Strange New Flock Member

[Pete Jasinski]

For the past month my feral flock has been graced with the presence of a new member! I know he's not a Pidgie per say but he's been granted honorary flock status. I know there are feral Quaker Parrots living in neighboring states but have never seen them personally in the feather until recently. I hope s/he stays around for the long haul because I've always wanted a Quaker but they're illegal in my state At least I can admire him while feeding.

[Reti]

How cute he is.
You have a nice flock to accept him.
Enjoy your new friend.

Reti

[Trees Gray]

Hi Pete,

Oh, they sure look cool "hanging out" together. Do you think they talk to each other in bird language or politely ignore each other? LOL

Thank you for sharing that picture.


Treesa

[Garye]

Isn't that something! Well at least he adds some color to the flock.

By-the-way, I'm also noticing new additions to the flock I visit. I saw a pigeon who looked almost exactly like my favorite feral, Garye, only this one was darker. I have a feeling this is Garye's baby! I'm so excited!!! Garye is a white feral, which there aren't too many around here with her coloring, and this little one looks like her - complete with the white feathers in the same spots, only its body is darker and of course it's smaller. I've got another Garye to carry on the tradition!

I'll have to call it Garye Junior.

What are you going to call the "green one" if it hangs around?

[Pete Jasinski]

Hi all,
They all seem to get along and mingle but there doesn't look like there's too much interaction between them. I also had a pretty blue and yellow Budgie come visit and eat with the flock today too. My girlfriend named him Sassy because when you get too close he flies up to the nearest branch and growls and sasses you off! I really hope he stays, I'd love to gain his trust and get close to him. I'm so happy you have a new fid in your flock! Best of luck with Garye Jr
Here's Sassy mixed in with some the flock and some Blackbirds.

[pdpbison]

Oh..!

How cute...

Wow, a good sized fellow too...!

Who knows, maybe there is a mate on the Nest somewhere and you might eventually see 'four'...

Lol...

Phil
lasvegas

[Pete Jasinski]

I wish I'd have a whole family visiting! As of now there's only the one, but usually where there's one theres more Time will tell if I'm going to be lucky enough to have the whole family for neighbors.

[John_D]

Most excellent honorary pigeon, Pete!

In southern England, we have a few feral flocks of ring neck parakeets (rose ringed parakeets) and, around a sports ground a couple of counties away, there is a nightly roost of 2000+

Interested in Quakers being illegal where you are - do you mean the keeping of them in aviaries is not permitted?

John

[Pete Jasinski]

Hello John,
Unfortunately Quaker Parrots are illegal to own as pets in many states, they are deemed an agricultural hazard due to the fact that a while back their feral flocks would decimate grain crops. These little guys are very hardy birds that easily survive our northeastern US winters so there are large numbers of them here in NY, NJ and CT plus may other states.
I wish I could see that 2000+ flock of Ring necks! It must be an amazing site having all those keets in one place chirping up a storm.

[Birdmom4ever]

Hi Pete,

It would be good if you could gain that parrot's trust and get a hold of him. My vets have told me that escaped parrots and cockatiels frequently pick up canker/trichomoniasis from hanging out with feral pigeons.

Incidentally, we have a new family member, "Lovey," a masked lovebird. He came to us, landed on top of our patio cover Memorial Day weekend. He's not hand tame but I was able to lure him to my hand, and then in the house, with cockatiel seed. He was very hungry. He sure picked the right house--counting pigeons we have 80 birds! We put up fliers, advertised in the newspaper and posted on a couple Internet lost & found sites for parrots, but no response so far and it's been almost two weeks, so I think he's ours. Or perhaps I should say we're his.

[Pete Jasinski]

Hi BirdMom,

Lovey is one lucky fella to have found you! I feel lost/stray birds come to us for a reason, they sense that their savior is going to be their best chance for a happy and safe existence if they can't be returned to their original homes.

My Nanday Conure Guapo "found" us almost 2 years ago in almost the same circumstances, he just showed up on our front walk and was persuaded inside with a plate of seed. He never looked back or wanted to leave the house again he's very happy here with his new mom, dad and sisters.

I want to catch the Quaker but since he's a feral I feel it's wrong taking him from is natural habitat and possibly a mate and babies. time will tell if he's willing to befriend me but as of now he's not interested in me in the least! He beats a hasty retreat to the nearest branch and beaks me off until I go back inside.

Good Luck with your new Fid!

[Birdmom4ever]

Why, thank you. We are delighted to have Lovey with us, although if you'd asked me before if I wanted another cage bird I'd have said no. But he's a complete charmer. We had no trouble getting him in the spare cage I set up once we'd lured him into the house. He went in on his own and settled down to eat and drink as if he'd lived there all along. We've not yet had to lay a hand on him, though there is a vet visit coming up next week. We let him come out of the cage for exercise in the morning and are easily able to steer him back in.

Yeah, if your Quaker friend is a feral I guess it wouldn't be right to nab him, though it sounds as though you couldn't get close enough anyway. I knew there were feral populations of parrots (there's one in San Francisco) but I didn't realize until your post that they are actually banned in some states because they are so successful as ferals! Sadly ironic since the only native North American psittacine, the Carolina Parakeet, was driven to extinction for the same reason--it ate crops.