Wild Monk Parrots of Nola

Hi Tess -- I didn't do anything really special. And from the time I saw them in the crepe mrtyle tree until they came to my feed -- about 4 months passed. I think they ran out of stuff to green stuff to eat and started on my feeder. My feeders are in the middle of my backyard -- normal seed mix (penningtons is ok - 20 lb bag at winn dixie) is what they came down to and seem to like. I think if you have to be on their "route" to be seen in the first place -- I get a lot of birds at my feeder, especially now that its winter. Maybe they saw the activity and took a shot at my place. The more I look around, the more I see the parrots -- if you know what they sound like, you'll hear them first before you see them. Good luck!.

Thanks you two for posting about New Orleans. I'm a TA at UNO where we have been conducting undergraduate field surveys for the feral pet parrakeets.

Here are a couple of haphazard survey maps of their nest locations in the past couple of years.

http://maps.google.com/maps/ms?t=k&hl=en&ie=UTF8&msa=0&msid=106960675667875346255.0004434db99f5ea3610bd&z=11

John Sevenair
http://maps.google.com/maps/ms?t=k&hl=en&ie=UTF8&msa=0&msid=106960675667875346255.000449ab72a76bceb0224&ll=29.97516,-90.124283&spn=0.156432,0.350189&z=11

Wow thats alot! Thanks eustatic!

TessC and eustatic -

I just discovered a group of these wonderful birds at a park on the riverside of Napoleon, a few blocks past
that great little Italian restuarant that has been there for ever and heading toward Claiborne. There is a palm
at the back of the park, close to the playground, and the birds nestled into it. AMAZING.

Wild Parrots of Telegraph Hill is one of my favorite movies (I am a social worker who works with homeless
people).

That is great work your doing Jean!

We have the Monk 's here in NJ in several places.

Kaper, I know what you mean about parrots. My dog's groomer has one that's always singing, "Happy Birthday, Jo!" whenever I go into her home. It tickles me to hear it. I've never asked her (though) how she feels about it. Know what I mean? LOL

Tess there is a large colony of Quakers on Fleur de Lis in Lakeview. Their nest are on the towers at the entergy sub station proably three or four of those large nest. If you take Harrison to Fleur de Lis turn right its about two blocks on the right. the nest are much closer to the ground.

Last winter I did a census of the Monk Parakeets in the Greater New Orleans area in an attempt to get the Louisiana Birds Record Committee to include the Monk Parakeet on the Official Louisiana Field Check-list. The result of my census was 2,253 Monk Parakeets in the area and the Birds Record Committee still did not put the Monk Parakeet on the official state list.

Welcome 2000miler! Do you know their reasons for not doing so? I would be interested to know them.

I still get upwards of 30 parrots a day spending time on my feeder -- one big flock and a couple of smaller groups. They come from Mike Miley in Metairie playground. The playground took down their nests at least twice already and they came back pretty quickly. I also have two escapees that seem to fly with the parrots -- a little blue parakeet and a cockatiel. Just a note on hawks -- my local Cooper's Hawk has no trouble with parrots - saw a parrot get picked off my bird feeder by a hawk.

Not a great picture but all three parrot types in one tree -- cockatiel, parakeet and monks. The cockatiel is the second bird from the top on the branch.

And the little parakeet took wing!

Feeder with a crowd on it.

Wonderful shots mrw!!!

love the crowd!

In response to pelletory's question as to why Louisiana's Bird Record Committee (BRC) would not put the Monk Parakeet on the official state bird list:

The chairman of the Bird Records Committee wrote:

"We spent over an hour discussing Monk Parakeet. We were
about to take a vote, but it was fairly apparent that the vote would not be
unanimous and, somewhat embarrassingly, no one was sure whether the voting
outcome should be based on a simple majority versus a 7-0 or 6-1 in favor as
would be necessary for accepting an individual record. As far as we can
tell, all other such species additions or deletions from the state list have
been unanimous. So, as soon as we come to a consensus on the procedural
matter, then we will go ahead and vote."

That was last March and I don't think they have discussed the procedural matter yet. While they talk about a simple majority versus a 7-0 or 6-1 vote, their bylaws, which govern this, only need a simple majority vote to be changed.

Besides this, I suspect Louisiana's BRC, like some other BRCs, have one or more members who are referred to by the typical birder here as No Introduced Species snobs. Since the Monk is an introduced species, they will never vote to place it on the list unless it spreads across the state so much that it would be embarrassing not to list it. This was the case with the listed Eurasian Collared Dove. I don't think this will happen for the Monk, considering that the first record of it in Louisiana was in 1972, and it hasn't spread out of the Greater New Orleans area.

Thank you!

Hi, I found where some of Westwego, La Wild Parrots Nest!
http://www.bertaut.com/Parrots.html

There are many of them around here!

Paul

All of the Wild Parrots were out tonight down the street from me were they nest!!
http://www.bertaut.com/Parrots.html

Nice pics Paul!

I still get upwards of 30 visiting my bird feeders every day in Metairie. I heard someone say "you're looking at the new sparrows".

World Parrot Count
http://davesgarden.com/community/forums/t/1151858/

http://www.monkparakeet.com/jmsouth/nests1.html

I thought you might enjoy seeing the photos of Chicago's Hyde Park Parakeets--the birds kept Mayor Harold Washington company.

STILL boggles my mind that parrots can survive this cold!

Me too!

Smart birds that nest in trees - rather than in microwave towers or light installations. I still have quite a few at my feeders.

Hi, I just noticed this thread...when I saw the title, I thought, 'No, that can't mean New Orleans!' I was born there, (lived in Metairie) but moved away as a child, and haven't been back for over 25 years, unfortunately.
My sister and brother-in-law are going down there for vacation soon. I will tell them to look for these amazing birds!

I live in Westwego, LA, off Central Avenue, and at the electrical substation on Central is a huge colony of monk parrots. They have established several huge nests within the metal tower structures, and the community is huge. This morning I had the thrill of seeing about 30-40 of them on a lawn of a home across the street from the substation. It was just amazing to see all those parrots on the ground. One was so fat, it made me laugh. They are large and healthy, and just amazing birds. I owned one once for several years, and loved it as if it was another child. They are so full of personality, so humorous, so very loving and affectionate. I LOVED THAT BIRD!!! Never knew if it was a male or female, as they look the same. I kissed it so much, it made the kissing sound. Warmest beak too!!! So, each time I see one of the parrots in my neighborhood, I'm thrilled. To know they are thriving in our area is such a joy to me. I look for them everyday. Love seeing them. Also love seeing the wild rabbits along the thickets on Hwy. 90 on the way to work in the morning. Arlene Muller, Westwego, LA Resident

Arlene, you're so blessed to have such a wonderful memory of such joy. I don't get to see them here, but I can imagine it'd be so wonderful to see them in flock.

They're everywhere, they're everywhere! I live in North Kenner, and they all over the place. I've owned parrots before, so I knew it was a parrot when I heard them. There is a huge nest on Power Blvd. near West Esplanade that you can miss. It's very noticeable in one of the electrical transmission towers on the neutral ground (median). I just checked google and I can't see it but it's there, and has been there well over a year now.

Pre-Katrina I would see a flock of parrots in the oaks on the Canal Blvd neutral ground at I-610. I haven't seen them since. Yesterday I spotted three parrots on Canal Blvd. near the railroad tracks while I sat at Lakeview Brew. They flew into a Bradford Pear tree in the neutral ground in front of the coffee shop.