Hanging Out with the Brooklyn Parrots

It's been a while since we wrote about those cool Brooklyn Monk Parrots, but we were reminded of them in a big way when we visited Green-Wood Cemetery this weekend. As we were leaving, we heard their unique squawking. It's a sound unlike any other bird you'll hear in New York City. We looked down and saw two of them playing in the grass. Then, we looked up and saw another pair in the trees. At that point, we trained our telephoto on the gate, where we know they nest, and it didn't disappoint.

We wonder about whether the outrageous parrot poaching problem has diminished or is still going on. A couple of months ago, Brooklyn parrot expert Steve Baldwin actually removed his parrot map from his Brooklyn Parrots website. The fact that Mr. Baldwin had to drop the map to protect the birds is very, very sad. In any case, if you're around Green-Wood Cemetery, check the birds out. They will put a smile on your face no matter how rough a day you are having.