The Wild Parrots of Brooklyn
March 19, 2009
photo by brooklynparrot
New York City is known for the the unusual and the exotic, which is why this particular story fits in so well: flocks of wild Myiopsitta Monachus, otherwise known as the Monk parakette or Quaker parrot, co-existing in harmony in the not-so-wilds of Brooklyn.
The parrots' history in NYC is fairly recent. While many legends swirl around how they arrived here, the prevailing one, according to Steve Baldwin whose past time happens to be parrots, is that in the late 60's the ancestors who inhabit our city today were accidentally--or not so accidentally--liberated from a crate at JFK that arrived via Argentina.
Steve's passion for parrots has led him to follow and document these beautiful birds for the past 4 years. Once a month he hosts a free tour that takes you to where these parrots live. This past Saturday, Noah and I joined Steve at Brooklyn's Green-Wood Cemetery.
The Wild Parrots of Green-Wood Cemetery from Noah Sussman on Vimeo.
We grabbed Steve at the end of the tour for a quick interview.
Untitled from Noah Sussman on Vimeo.
This is Leni, a fellow fan of parrots, who we met on our walk.
Untitled from Noah Sussman on Vimeo.
To learn more about the wild parrots of Brooklyn and to join in one of Steve's free tours, visit Brooklyn Parrots . You can also follow Steve on Twitter.
photo by brooklynparrot
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@ David Thanks for the tip. If I visit Cape Coral, I'll check the birds out--sounds very pretty and relaxing.
Posted by: Joanna | April 02, 2009 at 08:47 AM
Less surprising but just as fun, Cape Coral, Florida is full of similar parrots and parakeets. Also non-native, the green birds live all over town , particularly nesting in the tall lights at the many baseball fields. Sometimes outfielders will have to shoo them away to run backwards for a fly ball. The trees surrounding the Cape Coral yacht Club are also full of them, singing and playing in many big community nests, all around the marina and along the beach. Very nice, actually. I'm surprised to see that they can "weather" the winters in new York!.
Posted by: David B Ebert | March 31, 2009 at 09:31 PM
@lonesome polecat I forgot my saber and eye patch and Noah left the bottle of rum in the cab.
Posted by: Joanna | March 20, 2009 at 11:05 AM
Nice interviews and pictures, but where are all the pirates and monkeys to go with these poor parrots?
Posted by: lonesome polecat | March 20, 2009 at 11:01 AM
Wow! Looks like lots of fun - can't wait for the next tour. Great video, too. Glad it was nice weather.
Posted by: Heather | March 20, 2009 at 09:20 AM
I really enjoyed all three of these videos Who would have thought that birds who were brought in under rather strange circumstances would have thrived. The interview with the woman was excellent. It is always nice to have a reminder of home.
Posted by: ddd | March 20, 2009 at 08:01 AM
Hey, thanks for writing this up! Our March Safari was a good one. The next ones we'll do (April 4 and May 2) should be interesting as well, because the parrots get especially "frisky" this time of year, with mating season just ahead. Lots of construction activity has to happen to prepare the nest for the next generation of youngsters!
Posted by: Steve Baldwin | March 19, 2009 at 04:48 PM
I await your mashup.
Posted by: Joanna | March 19, 2009 at 02:15 PM
Quoth the Parrot, "Nevermore."
Someone should do a mashup of Christopher Walken's recital of Poe's "The Raven" with a (real or fake) parrot saying "Quoth the Parrot, "Nevermore" instead of Walken.
http://astore.amazon.com/celebrchristw-20/detail/B00158IQD4
http://www.ojai.net/swanson/theraven.htm
Or not.
Posted by: john | March 19, 2009 at 01:58 PM
How fun! I'm going to take Lucian. great post.
Posted by: Maureen | March 19, 2009 at 12:15 PM