A new visitor to our bird feeder

DH and I feed the birds all winter. We're using up the seed we have left, so we still have regular visiters...over 2 dozen species we've identified so far...mostly cardinals, juncos, sparrows, and woodpeckers.
Today, while I was cooking dinner, I looked out the window and saw this guy on the feeder. He's a monk parakeet....an alien from South America, imported as pets in the '60's, released by some owners, and several feral populations have become established in urban areas. Connecticut seems to be a big area, but I've read of them in San Francisco, Chicago, and areas in Florida. Allegedly, there are populations in Delaware and perhaps Virginia, but I could find NO recording of them in Maryland. Pretty cool (which is actually my general response to alien and invasive species in general).
The neighbor's cat wandered into the yard and scared it away. It flew up into a tulip poplar, where it was harassed and chased away further by a bluejay.

He is beautiful! I never get anything that exciting at my feeders! Great find, and even greater you could get a picture! Thanks for the background!
Jes

Can he really survive? I feel sorry for this type of bird who is let loose or gets loose. Can he really survive? I would try to take him in and make 'him mine'. On Friday, a guy I work with, was in the work kitchen and his wife, visiting for lunch, had their pet bird and it looks just like him. I feed birds all year long. I am 'just a backyard birder'...not too sophisticated, just love to feed the birds and see what I can bring in. I would try to entice this fella home, to be mine, forever....

How nice! I can't wait to have a feeder again.

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Originally Posted by sbctwin

Can he really survive? I feel sorry for this type of bird who is let loose or gets loose. Can he really survive?

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I've read that populations of these guys have survived since the '70's. They do fine, as long as there is a steady food supply - which is why they are found primarily in urban centers....folks like me with feeders full of seed all winter and lots of ornamental plants with exotic fruits and berries they like.

DH wanted to try to catch him. Other things I've read about these guys today:
USFWS tried to exterminate them in the '70's, thinking they'd take over like the European starling has, but that hasn't happened with these guys.
Neighborhood groups tend to fight off any further attempts at "control." It's that "charasmatic megafauna" syndrome that means the cool critters get all the popular lovin' and the small and uglies get forgotten.

Very Cool!

Wow, lucky you, 7! What a beauty he is and I've never seen one here in Va and lots of people in our neighborhood have bird feeders. The birds share with the squirrels. Good to see and hear that they seem to be thriving and aren't being a nuisance.

Wow that is really cool!! I love birds, all of them.

I found a flying squirrel in my bird feeder one time in the middle of the night. I thought it was a big deal and called up fish and wildlife the next day. It turned out that they were all over... just rarely seen due to the nocturnal thing.:o

We used to have one named Jethro. Except one day Jethro laid an egg and became Jethra.

Quakers (another name for them) are incredibly hardy, hence the reason they are illegal in many states with agricultural-based economies (I know in CA and FL for sure).

They usually flock, so seeing this one solo probably isn't "normal". They are really, really sweet birds and can imitate talk quite well.

y
(former owner of several parrots and parakeets, currently fostering a cute li'l budgie named Lucky)

Are you gonna keep feeding, then?

We have a small flock that nest near our office. Normally they nest in the palm trees, but this year they're around the high voltage power lines. Noisy little buggers.

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Originally Posted by Queen

How nice! I can't wait to have a feeder again.

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Queen, can't you have a feeder where you are?

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Originally Posted by zencentury

Are you gonna keep feeding, then?

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I'm not sure.
We've never fed the birds in the warmer months. But we certainly have a lot of seed left yet.

Interesting to know about the flocking, yellow. It could be that we saw only one of several birds. Or, this is the "vanguard" of a coming flock. Still, the bluejay wasn't terribly happy about it...but then, they're never happy about much judging by the racket they make.

I've heard in CT, they nest in transformer boxes on utility poles and the power companies HATE them....(no palm trees there! ;))

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Originally Posted by sbctwin

Can he really survive? I feel sorry for this type of bird who is let loose or gets loose. Can he really survive? I would try to take him in and make 'him mine'. On Friday, a guy I work with, was in the work kitchen and his wife, visiting for lunch, had their pet bird and it looks just like him. I feed birds all year long. I am 'just a backyard birder'...not too sophisticated, just love to feed the birds and see what I can bring in. I would try to entice this fella home, to be mine, forever....

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Yes, they can survive. Here are a couple of links to parrot/parakeet sites in the New York area. I've seen the ones in Edgewater, NJ... hundreds of them nesting in trees in a small park on a very busy road. They've been there for many years, so I guess they're doing okay.

http://www.brooklynparrots.com/
http://www.edgewaterparrots.com/

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Originally Posted by Trek420

Queen, can't you have a feeder where you are?

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It's against the rules in this apartment complex. :rolleyes:

We're slooooowly house hunting so once we're in our own place again I'll have a nice big feeder!

Monk parakeets are very hardy. They build big communal nests with each pair having their own "condo". They are considered a nuisance in many areas since they are loud and noisy. I find them alot of fun, however.

Most monk parakeets in the wild are not escapees anymore, but wild birds descended from escapees. So catching them and putting them in a cage would really not be fair.

I had a parrot (Senegal) for 10 years, but the ex got the little guy in the divorce. Parrots have so much personality. My ex-parrot was hatched domestically and hand-raised by the breeder with frequent visits by us. He's very affectionate. I wonder if he misses me. My ex is a very good bird person, though, so I'm sure he's in good hands.

This past weekend was great for birding. I saw a common loon (should be heading north by now), several great blue herons, a couple of red-bellied woodpeckers, and a few osprey. Oh, and a Northern Rough-Winged Swallow--first time I'd seen one of those. It was trying to build a nest where the fire dept connection goes into the side of my building, just a foot or two above the sidewalk.

If you want to keep track of your sightings, you can do so at ebird.com.

How cool is that? I've never seen a bird like that except for maybe the pet stores. Thanks for sharing that, and did you notice the male cardinal in the background?

Thank you CCNYC for those links. I never would have thought they could survive in a colder climate. I do wish some would visit my 'backyard feeders'.

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Originally Posted by shellyj

... and did you notice the male cardinal in the background?

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I was a bad birder and didn't see the Red Cardinal trying to get his portrait taken in the background. My eyes noticed the red thing, but the brain did not examine further to see it was a cardinal. Bad birder, bad bad birder.

I hang my head in shame

these parrots have moved into a park near my house too, way up here in Seattle. At first there were a couple that flew with the crows, but then they started their own tribe. Their voices are very distinctive as well as their coloration.


I love the way the cardinal showed up in the photo!!!

My mom has one - a rescue named Gabby. He's a riot...really funny, very creative, and his talking is a hoot! He bites me though. He does like my mom and my husband and will allow them to carry him around. He also enjoys tormenting the dogs!

They are ALL over the county where my parents live in FL. Thousands of them...in huge, noisy flocks. They all look freakishly the same...and I did a double take at the one on your feeder. He looks just like Gabby! ;)

I was wondering if folks were going to comment on that cardinal sitting all hunkered down in the holly bush! :p Sometimes, we'll have more than a dozen in the backyard at one time.

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Originally Posted by GLC1968

They all look freakishly the same...and I did a double take at the one on your feeder. He looks just like Gabby! ;)

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I was wondering if there was any way to tell the males from the females, but I guess not...

Thanks for the ebird link. I'll have to sign up and start tracking our sightings there. Right now, I have a growing list written on some scrap paper at the desk. :rolleyes: I sent ebird a sighting report, but my browser was not "Form enabled" and I ended up copying it and pasting it into an email. I think some of the data may be missing (I looked in my sent folder). Grrrr.....

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Originally Posted by 7rider

I was wondering if there was any way to tell the males from the females, but I guess not...

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My mom's vet couldn't even tell...hence the gender neutral name of Gabby. ;) Of course, after 5 years, she's pretty sure he's a male since there's never been any signs of an egg.