A new visitor to our bird feeder

[7rider]

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.