BrooklynParrots.com: A Web Site About the Wild Parrots of Brooklyn

Monk Parakeet I Love You Mug: Perfect for Valentine's Day

2010-02-07T05:33:00.000-05:00

Wild Monk Parrots mate for life and are fiercely loyal to each other.

Valentine's Day is just around the corner, so it's time to reward your monk parrot-crazy sweetie with Brooklyn Parrots' Lovers Mug. It's just $12.99 and if you order it in the next few days, you'll probably have it by February 14th. Viva Amore!

Next Brooklyn Wild Parrot Safari: Saturday, March 6,, 2010

2010-02-05T10:50:00.003-05:00

What are wild parrots doing in Brooklyn? It's a long story!

Attention all Urban Parrot fans: the next Wild Brooklyn Parrot Safari will happen on Saturday, March 6, 2010, at 11 AM. Please gather at Brooklyn College's Hillel Gate, which is at the intersection of Hillel Place and Campus Road. (Note: there will be no inspection of the Green-Wood Cemetery parrots on this safari; I have to run off to do something later on Saturday afternoon. Soon I'll bring back the Green-Wood "second section" of the trip but it's impossible this month).

Please e-mail me if you want to attend. Note: there is no rain date for this trip. I ordinarily do not cancel the tour unless the forecast is for sustained inclement weather in which birds will not fly.

Wild Parrot Safari (Brooklyn College): 11:00 AM to 12:30PM
At 11 AM, we'll inspect the Brooklyn Parrots' "Ellis Island." Their large nests around the soccer field represents the first major colony in Brooklyn. The site is easy to get to via public transportation. Just take the Number 2 train (Seventh Avenue IRT) to the end of the line, walk one block Southwest on Hillel Street past the new Starbucks, and look for the main Brooklyn College date. The tour begins at the entrance at 11:00 AM sharp. Allow some extra time, given that the MTA is doing lots of construction/train re-routing on weekends. Driving instructions are available at Brooklyn College's main Web site. Parking is fairly easy to come by in the neighborhood. If you're late, please call me: I'll give you directions so that you can meet up with us if the tour is already in progress.

What to Bring/What to Wear
Please bring a photo ID (this is required by Brooklyn College Security). Bring binoculars and a camera. We'll be exposed to outdoors so bring a hat/sunscreen if you have sensitive skin. Please feel free to wear anything except bright orange. For reasons that science has not yet explained, Monk Parrots freak out when you show them something orange.

This Tour is Free, But the Parrots Are Hungry!
The Wild Parrot Safari is free - if you wish to help your hungry urban feathered friends, bring some good bird feed and other treats. Finch food or millet are always welcomed by our hungry urban "peeps."

See you in wild, exotic Brooklyn!

Steve Baldwin, Webmaster, BrooklynParrots.com
steve@brooklynparrots.com

WCBS-TV Covers Wild Parrots of Brooklyn

2010-02-05T10:17:00.005-05:00

Wild Parrots at Brooklyn's Green-Wood Cemetery. Photo by Stephen Carl Baldwin.

I got a call a few weeks back from Stephanie Cassell, a WCBS-TV producer I've worked with before. I went out to Green-Wood Cemetery and met Stephanie, a nice cameraman, and reporter Tony Tantillo. We were lucky that it was a nice day and the parrots were out in force: here's the resulting story which ran on WCBS-TV's web site on Thursday. You can watch a video from this page that shows you the complete sequence that ran over the air: I think that WCBS did a great job with this piece.
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THE MEETLES: The One After 909

2010-02-02T11:36:00.000-05:00

Last Saturday was the 41st Anniversary of the Beatles' last public concert on a London rooftop. THE MEETLES (New York's most fun Beatles tribute band), a band of which I am now a part, naturally wanted to commemorate the event with a performance of "The One After 909" at their gig at New York's Penn Station. Fortunately the talented videographer David Belgrave, who's take so many great videos of the band in the past, was on hand to record the event. Enjoy!

Here's another song from the same night, The Beatles "I'll Get You." We all love to play the Beatles' early songs!

Cruising To Save The Parrots

2010-02-01T14:39:00.000-05:00

The World Parrot Trust is a worthwhile organization that does great work conserving wild parrots throughout the world. In November of this year, a unique, 1-week, parrot-themed Carribean cruise will happen that will benefit The World Parrot Trust: it's called the "Parrot Lovers Cruise" and will take visitors to some beautiful places, including San Juan, Puerto Rico, Aruba, Bonaire, St. George's/Grenada, and St. Thomas.

The World Parrot Trust will get $100 for each visitor who books a ticket. I'd be on board myself if finances permitted, but there will be some wonderful wild parrot experts on board who will give presentations, including Steve Martin (not the comedian; the world-renowned animal trainer), Steve Milpacher, Director of Business Management and speaker for World Parrot Trust, and Sam Williams, World Parrot Trust Field Researcher.

If you're interested in the Parrot Lovers Cruise, call Carol Cipriano at 570-226-2569 or 570-470-0034; you can also send e-mail from the site's Contact Us page. You can learn more about this cruise at http://www.parrotloverscruise.com.

Green-Wood Monk Parakeets Rebuilding Nest Empire

2010-01-28T02:41:00.000-05:00

I am happy to say that the wild parrots at Brooklyn's Green-Wood Cemetery are rebuilding. The scaffolding over the main gate was removed several weeks ago, and although the parrots are several thousand twigs away from restoring their once extensive nest complexes, early work is underway and several new brand new parrot-constructed chambers should be ready by the onset of the breeding season, which begins in April.

This Flickr slide show shows the parrots feeding on leaf buds, foraging, and beginning reconstruction. It also features some folks from WCBS-TV, who came out today to work on a segment on the parrots. All photos by Stephen Carl Baldwin.

Created with Admarket's flickrSLiDR.

Missing Parrot Drama Grips Brooklyn's Park Slope

2010-01-25T16:49:00.004-05:00

The Brooklyn Paper covers the drama of Gracie - a 12-year old African Grey parrot who escaped from her owner's abode and went missing for 3 days before being found and returned.

Nobody knows where the parrot spent her three days, and it's unlikely that she would have visited any wild parrot flocks in the vicinity. In any case, we're very glad that Gracie is back under a warm roof, "as ornery as ever."

"Eagle Cam" Captures Bird Flight WIth Mini Recorder

2010-01-23T15:38:00.002-05:00

Amazing "Birds Eye" camera footage from the BBC shows humans what it's truly like to soar like a raptor. Hmm - I wonder if any of the Brooklyn Parrots could be convinced to wear this gear!

THE MEETLES Celebrate First Anniversay of Subway Playing!

2010-01-13T16:46:00.005-05:00

THE MEETLES get a crowd of hundreds dancing at the Times Square/42nd Street Subway Station. Photo by Stephen Carl Baldwin.

You may not know this about me, but when I'm not out tracking the wild parrots of Brooklyn, you'll find my underground in the subterranean caverns of New York City, playing rhythm guitar and singing with THE MEETLES, New York's most fun Beatles tribute band.

This week, THE MEETLES celebrate their first solid year of performing in the NY Subway System as part of the MTA's Music Under New York program. If you want to catch up with us and hear some great live Beatles music, please go to meetles.com and check the band's upcoming show schedule. If you're down, want to hang with cool people, or just need a jolt from the British Invasion, there's no better place to be! You can also follow THE MEETLES on Facebook.

New Photos of Wild Queens NY Parrots in Winter

2010-01-12T10:14:00.009-05:00

Wild Conures in Queens, New York, January, 2010. Photo by Dominika Gardocka.

Dominika Gardocka is a talented Queens-based photographer and artist whose web site is www.Manika-art.com. This past week, in the midst of extraordinary cold weather, Dominka shot some incredible photos of the wild parrots of Queens. These parrots (which appear to be Mitred Conures, a similar type of parrot to that which also lives in the wild in San Francisco) are among New York's most elusive and mysterious parrot flock, and we've examined their story in the past. I still don't know how these parrots can survive New York's brutal winters, because, unlike our hardy wild Monk Parakeets, the conures hail from the tropics.

Without further ado, here are some of Dominika's great photos of these incredible urban psitticine survivors!

A Wild Conure in Queens, New York, January, 2010. Photo by Dominika Gardocka.

A Wild Conure in Queens, New York, January, 2010. Photo by Dominika Gardocka.

Wild Conures in Queens, New York, January, 2010. Photo by Dominika Gardocka.

Wild Conures in Queens, New York, January, 2010. Photo by Dominika Gardocka.

A Wild Conure in Queens, New York, January, 2010. Photo by Dominika Gardocka.

A Wild Conure in Queens, New York, January, 2010. Photo by Dominika Gardocka.

Bay Ridge Wild Parrots Rebuilding Their Quaker Empire

2009-12-16T21:19:00.013-05:00

A wild parrot in Bay Ridge surveys takes a break from reconstructing his clan's huge communal nest. Photo by Steve Baldwin, taken December 14, 2009.

Wild parrots have lived in Bay Ridge, Brooklyn, for many years, concentrated around "The Dust Bowl," a large sandlot field between 65th and 66th Streets bordering 8th Avenue, and have been the focus of several photo-essays at BrooklynParrots.com.

This past fall, all of the parrot nests there were taken down as part of a renovation of "The Dust Bowl," but special provision was made to minimize the impact on the parrots. This included inspecting the parrot nests prior to demolition to make sure there were no youngsters inside, and more importantly, detaching and reattaching the horizontal maintenance platforms used by the parrots approximately 15 feet below the new lights. This latter step was an extraordinary gesture on behalf of the parrots and all Brooklyn nature lovers are much in debt to NY Council Member Vincent Gentile, the Parks Department, the DDC, and Land Tek, the contractor for making this happen.

The question, however, remained: even with all the human efforts on their behalf, would the parrots actually return or decide to abandon Bay Ridge forever? Well, these supremely territorial birds decided to stay, even with all the disruptions going on. Instead of turning tail, they've been building like crazy, and the following photo essay takes a look at the parrots' efforts to reconstitute their Bay Ridge community. I suppose none of us should be surprised: after all, these hardy birds have survived freak tornadoes, the constant truck traffic on 65th Street, and the constant presence of aerial predators. All photos by Stephen C. Baldwin of BrooklynParrots.com.

A row of four newly rebuilt stadium lights on 66th Street. Two of these lights (the nearest and furthest from the camera) have been retrofitted with parrot-friendly access platforms. The same feature is present on the row of lights on 65th Street.

The parrots have been working overtime to reconstruct the massive communal nests destroyed during the renovation. This nest looks to weigh at least 75 pounds and will likely get larger in the next few months. The lowering of the maintenance platform means that the parrots can build as much as they want without ever interfering with the electrical distribution system used by the lights.

Even though the rebuilt "Dust Bowl" will be made of inedible Astroturf, the parrots will still be able to forage across the street. Here a group of birds searches for tasty treats on 66th Street.

Two healthy looking Bay Ridge Parrots forage on 66th Street.

While it seems that most of the displaced parrots have decided to rebuild their nests at the "Dust Bowl," several pairs have taken off to nearby streets to build nests in power poles. Here a pair of wild Quakers is busy building a nest heated by a transformer. Con Ed doesn't like it when this happens but my hope is that they'll leave the parrots alone until the cold weather passes.

Another hazard for the displaced parrots is the arrival of some deadly avian predators who've been preying on the pigeons of Bay Ridge. At least one parrot has been killed by this predator in recent weeks. Here this brute plots his next move from a pole on 8th Avenue.

Predators like these are magnificent and have their share of human fans. But they make life a living hell for the peaceful prey birds of Bay Ridge. Let's hope this bad boy moves off to another neighborhood soon!

Photos: John Lennon's 69th Birthday Celebration at Strawberry Fields

2009-10-11T23:11:00.000-04:00

Musicians gather and perform at New York's Strawberry Fields to celebrate John Lennon's 69th birthday at Strawberry Fields, Central Park, New York on October 9th, 2009.

Participants include THE MEETLES (New York's most fun Beatles tribute band), plus many musicians who make at least two pilgrimages to Strawberry Fields each year to celebrate John and the Beatles' music. Strawberry Fields is where the IMAGINE memorial mosaic is sited; he and wife Yoko Ono liked to stroll in this area of Central Park.

Happy Birthday, John Lennon!

2009-10-11T11:50:00.004-04:00

Here's a new video shot by my talented friend Juliet Hanlon, recorded at Strawberry Fields, NYC. No parrots in this video but plenty of peace, love and joy as musicians and fans celebrate John Lennon's 69th Birthday.

The Amazing Snowball (The Dancing Parrot) Hoofs to Queen's "Another One Bites The Dust"

2009-10-08T16:56:00.002-04:00

Snowball is one high-steppin' bird!

Chicago Scientists Studying Urban Monk Parakeets

2009-10-07T12:31:00.004-04:00

A wild Quaker Parrot in Chicago munches on a dandelion stalk

A Monk Parakeet (AKA Quaker Parrot) tracking project is gathering steam in Chicago. Residents of that city are being asked to report the locations of all nests where the parrots can be found. A project spokesperson, Emily Minor, has told the Chicago Sun Times that the purpose of this study is to understand the parrots' dispersion patterns and predict where they might be moving next.

While I applaud any scientific project devoted to finding more about our remarkable wild Quaker Parrots, there are two serious concerns that I must voice about the Chicago project. The first is that this research project not inadvertently supply ammunition to the parrots' detractors in the form of a "hit list." As we all know, there have been instances in which the U.S.D.A. and other government entities have basically "declared war" on the parrots, and the results have been lethal. So it is critical that the scientists not share any data with entities that have proven hostility to this wildlife in the past.

The second concern is that any map compiled of the parrots' nesting areas be restricted for use by bona fide researchers, not the general public or Web population at large. As you may know, I had to remove my interactive map of the parrots' nests in Brooklyn because I was concerned that such a map could be used by poachers, a serious problem in Brooklyn in the past several years that decimated several wild parrot colonies in Brooklyn. Unfortunately, it seems that the Chicago project has already posted such a map, although its resolution is insufficient to offer any meaningful tactical intelligence to the bad guys -- at least for now.

You can read more about the Chicago wild Parrot study here.

Hanging With The Parrots For Peace (Baby and Merlin) in Central Park)!

2009-10-06T12:43:00.005-04:00

Sometimes you run into parrots in the strangest places. Last Sunday, while singing with The Meetles (New York's most fun Beatles tribute band), who should I run into but Baby and Merlin, two Blue and Gold Macaws famous for being "Peace Parrots, Rainforest Ambassadors and NYC's Spokes Avians for the Mayor's Alliance of Animals." What great birds!

Here's a photo of Bird Lady Gloria Waslyn, who was kind enough to let her well-behaved wunderkind climb on me. You can learn more about her work here. Photo credit for both photos goes to Juliet Hanlon.

Photo-Essay: The Day I Inspected Wild Quaker Parrot Nests in Brooklyn

2009-09-24T14:24:00.004-04:00

Inspecting wild Monk Parakeet (AKA Quaker Parrot) nests is an interesting job, as long as you have no fear of heights. This nest, in Bay Ridge, Brooklyn, is about 50 feet up.

On the morning of September 12, 2009, I met up with a team of workers whose job was to renovate the lamp fixtures around Bay Ridge's famous "Dust Bowl" ball field in Lief Erickson Park. The field is undergoing renovations, and thanks to an unusual agreement brokered by the NY Parks Department, Councilman Vincent Gentile, and local bird advocates, the work schedule was altered so that the parrots would be able to complete their breeding cycle before the nests were removed in order to install new lights.

The fundamental idea here was to avoid the nightmare we all got into a couple of years ago when wild Quaker nests were removed during the peak of the breeding cycle, which entailed a mass rescue of baby parrots and much grief on the part of their parents.

Although I was confident that there wouldn't be any vulnerable parrot chicks in the nests, a personal inspection was still necessary, because the best laid plans of Man and Parrot sometimes go awry. Barry Schwartz, of the NYC DDC, who usually handles such matters, was unavailable that morning, so I pitched in, after donning a safety helmet, a safety harness, and all the will I could muster. The following photos capture this adventure, which I survived and will never forget!

In this photo, you can see the wild parrot nests, built at the top of the tall light fixtures, in the background. I'm already riding the crane, which is executing a maneuver to take us closer to the largest and oldest parrot nest.

Fortunately, I had a skilled crane operator from contractor Land Tek to guide the crane. "These things usually don't tip over," he quipped, which strangely didn't make me any less apprehensive about the journey ahead.

Here we are moving South along Fort Hamilton Parkway. The ride was very jiggly but the most exciting part was to come.

Up, up, UP, goes the crane toward the parrot nest. You can see my white-knuckled left hand in the lower left hand corner of the photo.

Our aerial ascension is photographed by those tiny figures in the street.

It took a lot of careful maneuvering to bring the crane close enough to the parrot nest to perform an inspection.

Take a LOOK at this magnificent wild parrot nest, which is the biggest and oldest in Bay Ridge. I really didn't want to disturb this formidable architecture, but I was obliged to explore it, to make sure no baby chicks were vulnerable to the imminent nest removals. This necessarily meant removing parts of it.

Here's a close up of one of the entrance portals. There were three individual communal cavities in this nest, and I explored them all. Fortunately, there were no chicks in the nest, which meant that the renovation work could go forward. We all breathed a heavy sigh of relief!

This photo shows a "monk's eye view" of Bay Ridge, and the soon-to-be renovated ball field.

I felt very bad about disturbing the monk parakeet nests, and sad that the renovation work required them to be demolished. But this work was done in a humane way that we should all be proud of. Special care was used to make sure that no young parrots were exposed to the work, and I'm especially grateful to the Parks Department, Councilman Gentile, and Land Tek, the project contractor, for keeping the safety of the parrots top-of-mind.

Yes, the parrots are going to be upset that their homes were disturbed, but they'll rebuild soon after the work is finished, which will hopefully happen soon. Best of all, the parrots will be supplied with basket-like platforms that will serve as good nest sub-surfaces. So it looks like the Wild Quaker Parrots of Bay Ridge will be active denizens of this storied Brooklyn neighborhood for years to come!

Wild Brooklyn Quaker Parrots Featured in Fine Art Painting

2009-09-22T16:34:00.005-04:00

A wonderfully talented artist named Joy Poulard has created an extraordinary work of fine art featuring the beloved wild Quaker Parrots of Brooklyn. The work is called "Brooklyn Parrots in a Klimt Tree" is 4'x4', created in oil, gold and silver leaf, inspired by her favorite artist, Gustav Klimt.

Joy wishes to sell the painting and enlisted my help in finding a buyer. Please send me e-mail and I will put you directly in touch with Joy. My e-mail is Steve@BrooklynParrots.com.

UPDATE 11/30/2009: Joy's painting was sold to a lucky buyer who came through BrooklynParrots.com. Thanks to all who answered this posting.

In Our Hearts Forever

2009-09-11T08:12:00.000-04:00

Memorial honoring Brooklyn firefighters lost September 11, 2001, Keystone Park, Brooklyn. Photo by Steve Baldwin, date 9/9/2006.

Parrot Nest Removals in Bay Ridge, Brooklyn

2009-08-26T16:21:00.002-04:00

More than a year ago, I posted a note about the pending renovation of Lief Erickson Park, and expressed concern about the wild Quaker Parrots living there. My most urgent concern was that any necessary nest removals wouldn't happen during breeding season, at time when young parrots and/or eggs were present.

Fortunately, the folks doing the renovation listened to these concerns, consulted with experts, including NY DDC's Barry Schwartz, and removals have been postponed until September. City Councilman Vincent Gentile was also instrumental in forging a compromise that would allow the project to proceed on schedule without harming the birds, and we are especially grateful to him for this.

You can read more about the Bay Ridge Parrots here.

Parrot-Like Creatures Invading New York City Subway System (Part 2)

2009-07-25T14:18:00.005-04:00

We've written before about New York's flocks of wild parrots invading the city's subway system, and this latest photograph, from an informative subway-oriented site called subchat.com, provides new proof of the parrots' latest incursions. This photo, posted by a subchat member known as "G1Ravage," was taken at the Queensborough Plaza station in Queens, NY. It's not clear to me whether the Quaker Parrot perched on the rail is a wild bird or an escapee (look closely at the photo -- is that a leg band on the parrot's right foot?).

(Note: 8/26: It appears that the parrot in this photo is actually a Peach-Faced Love Bird, not a Quaker. What a Love Bird would be doing in the subway system is beyond me; I suppose he just got away and is hoping to be reunited with his owner).

Clarification and Apology

2009-07-17T14:35:00.003-04:00

Several years ago, a major controversy developed concerning the monk parakeets of Connecticut, in which animal lovers faced off against the United Illuminating company.

I wrote extensively about this controversy back in 2005, and while I feel good about the fact that the killings of the wild Quaker Parrots were ultimately halted, and that UI now uses non-lethal means to control them, I made a hasty error which, in the interest of fairness, should be corrected. The error concerns my use of the term "final solution" in reference to statements made by UI's spokesman, Al Carbone.

Upon recent investigation, it is clear that neither Al Carbone nor anyone else at UI used this term at any time; the term used was "solution," and the term "final" was appended by a commenter on a bulletin board discussing the issue, whom I mistakenly quoted in several articles on this site, which I have now corrected.

Still, I do think an apology to Al Carbone and UI is appropriate and necessary at this time. While it is natural that passions might flare during a controversy of this nature, it is important that words be used accurately lest they imply things which should never be implied about honorable people who happen to be on the other side of any given issue.

More Musicians Arrested in Central Park Conservancy-Backed Anti-Music Crackdown

2009-07-15T15:54:00.005-04:00

Looks like it's open season on musicians performing in Central Park. On Sunday, one was hauled off in handcuffs to a cell. As you likely know, the group I sing with has been hassled as well by undercover police. We're musicians, not criminals!

Please help defend free speech by signing our online petition: the right to free expression is sacred. Many have died for theis right, and we need to all stand up for it or it will be taken away forever!

We also have a Facebook cause set up; please join it if you're on Facebook.

Thirteen Special: The City Concealed: North Brother Island Bird Sanctuary

2009-07-08T18:30:00.002-04:00

Interesting Web-only video from PBS/Channel 13 highlighting North Brother Island, an abandoned island in New York City's East River formerly used as a hospital whose famous patients include Typhoid Mary. Today, it's a protected heron habitat regulary monitored by the Audubon Society. Check it out at http://watch.thirteen.org/video/video/1174206896

Please Help Bring John Lennon's Music Back to Strawberry Fields!

2009-07-03T17:12:00.005-04:00

Last week, I told you about the anti-music crackdown in Central Park that's banished music from Strawberry Fields. The good news is that YOU CAN HELP bring back John Lennon's music by signing an online petition. The goal is to get 5,000 signatures that we can send to the Mayor, the Central Park Conservancy, and the NYC Dep't of Parks and Recreation.

Thank you!
Steve Baldwin