I was talking to some friends the other night and they told me something I found pretty amazing. There is a large community of wild parrots flying around Los Angeles County. The how's and why's of this are up for discussion.
Some ornithologists believe the explosion of trees in what used to be a desert landscape has helped to nurture this explosion of tropical birds in the city. Bird from the Amazon have stopped, nested and decided to stay.
Others believe humans are responsible. Owners of parrots and exotic birds have simply let them go after growing tired of caring for them. I've even heard tales of exotic bird stores catching fire and the birds being set free to save their lives. Now, decades later, keen watchers will routinely see swarms of green parrots, yellow chevroned parrots and numerous others, cackling in the trees.
I'm not a bird watcher or a particularly big fan of birds. Urban cities have to deal with pigeons. They are, for all intents and purposes, flying rats. We also have large and extremely loquacious crows. They gather in trees and cackle of what seems like hours. Both of those birds are largely considered nuisances by the public.
This parrot community does, however, make you stop and look. You are so surprised to see such vibrant colors on feral birds. It's not something you can put your finger on. It comes from inside of you. It's as if something completely outside your programmed world has interrupted the broadcast and forced you to pay attention.
For that reason alone, I think it's pretty cool.
0 comments:
Post a Comment