Wild Parrots

When we first moved to this neighborhood over four years ago, I was out walking the dog one afternoon and a flock of parrots flew overhead.  They landed in a large tree about half a block in front of us.  They were noisy, but it was fascinating to watch them.  The flock contained roughly twenty birds.  I told my husband about them later that evening, but he didn't believe me.  His faith in my ability to identify birds is...not what it should be.

Now, years later, the parrots of Burbank are making the news (click "news" to see the article).  This morning, we were entertained during our entire forty-five minute walk.  It was like we had an escort as the birds flew over us, squaking at each other in the tree for minutes before moving on to the next location.  I love when I see them.

How did they get there?  We frequently hear in the classroom, "I had a bird, but my dad let it go."  People don't realize how much work a bird like a parrot takes.  They're very social creatures who won't be content to live out their looooong lives (50+ years) in a small cage.  They want to bond with you.  They crave that interaction.  When they don't get it, they can become very loud with their protesting.  Many people think they can just let it go because it's a bird (side note:  we don't just hear about parents letting birds go - they let bunnies, cats, reptiles go when they get tired of taking care of them).  Luckily for these parrots, they've been able to find each other.  But what will become of the Burbank parrots when enough people complain about the noise?  Will they be captured and relocated?  Captured and killed?  Captured and sold?  I only hope that those of us most vocal about these magnificent birds are tolerant of them and their right to live here now that they've been set free.

Here is a video of our birds (so you can get an idea of size and noise level):



Do you have flocks of parrots in your area?  Would you be able to tolerate the noise level?