Wild in the USA
I thoroughly enjoyed my introduction to ParrotChronicles.com and just had to comment after reading the article on feral parrots (Born Wild in the USA (March-April 2003). A few miles from me in Fort Worth, Texas, is a tree that contain perhaps 100 or more Quaker (monk) parakeets. We love to drive over, park and watch. The birds are as curious about us as we are about them.

From what I have been able to learn, this flock started out with a pair of escapees. Sparrows enjoy the benefits, too. There are margarine tubs hung on the fence with seed and water, and the trees are full of enormous twig and stick nests. It's sure noisy, but I would love to live across the street so I could sit on my porch and enjoy the antics.

Also, in Everman, a small community next to Fort Worth, along Enon Road are several blocks of Quakers. They've built on all the transformer poles, including those in front of the fire and police stations. When I first visited them, there were much bigger nests. I don't know if the tornado that went through last year knocked them down or if they were knocked down by humans. All I know is that the nests are back, only there are more nests than ever before.

If anyone would ever like to do a story on the Fort Worth quakers, I would love to show them to you. Here's a website on the ones in Fort Worth: Beyond Cathy's Back Yard.

Okay, now I need to get back to your magazine. Thanks for the most interesting bird magazine I've found.

--Linda Morgan, Fort Worth

I read your article on feral parrots with great interest. There is a large group of feral Mexican red-headed Amazons (30+ parrots in the group) that have lived in the Ocean Beach area of San Diego for many years. Apparently, they make quite a racket as they fly over homes in the area. Also, a lone blue-and-gold macaw has been spotted visiting the outdoor cage of a captive blue-and-gold macaw.

--Amy Meade, San Diego, CA

There is one more place in California that has a "famous flock" - Point Loma in San Diego. Last summer my husband and I attended the retirement of our daughter and spent a few hours in her home on Point Loma. Toward sunset a large flock of birds flew over and landed on the phone lines near her home. She told us that they were a flock of wild parrots. Being a lover and owner of a blue-headed pionus, and loving any birds, I started talking to the birds. They flew closer to my location and looked at me with inquiring tilt of their heads. They stayed around for about half an hour. Our daughter said they'd never done that before, and that the next morning they all came back looking for the "bird lady". She said they repeated this behavior for several days following our visit. Thought you should investigate this and let Laura LaFay know about them.

I love your articles and can't wait to receive each one! Thank you for a job well done!

--Cheryl Harber, Bigfork, Montana

I have concerns for these wonderful birds. People capturing them and putting them in inappropiate cages, as many do. Farmers killing them because they are foraging on their crops and people that kill birds just for the fun of it. I would prefer that they were not introduced here in the U.S. and kept in their native countries. Living in cities and the like is just going to cause suffering for the birds. People are just not that interested in birds as they are cats and dogs. I know this from my experience as a private parrot rescue organization and also from working at the Michigan Humane Society. Education is strongly needed. Once we start feeding and sustaining them, it needs to be an ongoing project - who's going to do it in the long term? I wish there was an alternative.

--Jo Anne Alexander, joannealexander@msn.com

This article was really great. It was great to learn all the places that the birds now live in the states. I had wondered how parrots survived the Chicago cold. Thanks for the answer.

I enjoy the ParrotChronicles issues and the material included. This is a super resource. Keep up the good woork.

--Donna, dbabao@hotmail.com

We live in Hollywood and have a flock of possibly the same type of parrots sighted in San Francisco. A large tree in front of our home is a hangout for about five to eight of them and they usually fly away and rejoin a much larger group of about 20 others. They make wonderful noise and have bright red heads and rich green bodies. A neighbor told me that they are possibly from a group of birds that escaped during a Pasadena pet shop fire years ago. Whether that is true or not I don't know, but it makes for a great urban myth.

--Diana, dianam@bcbg.com

The conures of Telegraph Hill
As always, all your articles are awesome and thanks so much to all the contributing people. I feel especially close to Mark Bittner (Friend of the Flock: Mark Bittner and the parrots of Telegraph Hill (March-April 2003). because we have seen his birds almost monthly. It was such a thrill to know he had come back "home"!

--Gae Thiel, San Francisco

Pet insurance a rip-off?
I think it is a rip-off. If insurance only covers instances where the sentence does not begin with the word "if", what good is it? (See Insurance test case (March-April 2003). I agree $1300 is a lot to pay, but the chances are greater that the insurance would not have covered Nelson's treatments. How horrible Nelson's owner would have felt, and how ripped off, had she paid for the insurance for years under the premise that if anything happened all would be covered, only to find out that her money had not been wisely invested. Plus, the customer service and cooperation of this company seems to leave a lot to be desired.

Thankfully, I have not had reason to take my birds to the vet for anything other than checkups; however, insurance is supposed to offer a much broader spectrum of coverage than what VPI offers, so what is the premium for?

--Karen Smith, Kansas City, Kansas

I was touched by Ms. Bocchiaro's story and plight. (See Who will pay the vet bill for birds? (March-April 2003). Is there a fund established to help her? I would like to contribute.

--Robert, Robert_Eckstein@ca9.uscourts.gov

Yes, there is a fund. Readers who would like to help Lisa pay her $4400 veterinarian bill can send a check to Clifford R. Lundin, attorney at law, 378 Maxim Dr., Andover, NJ 07821. Make the check out to Hopatcong Animal Haven. Your gift is tax deductible. --Editor

--Lynda, lynjupiter@comcast.net

Needs music box fix
I have a music box that Shakespeare, a cockatiel, plays. It is a yellow plastic house with a perch that activates the movement. It plays the Minute Waltz and Shakespeare sings along with it. The movement has died and I need to replace it because Shakespeare misses it terribly. Can you help me with this? Regards from the Rust Belt of Northeastern Ohio.

--Leonidas Alteno, cwo5alt@earthlink.net

A word from Pretty Boy
Pretty-boy, baby Hercules, Ivory and I just love this magazine. It makes plenty sense to me - I can explain a lot to my three cockatiels when something is not right or even when something is right. I'm 17 years old, still learning a lot. Pretty-boy is always telling me, "Momma, when are you going to look at ParrotChronicles?" Ivory tells me, "Mom, something's not right today, you are supposed to be looking at ParrotChronicles!" We just wanted to let you know how we feel about ParrotChronicles - it's the best magazine out there online. Keep up the great work!

--Lisa, ivorystorm@aol.com

Roll your own bird toys
I am very thankful for this great information on toys (Roll your own bird toys, January-February 2003) for my blue-and-gold macaw. I always have trouble finding great products for my bird, Crackers, an abandoned bird I rescued from my job at Animal Control. I am happy to report that she is a very happy and healthy bird.

--Christine Stefanec, Chicago

ParrotChronicles.com

-------