A new visitor to our bird feeder

**7rider** · 03-30-2008, 04:42 PM

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.

**jesvetmed** · 03-30-2008, 04:46 PM

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

**sbctwin** · 03-30-2008, 04:54 PM

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....

**7rider** · 03-30-2008, 05:17 PM

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'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.

**ccnyc** · 03-31-2008, 06:27 AM

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....

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/

**Pax** · 03-30-2008, 04:54 PM

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

**makbike** · 03-30-2008, 05:19 PM

Very Cool!

**F8th637** · 03-30-2008, 06:40 PM

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.

**Wahine** · 03-30-2008, 08:35 PM

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.

**Trek420** · 03-31-2008, 05:32 AM

Originally Posted by Queen

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

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

**Pax** · 03-31-2008, 06:39 AM

Originally Posted by Trek420

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

It's against the rules in this apartment complex.

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

**tulip** · 03-31-2008, 11:25 AM

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.

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