Overhead
I love living in Florida! Where else in the USofA could you live (except maybe Hawaii)
and see something like these guys in the McDonalds drive-thru? Actually, I heard them first, then stuck my head out the window to see them on an overhead power line. But there they were, and they were kind enough to wait until I pulled out the camera to take some pictures. But they never hang around very long when they aren't camouflaged in some foliage. They took off unexpectedly and I was only able to get a shot or two of them in the air. Oh, these are Quaker Parakeets, they aren't native around here, but they have established wild colonies all over this part of Florida and points south. They're really something to see. It's really neat when a whole flock of them fly by, flashing those green wings at you up in the air, and the occasional red tailfeather.
You know what, I shot wild parrots in San Francisco once, so I guess I have to take back what I said about only in Florida and Hawaii.
Love the wild parakeets! There's a small flock in the city limits I see fairly frequently. I didn't know they like fast food establishments. : )
ReplyDeleteYes, well... get your story straight. (-:
ReplyDeleteExcellent shots. I don't think we see these around here. Somehow, I expected wild parakeets to dress in little biker jackets. Depends on how wild, I suppose.
We encountered a colony of Quaker Parrots in Brooklyn! It seems several of them escaped in the '60s, and their nest-building talent provides a shelter in the colder months. Eventually we got one of our own as a pet, they are cheeky and very active, but quite loveable too.
ReplyDeleteI'm surprised to hear they can survive that far north. Gets pretty cold up there for a long time. I found out these are likely conyers and not quakers. I think the darker heads is the giveaway.
DeleteQuakers' natural habitat is the high hills of Argentina, so they have to get through some pretty chilly nights. The most famous U.S. Quaker colony is Telegraph Hill in San Francisco (due to the documentary), but in Brooklyn they like Greenwood Cemetery, where they've built big enclosed nests (most parrots don't build nests) in the huge gothic front gates.
DeleteHuh, didn't know that. I remember hunting down the parrots of Telegraph Hill once, but I didn't think they were Quakers since they had red heads, but what do I know? Thanks for the info!
DeleteOops, you are correct! Most of the Telegraph Hill parrots are cherry-headed conures (with some other species mixed in). Here's some info about the Brooklyn birds:
ReplyDeletehttps://brooklynparrots.com/
Cool. I found an old post of the SF parrots.
Deletehttps://ernienotbert.blogspot.com/2007/06/parrots-of-near-lombard-street.html