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[kbshcb]

Beautiful snowy!

Happy Wednesday!

eaglesrock - nice to see you here in the Beak, even under such terrible circumstances. One foot in front of the other is all one can expect of oneself.

Lisa - I found some spring Gouda at Whole Foods a few days ago..finally. I think you said Jeff likes it?

Oof, a very large German Shepherd, You all know my favorite breed, was loose in front of my house, then backtracked to poop by my front door....poor thing is probably very stressed and an escapee as she had a metal collar on her. I posted about her in my local fb page but saw no one driving around looking for her. She left rapidly towards busy streets. Makes me nervous but I'll pray she finds herself home soon.
I picked it up and watered it in as otherwise Ollie might wonder....it was very loose and yellow. Safety.

Wow, my forsythia is opening it's yellow flowers!

[camperstig]

bounce

((((  EaglesRock  ))))  Keep Looking UP

Just back from the pool. When "Mom n Dad" came to pick up Rosie yesterday we were surprised to see their daughter! She and her Dad had conspired and surprised the Mom by her coming home for a couple of weeks after graduation and before she "ships" off to San Diego for her stint on the USS Abraham Lincoln. https://www.airpac.navy.mil/Organization/USS-Abraham-Lincoln-CVN-72/
She is now a Mass Communication Specialist Seaman. Rosie was very happy to see them all and didn't look back.
Camper put a replacement on my chair for me. We call him "Nosie". Aw... my lap is still warm. How nice of him to think ahead and bring him home for me/us.

My edited portrait of Rosie
"Nosie"

[LisaG1967]

kb - I bought some of the Gouda when I stopped there the other day to look for the Irish soda bread!  I also bought some fresh made jumbo lump crab cakes from the seafood market.  They were delicious!  I will buy them again.  I like making my own, but these were REALLY good!

tig - Aww, cute of Rosie.

[Phyl]

How these parrots went from the tropical jungle to the concrete jungle
The colorful birds have become a common sight across Los Angeles county, and in addition to amusing locals, they may provide a lifeline for threatened populations in their native habitats.


 

ByChris Iovenko

7 min read

Temple City, California, is an unassuming city east of Pasadena that’s home to the usual busy thoroughfares, shopping malls, and residential neighborhoods that one expects in densely developed Los Angeles County. And in addition to people and their pets, Temple City hosts a surprising avian population.

At dusk, hundreds of wild parrots, some in large flocks, some singly or in pairs, approach from all directions, squawking loudly and circling overhead before settling on a variety of roosts. The brightly colored birds create a spectacle as they land in trees, on power lines, and on cell towers, but what makes them so distinctive is the racket they make.

In the dying light of a recent November evening, I watched as a particularly large flock of green parrots settled into a nearby tree, and thus camouflaged disappeared among the branches. Out of sight, the overwhelming cacophony of the birds seemed to come from everywhere and nowhere at once. The commotion made it easy to understand why a gathering of parrots is called a pandemonium. The squawking sounded chaotic and random, then suddenly the birds went silent, as if a switch had been flipped.

“Look,” said Luke Tiller, my parrot guide and the chapter president of the Pasadena Audubon Association as he pointed at a distinct speck in the sky. “A falcon.”

Tiller explained that flock behavior offers protection to the parrots. Individual parrots alert the flock to danger through vocalizations, and many birds means many watchful eyes. Additionally, the sheer size of the flock deters predators like falcons and hawks from targeting the parrots. As soon as the falcon flew off, the parrots resumed their raucous cries.

Witnessing the parrots returning to their evening roost was a startling and capitivating experience, seemingly at odds with the dense urban environment. It also begged the question: How did these parrots, and others like them across Los Angeles, come to live so far from their native habitats in an environment that is completely different?

Like most good Hollywood stories, the origin of Los Angeles’s thriving wild parrot population is debated and shrouded in myth. Some trace it back to the closure of Busch Gardens Van Nuys in the 1970s, which could have resulted in the release of captive birds into the city environment. There are also unconfirmed stories of mass parrot releases during the 1992 riots, as well as tales of parrots being freed during a fire at a pet store in Pasadena in the 1990s.

“My guess is there’s probably a kernel of truth in most of those stories,” says Jamie Gilardi, the executive director of World Parrot Trust. “I don’t think anyone ever did it intentionally. Parrots are valuable, so they’re probably accidental releases.”

The parrots certainly didn’t make it to Los Angeles on their own. No extant species of parrot has lived in the continental United States since the native Carolina Parakeet went extinct over 100 years ago. The pet trade in one form or another brought these birds to Los Angeles.

Parrots are popular household pets, and some can live to be 80 years old. With over 30 species of parrots currently living in the Los Angeles area, it’s likely that pet birds have escaped over the years and made their way to flocks where they found mates and reproduced.

Unlike many non-native species, L.A.’s parrots are relatively benign and haven’t displaced native birds, and therefore aren’t considered invasive by the state of California. The parrots’ main impact has been to amuse or annoy people during the raucous overflights of large flocks. However, due to the severe decline of one species in its native landscape, there may be an important second act for L.A.’s parrots.

The most commonly seen parrot in Los Angeles is the red-crowned parrot, which is native to a small region of northeastern Mexico. Native populations of these birds have been decimated by the illegal pet trade and habitat loss, declining by 95 percent. The birds have been red-listed by the International Union for Conservation of Nature as an endangered species.

Experts believe the Los Angeles red-crowned parrot population, estimated at over 3,000 birds, is now larger than the remnant population in Mexico. There also might be considerable genetic diversity in L.A.’s parrots, a feature that could prove to be a lifeline for Mexico’s endangered population.

Researchers at the Moore Laboratory of Zoology at Occidental College in L.A. are currently studying the DNA of Los Angeles’ red-crown parrot population and comparing it with DNA from preserved Mexican parrots collected from the 1930s to the 1950s to determine if the L.A. parrots really are direct descendants. If so, then the avian Angelenos could indeed be a valuable “rescue population” for their endangered relatives, says John McCormack, the director of the Moore Laboratory.

“We had these samples that were collected before the pet trade even existed,” says McCormack. “We have the original record of the DNA and genomes of the species, so now we can do a historical DNA comparison to the birds that are in L.A. today.” Some parrot species will interbreed, and McCormack says the DNA analysis will reveal whether the Los Angeles birds are pure genetic descendants of the Mexican parrots or whether they are hybrids.

“From a conservation perspective, and thinking about this as a rescue population for declines in the wild, you are more interested in the pure parrots and establishing that there are reservoirs of the pure native genomes here in Los Angeles,” says McCormack.

Concurrently through iNaturalist, and under the auspices of the Moore Laboratory, there is a citizen science project called the Free-Flying Los Angeles Parrot Project that documents sightings. The project has recorded over 7,000 parrot sightings made by nearly 2,000 members across Southern California.

Although the Los Angeles parrot population seems to be growing and thriving, it does face threats from humans. A recent video on TikTok shows a man in in Temple City taking parrots that had been captured in nets and putting them in his car. Red-crowned parrots are desirable pets and can sell for up to $2,200 each, which is presumably the motive for poaching them. Residents were outraged by the video, and animal control took down the nets that had been placed in the trees.

Since parrots are a non-native species, they don’t have the same legal protections that native birds do. A state law prohibits the capture of wild animals, which makes it illegal to harm or capture Los Angeles’s wild parrots. However, when L.A. County sheriff’s deputies went to the man in the video’s house, they didn’t find the parrots and determined that the man had not set the nets up. No charges were filed.

The illegal pet trade still poses a threat to the red-crowned parrots, perhaps even those in Los Angeles. However, the current threat seems minimal, and conservationists hope that Los Angeles parrots might someday return to their native habitat to help restore a species on the brink.

“There's an irony there that the pet trade which is endangering them in their native range has basically seeded this potential rescue population that appears to be thriving in Los Angeles,” says McCormack.

[karengramke]

Good afternoon!   High of 73 today, currently 71.  80 something tomorrow and for the next few days!   Too hot too soon but the flowers are opening on the azaleas  and things!  Pretty!  Piper and I are home alone today!  Normal for Wednesday.   E 23 still home in the nest tree as of a few minutes ago!  All the talk of soda bread is making me want some but in the back of my mind, I dont think it is on my list of favorite carbs!   
Going to do set 1 of 3 exercizes before the day is over!

[tsk34]

CLYNN  Owl:  How cute with the grater, measuring spoons etc...I see you are giving us a tour of the best of the USA 

KB    I love snowies.      Oh the poor German Shepherd.  Stressed. Glad you posted - hopefully someone will come forward.

TIG   What a great surprise for Mom    Nice to have a couple weeks home before shipping out on that magnificent ship.    Camper is a honey 

PHYL   Interesting about the parrots and glad to see they are surviving.

[BrokenLug]

This isn't a subscription article.
One might revise their internet settings/firewall  etc.  Thanks.

How these parrots went from the tropical jungle to the concrete jungle
The colorful birds have become a common sight across Los Angeles county, and in addition to amusing locals, they may provide a lifeline for threatened populations in their native habitats.


 

Phyls we have a similar situation with Monk parakeets here in Bergen County, NJ where we live.

https://weirdnj.com/stories/bizarre-beasts/edgewater-parrots/

 

[baziunc]

(((Eaglesrock29))), oh my, I am sooo glad you stopped in at The Beak and shared what you have been going through. Prayers for comfort and healing from your grief and heavy load, for sure. You will be in our thoughts here in The Beak, rest assured. I love what you wrote about your profile signature - it's beautiful. Take care, and visit here as often as you can - just to perch, or to drop a line, anytime. Hugs! 

  For Eaglesrock29 - an illustration of her profile signature: 

[baziunc]

SWFL - 3/10/24 -   What a sight to see! 🦅The wind beneath my wings. 🦅. little one taking full advantage of the breezy conditions, and I believe has reached his highest this morning. Kim Kelly



Utah Desert, Moab, Utah                                            Double Arch, Utah
 

Clynn, all 3 of the pics you posted are just incredible wonders in this world!    Yes, my Carolina burger was as you described, with onions, too. It looked exactly like the picture you posted!  It was to die for, and I ate the whole thing!!     You have a blast with the little ones today! 



Waving to All the Beakers! It's a beautiful day here, so I am headed out for a walk. Take care, All! 

[karengramke]

Clynn, are you ready to join the kitties for a nap? Why were the little ones out of school today?  So many days off now that we never had.   Interesting and hard to follow.  Are they offduring .easter?

Anxious to see what the dna testing on the parrots shows.  Escapees or migrationsfor food, Parentage?  I should do one on myself.  Lol

[clynndunn]

karen, it's Spring Break! And yes, I will be ready for a nap soon!

baz, I started following a couple of FB pages showing all the beauty in the USA! There are so many places!

Phyl, good story of the parrots, amazing!

Seven Teacups, Springville, California

[tsk34]

BL   Eliza D's grandpa was the cause of it all  Funny story.  Monk parrots are pretty birds.

CLYNN   What a fun day I bet you had with the kids it being so nice outside.  Did S&S survive all the loves from Bella?  LOL  I'm wanting to know too, - have you let Harley meet S&S yet?   Seven Teacups - Very unusual and pretty.

Cut the roses down today and then removed the remaining stalks of perennials I left for interest in the winter we did not have 

[LisaG1967]

Phyl - Interesting read about the parrots.

karen - Hope the exercises all went ok.

baz - Waving back to ya!

clynn - Fun day with the munchkins??

tsk - You are getting a head start with the gardening. 

Have a good night, everyone 

[karengramke]

Lisa, the part of the set of 5 where I lay down and put my head down and turn it 45 degrees is not fun.  At the end of day 4 it may be a tad better!   10 more days to go! 
Bl, did you grow up in Bergen county?  Lovely area! thought a drive I took along the Hudson, years ago was beautiful!

Seds Beakers!   (baz, have a burger and fries once every month or two)

[Phyl]

Tsk like your Shamrock this AM;     Jim once said he has some Irish  ancestry--wonder if he's like some soda bread;  glad  you enjoyed the parrots---I think there's on on monarchs?

CLynn some enterprising person did a cool job on that owl wind chime    ;  that Carolina Burger        yikes cole slaw      SWFL -youngster testing
the wind and it's lift awwww.    Utah Desert, Moab, Utah  /Double Arch, Utah there's an piece in Jan/Feb Archaeology magazine about North America's 1000 year
drought  in The Great Basin 'When the Water Dried Up". Half of the state of Utah is part of this basin ; Did you get your nap?   7 Teacups Mother Nature got creative.

Lisa how'd it go at ENT?

KB awesome Snowy Owl---Harry Potter's  familiar was such an owl.  Roses and Red bud all budding

Tig cute little Rosie

{{{Karen}}}
you and Piper take care; I'd like to know more about your 'exercises'.

BL interesting article "The Wild Parrots of Edgewater" Thanks