Subject: Parakeet fodder for thought
Date: Nov 11 14:20:09 1995
From: fredbird - fredbird


An overflight this afternoon by the five Crimson-fronted Parakeets
of Mapleleaf (North Seattle) reminded me that Ive been meaning to
pass along the basic facts from an article in the Nov.-Dec. Bird
Watchers Digest, entitled Neighbors: Parrots and Owls, by Linda
Pearson and Alison Oliver. BWD is not usually a source for technical
ornithological discussions, but this article comes close,
particularly in light of our periodic debates about invasive
species. The article centers around the curious sharing of a Monk
Parakeet nest by resident parakeets and a pair of Great Horned Owls
in suburban Connecticut. Having lived in that area, Im surprised
the locals allowed this cohabitation to exist unopposed. It
certainly violated local zoning law. Never mind.
The owls built their nest atop the parakeet structure, while the
parakeets continued using the nest, accessing interior chambers
through holes located on the underside. The owls raised one young
(1992) and were never observed eating their co-hosts. Here are some
other interesting facts:

The parakeets appeared to be able to survive the New England winters
by staying within about 3 miles of the warmer coast.
They also stayed warm by occupying the huge nests (to six feet long
by four feet wide) year-round, with more than one pair often sharing
a cavity - probably juveniles.
A colonial nester, there were some 40 nests in just on tree. One
hundred and eighty-five parakeets were counted in one tree during
the 1991 xmas count.
They were observed being partial to leaf buds of birch, ash and
maple, as well as assorted wild cherries, crabapples, pears, apples,
and mulberries -- and, reportedly, suet, cracked corn, pine seeds,
and acorns.
There are scattered reports of parakeet damage to local gardens,
but no serious crop damage.

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Fred Bird fredbird at Halcyon.com
1249 NE 92nd St. 206-526-5671 - v
Seattle 98115 206-5226557 - fax