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Birdwatching:  Parrots!  |
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city chick
outstepping
93 Posts
Deb
Chicago
IL
USA
93 Posts |
 Posted - Oct 10 2008 : 03:42:49 AM
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We have a huge flock (I guess they're called a pandemonium) of parrots living in the area. On occasion they come to eat from my apple trees. Just 1 or 2 of them. They are so pretty. Really surprised me when I first saw them. I live really close to the zoo - so of course my girls thought they were escapee's. 
Anyway, this fall they have been really active. Their nest is in some electrical towers - not in the wires itself. Just in the towers and the company leaves them alone. We've spotted them in a "flock" (pandemonium) flying all around. Just this week they flew over the school yard. I'd never seen them fly like that before. It really was a "National Geographic" moment for me. It was stunning!
I wonder if they are eating more since it's fall and food won't be so plentiful? Our library had a temporary site where their homes are at and a woman had a feeding site up for them. I wonder if she still has it.
They are truly a special treat for our area!
http://www.xanga.com/My_Pondering_Place |
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Elizaray
outspoken
680 Posts
Elizaray
680 Posts |
Posted - Oct 25 2008 : 09:50:47 AM
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That is amazing, Deb! I didn't think that Parrots would survive in that harsh of a climate. Do you know how many years they have been living there?
Elizaray |
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marybeth
outstepping
146 Posts
Marybeth
Washington
USA
146 Posts |
Posted - Oct 25 2008 : 7:04:22 PM
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Wow! Some pictures of them would be great, specially flying. MB
Being outside is being |
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city chick
outstepping
93 Posts
Deb
Chicago
IL
USA
93 Posts |
Posted - Oct 26 2008 : 05:37:21 AM
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I see them mostly when I'm working on the playground. I really can't take my camera there.
Maybe I'll hop over to where their nest's are and try and get some shots.
They've been really active lately. I see them almost everyday now. About 6-8 in a group.
http://www.xanga.com/My_Pondering_Place |
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Jen
Expedition Leader
1384 Posts
Jennifer
Calico Rock
AR
USA
1384 Posts |
Posted - Oct 26 2008 : 1:10:29 PM
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TOO COOL! I wish we still had native parrots in the US. From the web:
"Only two species of parrot - the Carolina parakeet and the thick-billed parrot - were ever indigenous to the U.S. The Carolina parakeet became extinct in 1918, killed off by a combination of guns, habitat devastation and capture. The thick-billed parrot, which has not been seen in Arizona since the 1930s, is undergoing a reintroduction effort there."
Pictures:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Thick-billed_Parrot
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Carolina_Parakeet
Jen
Farmgirl Sisterhood Member #9
The View From My Boots: www.bovesboots.blogspot.com
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Elizaray
outspoken
680 Posts
Elizaray
680 Posts |
Posted - Oct 26 2008 : 5:07:44 PM
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Wow! I had no idea that there ever were native Parrots!
Elizaray |
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HuckleberryWine
outbound
21 Posts
Michelle
Rosalia
Wa
USA
21 Posts |
Posted - Oct 26 2008 : 8:07:23 PM
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| So, what kind of parrots are those you have Deb? That is really interesting. I hope people enjoy them and they can fill a good niche? |
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city chick
outstepping
93 Posts
Deb
Chicago
IL
USA
93 Posts |
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city chick
outstepping
93 Posts
Deb
Chicago
IL
USA
93 Posts |
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June Bug
outstepping
75 Posts
Traci
75 Posts |
Posted - Oct 29 2008 : 07:55:21 AM
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I wonder if the unusually warm weather Chicago is having has something to do with them sticking around? Do you see them every year Deb? I was in Chicago during the weekend of the marathon and I was blown away at how hot it was! How neat!
Traci |
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city chick
outstepping
93 Posts
Deb
Chicago
IL
USA
93 Posts |
Posted - Oct 30 2008 : 04:23:34 AM
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They're here year round. There is a huge flock of them in the city - Hyde Park. The electric company (sadly) removes their nests from time to time - since they're up in the wires. I wonder if it gives off heat?
http://chicagowildernessmag.org/issues/winter2003/monkparakeets.html
quote:
Another secret to the birds' success in colder urban and suburban areas lies in their nests and social nature. Unlike others of the 350-odd parrot species, monk parakeets weave free-standing nests wherever they find appropriate materials and supports, usually as close as possible to the nest where they hatched. Each spring, they pluck twigs from trees and vines from chain-link fences to weave compound structures that often house several family groups, each entering through a separate hole in the bottom. The communal nest keeps them warm and sheltered year-round, as they do not migrate. The birds forage as well as live together and use a sentinel system by which a lookout parakeet shrieks a warning when a bird of prey approaches.
]
I found that interesting.
http://www.xanga.com/My_Pondering_Place |
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Jen
Expedition Leader
1384 Posts
Jennifer
Calico Rock
AR
USA
1384 Posts |
Posted - Oct 30 2008 : 11:24:39 AM
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They are such cute little guys. I think we had one in the office when I worked as a vet tech in college - it looked just like the pic. He was loud and had quite an attitude, but he was irresistible! It would be neat if they could naturalize here without putting the squeeze on any other birds...except maybe pigeons...
Jen
Farmgirl Sisterhood Member #9
The View From My Boots: www.bovesboots.blogspot.com
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Edited by - Jen on Oct 30 2008 11:25:14 AM |
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thomasina
outthinking
4 Posts
thomasina
san francisco
california
USA
4 Posts |
Posted - Dec 04 2008 : 10:48:07 PM
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In San Francisco there is a huge flock,quite noisy that flies from Telegraph Hill to Russian Hill several times a day. Parrots and other varieties. i think they were escapes that have bred and are part of SF city lore.
Does anyone have the crow problems? They are like thugs here in the city
a country gal trapped in a beautiful city by a fantastic garden |
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Jen
Expedition Leader
1384 Posts
Jennifer
Calico Rock
AR
USA
1384 Posts |
Posted - Dec 06 2008 : 1:25:58 PM
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My mom recently told me about a movie/documentary about the Telegraph Hill parrots, but I haven't seen it yet. I may be in a minority, but I love crows (and any other corvid) - they fascinate me. Yes, they can be rowdy & rude by nature, but what intelligent, social creatures they are. Check out this article if you get a chance: http://news.nationalgeographic.com/news/2006/06/060606-crows.html
Jen
Farmgirl Sisterhood Member #9
The View From My Boots: www.bovesboots.blogspot.com
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Birdwatching: Parrots! |
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Parrots!
