I popped out to Brooklyn today in search of wild Monk parrots, and I was not disappointed. I could hear their plaintiff calls as I emerged from the subway, and followed the direction the sound was coming from. As the noise grew to the decibel level of a minor rock concert, signs of noise-perturbed residents started to appear – unless it is a Brooklyn tradition to put scary fake owls and even scarier spikes on rooftops.
Then I rounded a corner and there they were. There were parrots hanging out in tree tops.
There were parrots perched on poles.
But apparently, if you’re a parrot in Brooklyn, THE place to be, if you’re in the know, is the local electrical substation. Perfect for nest-building…
Also a great place to just chill out…
And of course, the ideal spot for a bit of canoodling…
I guess parrots like their privacy too.
The Eco and the Id 
lovely!!
Thanks! You’ve got some wonderful pictures of Singapore on your blog, by the way.
These are wonderful. We had a pair at the ball park in Yonkers who built their nest in the light stand. I loved spotting them on my walk. I thought they had gotten loose from someone’s home. Nice to know NY has its own flock brightening up the place.
There’s a whole bunch of them. They really are such cheery little birds. 🙂
Great shots, and cool that you made a visit to our little Galapagos substation. Are they reproducing and evolving into this strange new climate?
Thanks Philip, I suspect the parrots are terribly happy with the oddly warm winter New York’s been experiencing – and judging by the antics of that last pair of parrots, I’d say they’re reproducing happily! I just read your post on “winter” 2011-2012 – and the one about the demise of skiing in the Adirondacks. I do so hope that, in twenty years’ time, we will be proud of a society that took charge of these pressing environmental issues. Looking at the power that big business currently wields, however, I am very much afraid that we will have very little to be proud of. I shall keep hoping nonetheless.
Alert: Cute Award needed! It looks like they are trying to cheer human residents by populating the bare limbs with their green, (Whoa serious scary owl with the spikes)
They’re such adorable parrots, aren’t they? Cute Award duly awarded! And yes, that spike-skewered owl gave me the heebie-geebies!
There’s also a “Parrot Park” on the banks of the Hudson River in Edgewater, NJ. Similar story—the parrots, by now quite a large population, seem to be doing very well in the wild…
They’re adaptable little fellows. Apparently they develop their own local parrot dialects – they’ve noted at least three distinct parrot dialects in Connecticut. I wonder if the Parrot Park parrots have a New Jersey accent. 🙂
I have read about these parrots in Brooklyn. I believe they are also called Grey Quakers. My friend in Manhattan has one and he is so funny. He talks and mimics quite a bit. Likes a lot of attention too! Thanks for the great photos!
They are incredibly smart, very quick learners, Peggy, which would explain how successfully they’re sustaining and growing their urban feral populations. I suspect mankind’s days are numbered, and parrots are going to take over the world. They might sort out our environmental issues if we ask them nicely! 🙂
Awww, Ailsa, how’d you know I needed to see wild parrots canoodling right this very instant??? Brilliant, you are! Smooch!
Smooch right back, Vicky. xxx