Wild Parrots Sighted in New Rochelle, New York

The wild parrots of Westchester may be offsprings of the thriving colony in the Bronx.

Today, I received the first reliable eyewitness account of wild parrots in the eastern part of Westchester. According to my correspondent, she first saw two at the Huguenot Yacht Club in New Rochelle. Over the next few days, she saw an additional seven, and then a large flock at Glen Island.

These locations are all within a few miles of the Pelham Bay Parrot Colony, so it's quite probable that these parrots are all related to the Bronx birds. On the other hand, I've also received reports that monk parrots have taken up residence in parts of Greenwich, Connecticut. It is therfore possible that the birds at Glen Island moved South.

There's still a lot we don't know about the Westchester Parrots. Might they have moved East from a colony rumored to exist at the Yonkers Reservoir? Where are their nests? If none can be spotted, one must consider the possibility that these parrots are simply summering at Glen Island, and will return to the Bronx when the weather gets cold. It will be interesting to see which of these hypotheses are true.

If you happen to be in the neighborhood of Glen Island or New Rochelle generally, hear peculiar shrieks, and see green parrot-like birds in the sky, please take note of them, and send me e-mail with any field notes that you might be able to make.