Daily Archives: January 2, 2014

What to Expect in January

Opossum Meadowlands-001
We always think a good way to predict what’s ahead is to take a look at what happened during the same month the previous year. Here are some highlights.

Jan. 9: O! Opossum! (Photo by Chris Takacs)

Jan. 17: Horned Larks Still @ Laurel Hill

Jan. 26: Marco Van Brabant’s Spectacular Sunrise

Jan. 29: Redpolls, Red-shoulder @ Losen Slote

Jan. 30: Disposal Road Bald Eagle Is From Connecticut!

Monk Parakeet Article in The NY Times

1-IMG_5220A recent  article in The New York Times is about Monk Parakeets in New York, not Ridgefield, but a lot of useful information…

Here’s a sample:

They are natives of central and southern Argentina, where steamy summers are common and snowy winters have prepared them well for life in the five boroughs.

In New York City, the monk parrot has generated volumes of urban mythology. It is one of many animals reputed to have colonized the Northeast through broken shipping crates and other misadventures at Kennedy Airport, but its current presence in Belgium, Britain, Israel, Spain, Chicago, Cincinnati, Rhode Island, Wisconsin and of course New York City implies a less romantic explanation.

Monk parrots were popular pets in the 1970s, easily trained and cooperative. So a global pandemic of smashed shipping crates is less likely than occasional releases — intentional and not. Though there may have been occasional shipping mishaps, pet owners are probably at least as responsible for this parrot’s spread.

The link is here.