Closing Bell: The Brooklyn Parrot Guru
Bird Channel has an interview with Steve Baldwin, who does the Brooklyn Parrots blog and runs the Wild Parrot Safaris walking tours. Baldwin says the safaris are “a great, undiscovered, undocumented anti-depressant. I’ve actually had a clinically depressed person who came on my trip, and smiled—for the first time in five years!” A Parrot Flock…
Bird Channel has an interview with Steve Baldwin, who does the Brooklyn Parrots blog and runs the Wild Parrot Safaris walking tours. Baldwin says the safaris are “a great, undiscovered, undocumented anti-depressant. I’ve actually had a clinically depressed person who came on my trip, and smiled—for the first time in five years!”
A Parrot Flock Grows in Brooklyn [Bird Channel]
Photo from Brooklyn Parrots.
I live in South Slope and have a host of cardinals in my yard. One pair actually built a nest on top of my backyard fence this spring, and I had the pleasure of seeing their two little one fledge one day. Last year, it was the blue jays who had a nest near the fence and one little jay fledged. Baby birds bouncing around the yard until they got the hang of it!! I hear the nightingales start their warm ups at 1 a.m., and to top it off, the raccoons who come around are actually cute too. Who knew? I think it’s awesome to have this wonderful little window into nature right here in the middle of the city.
There were gray parrots near my last place of residence and a mockingbird colony lives on the current street. One mockingbird–now gone, I think, since I no longer hear him, had the BEST sounds ever in the early morning and evening. He’d go through a repetoire of sounds that included grackles, sparrows, trills,and car alarms. Yeah, there’s my city bird!
The mockingbirds do make an incredible racket. All sorts of noises. I like the cardinal’s song. If you want to attract them to your garden don’t dead-head the sunflowers (that you are surely growing).
Steve is great and has done an amazing job spreading the news about these parrots. And the parrots themselves are awesome!
Steve’s comment about the birds’ anti-depressant effect is spot-on. We had a small colony of them “in residence” across the street near the park for a while, and they cheered me enormously, squawking and tumbling through the trees. They are as green as pistachio nuts. I truly miss them.
I had no idea these existed. I saw one in my backyard once, called the ASPCA thinking someone had a rare bird “escape”. I was afraid it wouldn’t be able to fend for itself. The brusque but informative woman at the ASPCA told me I had nothing to worry about that they were quite common, etc.
I thought I was getting the brush-off. What do I know from Brooklyn Parrots?? Who knew??
We have mockingbirds in the yars behind our street. I understand there are a fair number of them throughout Brooklyn. They are truly amazing with a repertoire of abot 12-15 different calls.
Since we’re talkin’ birds, I’ve noticed a family of cardinals around the Promenade. Nice change of pace from the usual city birds…
I’m totally fascinated with these (and birds in general). I’ve still never seen on in Brooklyn though…been meaning to get down to Greenwood Cemetary to catch a glimpse!