This is worth forwarding to Tweeters, I think:

Phil Hotlen
Bellingham, WA
-------------- Forwarded Message: --------------
From: Devorah Bennu <birdologist at yahoo.com>
To: vogelfreund at comcast.net
Subject: Re: [Tweeters] On the lighter side of exotics...
Date: Sat, 1 Dec 2007 23:52:53 +0000
> hi phil,
>
> did you know that the rump feathers of female
> peach-faced lovebirds have special modifications that
> help them "grab" nesting materials? they are
> microhooks that hold on to these objects that the
> females use.
>
> there also are some fascinating hybrid studies where
> peach-faced lovebirds were hybridized with masked
> lovebirds, and the data show that the birds could not
> build a nest; they tried to put nexting material in
> their rump feathers but didn't seem to know what to do
> with them once they had accomplished this (nevermind
> that the nest materials did not stick anyway).
>
> devorah
> GrrlScientist
>
> --- vogelfreund at comcast.net wrote:
>
> > We aquired our Peach-faced Lovebird as an orphan
> > that flew into a tent of Boy Scouts during a fierce
> > thunderstorm on Mt. Lemon above Tucson, AZ in 1970.
> > It was passed around, and when I saw it I knew I had
> > to have it. We named it "Cutie", because that's what
> > its call sounded like, with the accent on the last
> > sylllable - as if asking a question. We let it fly
> > around the house (duplex on Ft. Huachuca). Its
> > friend was a Curve-billed Thrasher outside. They
> > liked to call to each other. I think it (lovebird)
> > was a female, since she liked to build a nest behind
> > books in the bookcase. She made strips from
> > newspaper and inserted them into her blue rump
> > feathers, then flew with this new tail to her
> > hiideaway behind the books.
> >
> > Phil Hotlen
> > Bellingham, WA
> >
> > -------------- Original message
> > ----------------------
> > From: "Mason Flint" <masonflint at hotmail.com>
> > > All the Monk Parakeet talk reminded me of my
> > recent trip to Phoenix.
> > >
> > >
> > >
> > > I was there with my family, visiting my in-laws
> > but managed to sneak in a
> > > one full day of birding. After seeing a lot of
> > typical Arizona birds as well
> > > as a Northern Jacana (not an "exotic" but fairly
> > exotic nonetheless) at a
> > > golf course in Casa Grande I stopped at Gilbert
> > Water Ranch just south/east
> > > of Phoenix. Among the local birds I saw a nice
> > flock of
> > >
> >
> <http://www.peteducation.com/article.cfm?cls=15&cat=1840&articleid=2330>
> > > Peach-faced Lovebirds and a Grey Goaway
> > >
> >
> <http://www.azfo.org/gallery/grey_go_away_gilbert_2007.html>
> > Bird.. I
> > > certainly didn't expect either species but got
> > great looks, took notes and
> > > did online research when I got back to a computer
> > to ID the birds. It turns
> > > out both have been seen there for some time.. For
> > a few minutes there I
> > > forgot that I was in suburban Phoenix. I also
> > managed to scare up a
> > > Tennessee Warbler which was pretty cool.
> > >
> > >
> > >
> > > The Lovebirds and Goaway Bird made me want to head
> > to the tropics for some
> > > birding!
> > >
> > >
> > >
> > > Regarding Monk Parakeets, I remember seeing them
> > in orchards in up-state New
> > > York back in the 70's. They were considered pests
> > by the farmers.
> > >
> > >
> > >
> > > Mason Flint
> > >
> > > Bellevue, WA
> > >
> > >
> > >
> >
> >
> > > From: "Mason Flint" <masonflint at hotmail.com>
> > To: <tweeters at u.washington.edu>
> > Subject: [Tweeters] On the lighter side of
> > exotics...
> > Date: Thu, 29 Nov 2007 05:42:34 +0000
> >
> > All the Monk Parakeet talk reminded me of my recent
> > trip to Phoenix.
> >
> >
> >
> > I was there with my family, visiting my in-laws but
> > managed to sneak in a
> > one full day of birding. After seeing a lot of
> > typical Arizona birds as well
> > as a Northern Jacana (not an "exotic" but fairly
> > exotic nonetheless) at a
> > golf course in Casa Grande I stopped at Gilbert
> > Water Ranch just south/east
> > of Phoenix. Among the local birds I saw a nice flock
> > of
> >
> <http://www.peteducation.com/article.cfm?cls=15&cat=1840&articleid=2330>
> > Peach-faced Lovebirds and a Grey Goaway
> >
> <http://www.azfo.org/gallery/grey_go_away_gilbert_2007.html>
> > Bird.. I
> > certainly didn't expect either species but got great
> > looks, took notes and
> > did online research when I got back to a computer to
> > ID the birds. It turns
> > out both have been seen there for some time.. For a
> > few minutes there I
> > forgot that I was in suburban Phoenix. I also
> > managed to scare up a
> > Tennessee Warbler which was pretty cool.
> >
> >
> >
> > The Lovebirds and Goaway Bird made me want to head
> > to the tropics for some
> > birding!
> >
> >
> >
> > Regarding Monk Parakeets, I remember seeing them in
> > orchards in up-state New
> > York back in the 70's. They were considered pests by
> > the farmers.
> >
> >
> >
> > Mason Flint
> >
> > Bellevue, WA
> >
> >
> >
> > > _______________________________________________
> > Tweeters mailing list
> > Tweeters at u.washington.edu
> >
> http://mailman1.u.washington.edu/mailman/listinfo/tweeters
> > > _______________________________________________
> > Tweeters mailing list
> > Tweeters at u.washington.edu
> >
> http://mailman1.u.washington.edu/mailman/listinfo/tweeters
> >
>
>
>
>
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