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Birds

They were in the habit of flying over every afternoon at about 4:00.  The squawking, unmistakable, alerted everyone to their presence.  Try thinking something akin to a crow with a sore throat and a megaphone.

Yesterday, the noise did not fade or stop. It did not take me long to spot a pair parrots in the Norfolk pine across the street.  I was surprised to see how large they were.  Perhaps in my mind I confuse them with parakeets.

I don't have a camera that would capture them atop forty- to fifty-foot tall tree. This picture, from Florida's Wild Parrots, is very close to what I saw though.


more here

I have seen parrots in Venice before, but this year I have noticed them more and more.  There was one species of parrot indigenous to Florida, but it is now extinct.  The parrot population now seen in Florida are descendants of escapees from the pet trade in exotic tropical birds.  They have adapted well since the weather tends to be familiar and so do many of the non-native plants that have been imported for landscaping.

Everything you may have wanted to know about Florida parrots in the wild can be found here.


In other Florida bird news--the baby Sandhill cranes are growing up, no longer little yellow fluff balls with legs:


Comments

  1. Linda ReederApril 27, 2016 at 10:39 PM

    You know you are not in Vermont when you see parrots in your trees! And baby cranes! Cool.

    ReplyDelete
  2. BarbaraApril 27, 2016 at 11:31 PM

    Wow. Those parrots are amazing. Birds are so much fun. Just adds a little color - and music sometimes - to your day.

    ReplyDelete
  3. Granny AnnieApril 28, 2016 at 6:22 AM

    I wondered if these wild parrots are often caught and kept for pets. I clicked on the site you offered in an effort to see if that questions might be answered. I found Everything You Want To Know About Parrots...but don't have time to learn:-( Very interesting post Olga.

    ReplyDelete
  4. Misadventures of WidowhoodApril 28, 2016 at 7:40 AM

    Beautiful birds! Up here in Michigan the most colorful we get are Cardinals. We do get the cranes if you're in the country. I love watching them walk.

    ReplyDelete
  5. AnonymousApril 28, 2016 at 11:27 AM

    I don't see flocks of parrots here in Hawaii. But, I would not welcome the noise from birds that you have been hearing. A few chirps and bird song, yes, but not noise. Lol.

    ReplyDelete
  6. Arkansas PattiApril 28, 2016 at 4:04 PM

    So happy to learn the escapees are living long and propagating. Aren't those baby sandhills just the cutest?

    ReplyDelete
  7. UnknownMay 1, 2016 at 4:27 PM

    How interesting! Orange County (California) has a lot of wild green parrots, too. You described their squawking perfectly! They have a similar back story, too. They supposedly got lose during a fire at an exotic bird store! They are truly beautiful but loud!

    ReplyDelete
  8. Jenn JilksMay 2, 2016 at 9:02 AM

    They are so cute! I love birding!

    ReplyDelete
  9. KayMay 5, 2016 at 3:09 AM

    What a coincidence! I have a blog post going up next week about the red-masked parrots. They're beautiful, but a horrendous pain over here.

    ReplyDelete

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