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

Brooklyn Parrots 2008 Wall Calendar Now Available!

I've taken my best photos and made a 2008 Wild Quaker Parrot Wall Calendar you can get at my Cafe Press store. Just for fun, here's a slideshow that shows all of the photos. Most of these photos have never been published anywhere, even on BrooklynParrots.com Enjoy! Steve Baldwin.

Created with Admarket's flickrSLiDR.

This is the third Wild Quaker Parrot calendar I've made and I think the 2008 Wild Parrot Calendar is my best work yet. I chose each image carefully to show what wild Quaker Parrots do in, say, January (busily insulating their nests) or in August (taking some time off to spend at the beach).

You can inspect the calendar pages and (if you like it) buy it by clicking here. All proceeds go to keeping the Wild Parrot Safaris free to the public. Order now to receive before January 1, 2008!

Marching Monk Parrots of Brooklyn Support Marching Monks of Burma

Monk Parrots Marching Peacefully at Brooklyn's Green-Wood Cemetery

BrooklynParrots.com has been following the dramatic story of the marching monks in Burma, and hopes that these demonstrations remain peaceful. At least 100,000 people have expressed their solidarity with the monks, and the wild monk parrots of Brooklyn are with them in spirit. For more on the marching monks of Brooklyn, see Photo-Essay: March of the Monk Parrots!

Video Clip: Quaker Parrots Evacuate Nest and Sound Alarm

I was testing out my new 5X teleconverter extension on Sunday. The afternoon was gloomy so this video is a bit dark. Still, I captured a short scene involving two wild Brooklyn Quakers who were carefully eyeing the motion of a nearby predator. They watch calmly, but then their expression changes as they sense a situational change in the tactical air environment. Seizing the moment, they fly off noisily, announcing to the rest of the flock that they are "coming in."

Leaf Buds Provide Cold Weather Staple for Brooklyn Parrots

A Brooklyn Monk Parrot helps himself to a tasty leaf bud, 12/3/2006

In their pioneering 2000 study of Monk Parakeet behavior, University of Chicago researchers Jason M. South and Stephen Pruett-Jones delivered many important findings about the behavior and habits of the wild parrots which now inhabit many North American cities. One of the most interesting findings about the Chicago Parrots was that they appear to depend almost exclusively on human-supplied feed from bird feeders during the cold months.

Among the Wild Parrots of Brooklyn, leaf buds appear to provide a good source of cold weather nutrition. While it is certainly true that bird feeders are visited by the Brooklyn-based parrots, leaf buds (which are available even in January and February) appear are readily relied upon by our feathered friends to keep them going. Here are some photos of the Brooklyn birds helping themselves to these tasty buds this December: the location is Green-Wood Cemetery (click on any photo for an enlarged view).


Tasty and nutritious leaf buds are available to the Brooklyn Parrots even during the winter months. Reliance upon them , however, doesn't necessarily mean that these birds won't be showing up at your backyard bird feeder soon!


Although there is no fruit in this cherry tree right now, this hungry monk is literally cherry-picking this tree.


This wild parrot has a particularly intense expresson of enjoyment on his face.


A wild parrot, perched in a Cherry Tree, with Old Glory in the background. What could be more patriotic?


A wild monk parrot contemplates his next move, which appears to be directed towards a nearby leaf bud on the branch next to him.


"Hey!," the parrot on the right seems to say. "Those are MY leaf buds!" Fortunately, there are plenty of tasty buds to go around for all this Sunday in December.

Photo-Essay: March of the Monk Parrots!

Unlike the famed Emperor Penguins of the wonderful film March of the Penguins, Brooklyn's parrots don't have to march 90 miles to find a mate. In fact, you'll rarely find them marching anywhere, which is why the procession I witnessed last Sunday at Green-wood Cemetery was such an unexpectedly strange event. (Click on any image for an enlarged view).


At precisely 10:30 AM, a good number of parrots alights on the pavement just inside the main gateway, where they have constructed impressive colonial nests.


Suddenly, inexplicably, they began marching to the South, following the flock leader (the leftmost parrot).


The parrots form an orderly line on their southerly trek.


After marching about 10 yards, the lead parrot seems to realize that this journey might be more hazardous than initially supposed, thanks to the appearance of a large minivan entering the cemetery. He halts the procession.


An impromptu conference breaks out among the leader's followers. "Should we really go through with this, given the high possibility of being squished?" one parrot seems to ask. "What are we marching for anyway?" another one hypothetically gripes. "Hey - who elected this guy who claims to be leading us?" a third one possibly squawks.


The leader, sensing that the mood of the flock has changed after their close encounter with a two-ton minivan with high squish potential, issues an "about face" command, and his fellow parrots follow. Now that's leadership!


On the North side of the pavement, the parrots find a safe spot of turf. They spend a few minutes eating grass and frolicking, safe from the dangerous traffic.


And when it's time to leave their spot, they don't march: they fly, which, as we all know, is the safest way to travel!

(Note: nothing in this short photo-essay is meant to suggest that these parrots are wimps. In fact, as you'll see soon, these parrots think nothing of confronting their enemies, even tough falcons, kestrels and crows, head-on. Even so, they draw the line when it comes to minivans.)

Photo-Essay: Hawk Attack in Brooklyn!

Last Sunday afternoon, the Greenwood Cemetery Division of the Brooklyn Parrots were perched in several pine trees, enjoying a peaceful lunch.


At about 4:00 PM, a large group of local pigeons began foraging on the cemetery grounds.


A group of quakers simultaneously began to stroll the grounds. Here, a small family is walking: Dad is on the right, Mom in the middle and Junior on the left.


The Quaker Parakeets, employing their "Sentinel Alert System" are broadcasting "medium alert" signals. A predator has been rumored to be patrolling the grounds, but has not been sighted in the near vicinity of the grazing birds for some time. Reflecting this eased threat level, every 20 seconds or so, "orange" codes (the monks have 11 different distinct calls and several are reserved for "situation" alrts) are issued by the parrots. In the prior hour, several "red" alerts were issued, but each proved to be a false alarm.


Suddenly, silently, a red-tailed hawk dives from above. With only seconds to spare before death strikes the flock, the monks shriek out their "reserved word" for hawk attack - a strident four-part call: AK-AK-AK-AK!!!


Immediately heeding the parrots' alarm signal, the pigeons take off and wheel in the skies, hoping to shake off their fearsome predator.


The hawk, having lost considerable kinetic energy in his plunge, as well as the advantage of surprise, locks onto a fleeing pigeon but is unable to overtake the bird.


Meanwhile,the parrots group together and fly evasively to the sheltered safety of the trees.


Protected by thorny pine needles, the parrots perch, hoping that the hawk will leave.


The hawk circles widely, rises on a gust of wind, and flies east to his tombside home bereft of a successful kill. This unnamed hawk - a possible offspring of Pale Male and Lola, Manhattan's famous hawks - appears to have lost the feathers on his right leg. If prey birds refer to predators by name, his appellation might therefore be "One Leg" or perhaps "Torn Pants."


After five minutes of peace, the monk parakeets declare the return of "orange" alert. The hawk is gone.


Hawks are an everyday hazard for the wild parrots of Brooklyn, as they are for quakers living in other urban areas where these predators roam the skies. Although hawks eat pigeons more frequently than they do parrots, wild quakers can feel the fatal clutch of the hawk's talons if they are not careful. The flock continues to survive, using teamwork, vigilance, and the Sentinel Alert System. This burly sentinel feels the heavy weight of flock safety on his shoulders - let's wish him well, because life is not easy for a wild parrot in Brooklyn.

The New Boids in Town (Wild Baby Quakers Storm Brooklyn)

This fresh wild-born baby, born in Brooklyn's Greenwood Cemetery in May and fledged this month, seems to embody all the eternal optimism of youth.

In Brooklyn and elsewhere in the Northeast where wild monk parrots now live, July is a month of joy and wonder, because a fresh new crop of young parrots emerges from their nests and takes to the air.

These newcomers are amusing to watch. Closely supervised by doting parents, the adventerous young birds are seeing Brooklyn for the first time, and what they see seems to please them. Spotting them is easy -- in flight, their tail feathers are noticeably shorter than adults', and their calls are less strident. They look palpably "fresher" than their weathered parents, who've been laboring for months to provide them a good home in all kinds of gritty weather. They're clumsier, and much, much hungrier. They're also, well - I might as well come right out and say it - cute as a button.

If all goes well, these youngsters will nicely survive the next few crucial months and begin to think of finding mates next year. In the meantime, it's a time of welcoming in Brooklyn for the Wild Quaker Crop of 2006.

Without further ado, here are some recent photos of the freshly fledged. Click on any image for an enlarged view.


How do you spot a baby Quaker in the wild? Well, they're a little lighter, smaller, trimmer, and hungrier. Also, their voices aren't strong, nor can they yet "speak Quaker" to their fellows. They will learn these and other skills, including the essential techniques of colonial nest bulding, soon.


Mother parrot (left) observes "quaking" behavior from her chick.


The "quaking" continues with no sign of abatement. This youngster is hungry!


The mother, who's recently gorged herself on rich berries, steps forward to help out her hungry youngster.






"Now, THAT was a meal," thinks this young monk, whose contented experssion suggests he has entered a state of satieted Satori.


While the young monk on the left clearly prefers a beak-served meal from Mom, he's also being taught how to forage, an important step on the road to self-sufficiency.


Quaker babies don't take long to develop the degree of eye-hand coordination required for foraging and beginning construction skills. This little one is evaluating which tasty leaf bud to nosh on next.


It takes a lot of quality time and parrot-to-parrot tutoring to instruct these young birds in survival skills. Here, the mother (right) appears to be lecturing this youngster on an important topic (perhaps hawk evasion tactics).


Here are a couple of proud parents of a recent Brooklyn baby (Dad on Left, Mom on Right). These two, plus junior, will form a trio that will stick together closely for the next year.

Parrots Perch at Brooklyn's Gateway to Eternity

The beautiful Civil War-era gate to Greenwood Cemetery is spectacular in its own right; add vociferous parrots and you've got one of the most sublime, most surreal locales on the planet.

If you've been following this site, you know that I got interested in Monk Parrots after participating in what birders now call the "Great Hawk Nest Crisis of 2004" in which a bunch of billionaires decided to evict Pale Male and Lola from their 5th Avenue perch. I met a lot of interesting people on the protest line, including one woman who insisted that Pale Male and Lola were in fact "spirit guides" who were guarding the Pharaoh's Tomb in the nearby Metropolitan Museum.

I thought this woman was a bit nuts (I mean, hey - they're just birds, albiet magnificent ones!) And I'm still not convinced that our avian friends are in fact the Eyes and Ears of Any Knowable Diety, or that when we talk to them, our words are being transmitted You Know Where. Or that parrots are capable of telepathy. Frankly, I'd prefer that we leave the Supernatural out of this, and just admire the fact that there are so many interesting birds living in our cities, study them if we're so disposed, and offer them kindness when they need our help.


Monk Parrots perch on Greenwood Cemetery's Main Gate, May 7, 2006. Check out the two birds perched at the top - they bear a remarkable resemblence to Gothic cathedral gargolyes, but of course, they're not made of stone!

Still, there are moments when I feel a greater kinship to that wacky woman insisting on this "spirit guide" business than I ordinarily feel comfortable admitting. Take the situation at Greenwood Cemetery, where the Monk Parrots have built elaborate, interwoven nests in, around and through the three spires comprising the beautiful gate. If you show up at the right time, you'll find them perched strategically on the structure, issuing undecodable pronouncements in a foreign tongue, looking amazingly like living, breathing, high-strung gargolyles.

I took this photo this morning -- one of the most beautiful, peaceful Spring days that NYC has yet been graced with this year. I found the Monk Parrots in an agitated, raucous caucus. What were they discussing with such impassioned intent? Are we sure that they are not aware that where they live is the exact site where the quotidian world and the Valhalla world of the spirit world intersect? Of all the places in the neighborhood to settle, can it be mere chance that made them decide that there is no better place to be a parrot than here, nestled deep within Brooklyn's gateway to Eternity?

"Nah" - I say. They're just birds, after all. But, on the other hand, we're just people, aren't we?

(P.S.: there are some good video sequences of the Greenwood Cemetery Parrots on the Animal Planet segment on the Wild Parrots of Brooklyn. Click here to view this video online).

The Green-Wood Cemetery Parrots

The beautiful Civil War-era gate to Greenwood Cemetery is spectacular in its own right; add vociferous parrots and you've got one of the most sublime, most surreal locales on the planet.

I had a chance last weekend to visit Brooklyn's Greenwood Cemetery, a site where feral monk parrots have long lived. Although I'd say that there numbered no more than twenty monks visible at any time, the nest they've built, nestled into the gothic spire atop the main cemetery gate at 25th and 4th Avenue, is among the most architecturally integrated nests I've seen. And it proves that monks don't need an electrically heated platform to survive the Brooklyn winters!

The Greenwood Cemetery Gate is, to my knowledge, the only example of Gothic architecture incorporating actual, living gargoyles in the form of monk parrots.

The monk parrots at Greenwood Cemetery aren't just tolerated by the cemetery's management: their presence is considered a benefit. Why? Because unlike the pigeons which roosted in the gate before the parrots arrived, their excrement does not damage the structure. This is the first documented case of the monk parrots being used to displace another species for the benefit of mankind!


The monk parrots elaborate twig nests blend exquisitely well with the gate's brownstone exterior. This is the most architecturally integrated monk parrot structure in Brooklyn and validates Charles Darwin's idea that avians are the only non-human animals to possess a refined aesthetic sense.


A monk parrot prepares to make a landing at the Greenwood Cemetery Gate.


There's always a lot of action at the nests at the gate as parrots come and go throughout the day.




The parrots often come down from their lofty gothic perches to sit on trees, making close-up photos easier.

A wild monk calls to his friends from a concealed perch inside a pine tree.

The parrots sometimes can be found on the ground, eating grass and occasionally, getting into arguments.



The parrots can often be found high in the trees at Greenwood Cemetery. This tree is about 100 yards away from the main gate.


Five monks spend a few minutes conversing before heading out again over Brooklyn.


If I didn't plan on being cremated when I expire, I'd definitely opt for burial in this beautiful cemetery, where I could listen to a monk parrot-style "raucous caucus" for all eternity!

I spent about an hour an a half walking through this lovely cemetery and saw plenty of wild birds, including Canada Geese, a lone Mallard duck, three hawks, several woodpeckers, robins, jays, and other small birds. The parrots seem to be clustered solely around their large nest at the gate, but have been reported to make trips within several hundred yards, often showing up en masse at backyard bird feeders.

A nice place to see the parrots up close is right by the bird feeder just to the South of the gate. The birds come to feed there and also gnaw on buds on a nearby tree. True to their reputation as being harmless to indigenous species, this feeder was shared among the monks, jays, starlings, finches, sparrows, and other small avians without any ruffled feathers amongst them.

It's super-easy to get out to Greenwood. Just take the R train (BMT line) to the 25th Street Stop and walk one block East. It took me about a half hour to get out there from lower Manhattan.

Note: the Greenwood Cemetery parrots are featured on the Animal Planet report linked to elsewhere on this site. Click here to view the video.


For more info on the wild parrots of Green-Wood Cemetery, see:

• Photo-Essay: Early Morning Wild Parrot Action at Green-Wood Cemetery


• Photo-Essay: Wild Parrots at Brooklyn's Green-Wood Cemetery Thriving in Springtime


• The Greenwood Cemetery Parrots


• Photo-Essay: March of the Monk Parrots!


• Hawk Attack in Brooklyn!


• The New Boids in Town (Wild Baby Quakers Storm Brooklyn)