@njleg.org
P.O. Box 68, Wycoff, NJ 07481-0068
201-848-9600

Senator John H. Adler
SenAdler@njleg.org
231 Route 70 East, Cherry Hill, NJ 08034-2421
856-428-3343

Senator Andrew R. Ciesla
SenCiesla@njleg.org
852 Highway 70, Brick, NJ 08724
732-840-9028

Jersey Parrots Win Small Victory in Trenton

I was in Trenton last Thursday with a group of fellow pro-monk parrot citizens, testifying on behalf of the Jersey Monks before the State Assembly Agriculture and Natural Resources Committee. It was an enlightening experience and I am glad to say that NJ Bill A1237, which removes the monk parakeet from the list of "potentially dangerous" species, was released from the committee after receiving a unanimous bi-partisan vote. Today, the Bergen Record published a good article summarizing Thursday's events.

New Jersey Wild Parrots Need Your Help!

The feathered cousins of the Brooklyn parrots who live across the river could use your help this week. A bill has been introduced to decriminalize them in NJ, whose antiquated laws claim that they are a "dangerous pest." Please write a letter supporting NJ Bill # A1237.

Urban Parrot News from All Over

It's been a busy week at BrooklynParrots.com. On Satuday, we ran our biggest tour ever, and the antics of the Brooklyn Parrots, as well as the Brooklyn-based birdwatchers who've scientifically studied them, were recorded by Animal Planet for a forthcoming show.

Earlier in the week, our brother-in-feathers Mark Bittner, who's completely devoted to the feral parrots of San Francisco, turned up in the news. Apparently, several of the trees used by his beloved birds have been cut down, and Mark had to interpose himself between a surviving tree and a chainsaw! Go, Mark!

Over in Edgewater, NJ, Alison-Evans Fragale continues to rally support for her effort to decriminalize ownership of Monk Parakeets in the Garden State. If you'd like to help Alison and the Jersey Monks, please sign her petition!

We also learned this week about a fascinating project documenting the story of two free-flying macaws that have lived in the Netherlands for more than 25 years. Check out AraProject.nl: it's an image-rich, frequently updated site.

Finally, we've scheduled the next wild parrot trip of Brooklyn: it will happen, rain, shine or snow, on Saturday, December 3, 2005.

Regards,
Steve Baldwin
Webmaster, BrooklynParrots.com
646 361 2879

Photo-Essay: The Parrots of October

The weather, finally, has turned cold in Brooklyn, and the borough's wild parrots are adjusting their behavior accordingly. In this brief photo-essay, we take a look at what life is like for a wild green parrot in a world quickly turning grey and more inhospitable with every passing day. These photos were taken in mid-October, 2005 (click on any image to see an enlargement).


A green leaf might not seem to have much nutritive value compared to the berries that used to bloom in this Brooklyn neighborhood, but this parrot seems to be enjoying his spartan meal. How these parrots digest this stuff is anybody's guess.


Two parrots perch on a steel fence near Brooklyn College's Campus Drive. Unlike humans, wild parrots don't put their summer clothes away and don sweaters and long underwear in October. They simply puff up their feathers and keep them puffed up for months at a time. The parrot on the right looks almost pensive, as if remembering the lazy afternoons and easy pickings that have already grown scarce.


October winds often bring unwelcome surprises, in the form of parrot nests destroyed by the weather. I came across this downed nest one morning in Edgewater, New Jersey, and gingerly turned it over, expecting to find injured parrots or worse. Fortunately, the "Emergency Nest Evacuation" order seems to have been heeded in a timely manner: no hurt parrots were found.


Just about every animal in Brooklyn seems hungry in October. After tossing down some bird seed, parrots, squirrels, starlings, and sparrows quickly appeared and chomped through the meal in a matter of seconds.


Squirrels aren't the only urban fauna to love acorns: these Brooklyn Parrots know where the right trees are, and will often come to hunt for acorns when the coast is clear.


I'm not sure what these birds are eating here, but it's interesting enough to hold their attraction. Small ants, perhaps?


"RED ALERT: Jogger Approaching!" The birds sound a noisy "group alarm" and take off quickly, as a speeding human charges by in Reeboks, oblivous to their meal-gathering efforts.


October is the first month of real food scarcity that the Brooklyn Parrots have experienced in months, and tempers often flare. The birds at the bottom of this photo are arguing about something, and the dispute might well be meal-related. Of course, they could just be arguing for the sake of arguing: this is, after, all Brooklyn!

Mystery Parrot Sighted in Edgewater

Note: the above photograph is a PhotoShop alteration showing what Edgewater's "White Parrot" may look like.

Two separate sightings in the last two weeks of a pure-white parrot in Edgewater, New Jersey, have electrified wild parrot-watchers in the town. According to eyewitnesses who have spied the bird flying around town, the parrot is too small to be an escaped cockatoo, nor have any escaped cockatoos been reported in the area. Initial speculation was that the white parrot may in fact have been a pigeon mistaken for a parrot (both species co-habitate on River Road). But the man who spotted the white bird on Monday perched on a fence in Veteran's Park insists it's a parrot, not a pigeon.

No photographic evidence of the white parrot yet exists. Local birders plan to mount multiple expeditions soon to capture a picture of it. Some speculate that this bird may be a color-mutated Quaker parrot. We hope to have more information on this bird soon.

Do Wild Parrots Eat Bagels?

Two wild New Jersey parrots munch on bagel fragments in Edgewater's "Parrot Park."

People always ask me: "what do these wild parrots eat?" Well, the fact is that these adaptive animals will eat almost everything: their diet includes weeds, leaf buds, berries, birdseed and even worms, making them as close to omniverous as you can get. These birds' ecumenical tastebuds rank among the main reasons for their unexpected success in adapting to America's urban environments.

But until yesterday, I had always dismissed reports that these wild parrots actually ate bagels: bagels -- one of the great joys of living in New York -- just seemed too exotic for even an exotic parrot to stomach. "Feh!," I'd say, "That's just another urban legend!"

But lo and behold, our Wild Parrot Paparazzi caught up with a flight of New Jersey parrots who seem to have developed a liking for bagel fragments, and the photo above is proof positive that bagels are now on the diet of these adaptive avian invaders.

Only question is -- could this little guy even take off with a bagel fragment if it were loaded with a regulation-sized "shmeer" of cream cheese?

More Photos from Edgewater

Note 12/08/06: For photos of the Edgewater parrots I've taken since this article was published, please see:

The Big Flock
Wild Parrots in New Jersey: Some Recent Photos
Wild Parrots Invading New Jersey Beaches

Another excursion to Edgewater, New Jersey, in late April provided more samples of this gentle hamlet's bird life. While this town's thriving population of wild parrots provided the main attraction (at least to this observer), Edgewater's legendary "mystery goose" provided added intrigue to the trip.


A wild parrot in Edgewater's "Big W" tree takes off with a long twig in his beak.


Two wild parrots keep warm on a cool evening by puffing up.


A foraging pair in Edgewater's Veteran Park enjoy munching on blossoms blown from a nearby tree.


A flight of Canada geese fly over Edgewater's enormous American flag.


An unusual hybrid goose is often present in Edgewater's Veterans' Park. Once ostracized by his fellow geese, this orange-footed non conformist recently acquired a girl friend (seen to the right) and is now very happy.


Alison Evans-Fragale, my co-author and founder of EdgewaterParrots.com, befriended the hybrid goose many months ago, and provided considerable moral support for him during the grim time when he was being shunned by the other geese for being "different."


Cured of his melencholy, the Edgewater hybrid goose has recently become quite an athletic extrovert.


"I know you've come to photograph the wild parrots - but I'm the real glamour bird here!"


Just yards from the hybrid goose, the Edgewater parrots cavort.


...and cavort.


As evening draws near, a visitor to Edgewater's "Big W" tree bids farewell to her fellows before returning to her own nest on River Road.

Wild Parrots on the Hudson: a photo essay

Note 12/08/06: For photos of the Edgewater parrots I've taken since this article was published, please see:

The Big Flock
Wild Parrots in New Jersey: Some Recent Photos
Wild Parrots Invading New Jersey Beaches

Your BrooklynParrots.com webmaster enjoyed a splendid afternoon this past Sunday in New Jersey with Allison and Marc of EdgewaterParrots.com.

The weather was beautiful, the parrots were out in full force, and the cameras were clicking. Here are some still shots for your enjoyment (just click on any photo to enlarge it), Marc also took some videos which will likely appear online soon.


A sleek feral monk in Edgewater's "Parrot Park."


Monk parrots are amazing fliers because of the special design of their flight feathers, which lets them can take off almost vertically, hover like helicopters, and zoom like starlings!


A well-fed Jersey Rock Dove (otherwise known as a pigeon) doesn't mind sharing a meal with the wild parrots.


A well-populated, busy nest that PSE&G may likely tear down in the near future.


Edgewater is For Lovers!


Edgewater's "Big W" tree contains the biggest monk parrot condo in town.


An industrious male monk parrot brings a fresh green twig to the nest (which seldom fails to impress the ladies!).


Just Molly and Me in "My Green Heaven."


One pair of monk parrots looks very cozy in their nest, whereas another appears to be performing "lookout" duty.


I'm green and I'm proud!


Taking good care of one's feathers is a basic task of parrot-hood.


For parrots, one's beak is an indispensable "third hand" allowing amazing feats of dexterity.


A monk parrot about to leap into flight.


An industrious New Jersey contractor carefully positions a fresh twig.


Time out for a little light feather maintenance.


This old bird knows who's boss!

Protecting the Parrots of New Jersey

I'm an unlikely animal activist. I've kept pet parrots for years, at least when I could stay in a place that allowed them. I've watched birds -- mostly the industrious sparrows and noisy starlings that seem to live everywhere in Manhattan. But it was only back in December, during the great Hawk Nest Crisis of 2004, that I actually took to the barricades to right a wrong: the decision by the co-op board of 927 5th Avenue to evict Pale Male and Lola, the famous red-tailed hawks, from their airy nest above Central Park.

For two long weeks, I joined with a strange species of human beings I now call "Bird People" to chant, scream, yell and taunt the billionaires who'd evicted the hawks. First I lost my voice, then I got the flu, and then (for reasons unrelated to Pale Male), I was evicted from my own nest in Yonkers, but it didn't matter. The powers that be caved in, the nest was rebuilt, and the hawks came back (see www.palemale.com for the latest updates). Now it's rare that a weekend goes by without a trip to the Miniature Boat Pond in Central Park to watch these magnificant hawks go about their business.

It was a great victory. But I soon discovered that it was not enough to simply cheer the Pale Male victory, pat ourselves on the back, and enjoy the Spring. There were other nest-related struggles going on in the New York area, but because they didn't involve celebrity animals like Pale Male, they occured far below the media's radar screen.

One week in early March, 2005, I found my next struggle - one that has been going on for years in Brooklyn, Connecticut, and New Jersey - the continuing confrontation between Quaker Parrots, sturdy little escapees from Argentina who now flock merrily around Brooklyn, Edgewater, New Jersey, and the coast of Connecticut, and the power companies who must, from time to time, remove their tremendous nests from power lines, power stations, and poles to prevent power losses, brownouts, and hazards to line workers.

Now I'm hardly a die-hard animal rights zealot who believes that power authorities don't have a right and responsibility to remove these nests when they threaten to cause power interruptions. But I was shocked to learn how different each state treats the birds recovered by the power companies. In New York and in Connecticut, for example, young birds and unhatched eggs are taken to bird adopters and given refuge at parrot sanctuaries.

In New Jersey, however, because of the existence of some antiquated rules on the books, Quaker Parrots are regarded as "dangerous species," along with alligators, crocodiles, and vipers! Their classification is almost certainly a result of the mistaken impression about Quaker Parrots that they crowd out indigenous species, ransack crops, and if uncontrolled, will become ubiquitous. None of these allegations against this friendly bird are true; the worst thing that one can say about Quaker Parrots is that they're noisy (check out the sound sample I recorded last week), build big nests on power distribution lines, and don't pay taxes.

Still, in New Jersey, the fact that these birds are legally considered dangerous pests has some very unfortunate ramifications. The law basically permits, but does not require, the killing of the birds, even though there are plenty of bird adopters and bird lovers who want to help the birds. Fortunately, no birds have been euthanized recently, but the danger is clear, because they don't have any rights.

Of late, I've been working closely with a wonderful person in Edgewater, Alison Evans-Fragale, who runs EdgewaterParrots.com. Alison is working tirelessly with state officials, private businesses, and elected leaders to try to work out a way to change the way things are done in Edgewater. I encourage you to visit Alison's site and support her noble efforts to save the Edgewater Parrots by signing her online petition.