We have had a Blue-crowned Parakeet (Aratinga acuticaudata) hanging around
our garden this afternoon and evening. It arrived not long after the June
issue of *Birding* with the article by Pranty and Garret on the parrot fauna
of the U.S. (excellent photographs of this species).

Possibly the bird has been in the area for a few days already -- at least we
have heard what could have been it -- but today we saw it closely and often.
It seems relatively tame. Escaped bird, no doubt? Or maybe Seattle,
following the lead of Florida and California, is about to acquire a small
resident population of this species?

If you have any suggestions about how to connect with people looking for
lost birds, please contact me off-list.

Hal Opperman
Medina, Washington (suburb of Bellevue)
hal at catharus.net