Green-Wood Monk Parakeets Rebuilding Nest Empire

I am happy to say that the wild parrots at Brooklyn's Green-Wood Cemetery are rebuilding. The scaffolding over the main gate was removed several weeks ago, and although the parrots are several thousand twigs away from restoring their once extensive nest complexes, early work is underway and several new brand new parrot-constructed chambers should be ready by the onset of the breeding season, which begins in April.

This Flickr slide show shows the parrots feeding on leaf buds, foraging, and beginning reconstruction. It also features some folks from WCBS-TV, who came out today to work on a segment on the parrots. All photos by Stephen Carl Baldwin.


Created with Admarket's flickrSLiDR.

BREAKING NEWS: Wild Parrot Nest Removals at Green-Wood Cemetery

One of two artificial nest platforms erected at Green-Wood Cemetery for use by Monk Parakeets during renovation of main gate structure.

Last week, a long-planned project to inspect and renovate the main gate at Green-Wood Cemetery began. Part of the work requires the partial or complete removal of the massive colonial nests built by the Monk Parakeets (AKA Quaker Parrots) who have lived there for years. Fortunately, the project engineers consulted with various Quaker Parrot experts, who advised them to do their work before the Quakers' breeding season began. Failing to do this can result in the inhumane situation of removing young birds from their parents' care when they most need it, plus the need to take care of these young parrots, whose lifespans can exceed 30 years. This happened at Throgs Neck in 2007, and may happen within weeks in Bay Ridge unless the project managers can somehow be persuaded to delay their planned work (which will happen in June) to a time after the parrots finish breeding.

It is always painful to watch such nest removals and their aftermath. Several attendees of the April 2009 Wild Brooklyn Parrot Safari grimaced while watching the birds frantically rebuild their nests while knowing their efforts were in vain. At the same time, it is actually good that these removals happened when they did. Although the parrots' breeding season was interrupted, they'll likely simply delay having young until they can rebuild their nests.

Additionally, it was truly inspiring to see the efforts of Green-Wood Cemetery's management to minimize the suffering of the parrots. Two large steel artificial nest platforms were deployed to provide temporary shelter for the parrots during the renovation project. Using best practices for wild parrot nest removals proves that Green-Wood Cemetery truly values its wild parrots, and wants them to be there for future generations to enjoy.



You can clearly see the area cleared by the renovation workers at the center of the photo (below the perching parrots). First an inspection will take place to assess any damage to the stone (there doesn't look like any in this photo), followed by necessary renovation work.


Two steel artificial nest platform towers on each side of the main gate have been constructed to provide temporary housing for the parrots while work on the main gate proceeds.


Sticks were placed in the North nest platform to coax the parrots into visiting them and using them for temporary housing. Several parrots were observed "checking out" the platforms on Saturday, April 4, 2009.


The platform design uses gridwork to provide an anchor for Monk Parakeet stick nests. There are no twigs placed on the South platform: it will be interesting to see whether the Monks build on it, or whether they just use it for perching (as might other interesting avians).



While the nest removals represent a hardship for Green-Wood's wild parrots, extraordinary care was taken to minimize the suffering. Hopefully, within a month or so, life will return to normal at Green-Wood's historic main gate, where the parrots have roosted for many years.

Slide Show: Wild Parrots at Brooklyn's Green-Wood Cemetery

High-resolution photos of the wild Quaker Parrots of Brooklyn's Green-Wood Cemetery (several were used in our 2009 Wild Parrots of Brooklyn wall calendar). Note: if the slide show for some reason doesn't display correctly, please browse the Flickr Set by clicking here. All photos by Stephen Carl Baldwin.

Created with Admarket's flickrSLiDR.

2009 Wild Parrots of Brooklyn Wall Calendar

The 2009 Wild Parrots of Brooklyn Wall Calendar -- consisting of the best photos I took of the wild Quaker Parrots in the past 12 months -- is still available for 2009. Cafe Press turns the order around in a week. It's a great Valentine's Day gift for that special Parrot Person in your life.

You can buy the calendar by clicking here. All profits go to support the free Wild Parrot Safaris that I do each month.

Here is a Flickr slideshow of photos in the new calendar.

Created with Admarket's flickrSLiDR.

(Don't see the slide show? You can browse the photos on the Flickr Set for the calendar by clicking here). All photos by Stephen Carl Baldwin.

Thanks for supporting the Brooklyn Parrot Society!

Photo-Essay: Angels, Accordions, and Wild Parrots

Each October, a few weeks before Halloween, Green-Wood Cemetery hosts "Angels and Accordions," a haunting musical tour of some of the more storied monuments in "The Sacred City of the Dead," Brooklyn's permanent home to some 500,000 souls. The combination of ethereal music accompanying white-garbed angels perched in trees, floating in ponds, or dancing upon tombs, is magical. When you add the parrots, the experience borders on the metaphysical.

Enjoy, then, this unlikely confluence of angels, accordions, and wild parrots! (click on any photo for an enlarged view; all photos by Steve Baldwin)


Hark -- spoke the angel - what bird flies there?


A spectral starling?


A sepulchral sparrow?


No - a wild Quaker Parrot whose home is high in the heavenly loft!


But where is that parrot going? To whose tomb does he pay tribute?


None can parse the parrots' secret dialect.


Nor know the purpose of their graveside visits.


Some claim they land here for mere earthly food.


Claiming beech nuts dislodged by their sisters in the trees.


But the children know.


And the angel knows.


That when angels, accordions, and parrots converge,


Anything is possible.

Photos: Battle of Brooklyn 232nd Anniversary

The Battle of Brooklyn took place 232 years ago. Here are some photos from the annual commemoration, which took place this past Sunday. Interestingly, the wild Quaker Parrots that live at Green-Wood Ceremony didn't seem to mind all the colonial hoopla, except for the firing of the rifles.

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.