Monday, November 17, 2008

Grey Bird on a Grey Day

We complain about desertification, we complain about water rationing, we hope and pray for rain...but after a few days of it...we wish it would go away and our beautiful sunny skies would return! Is it just human nature to want whatever we don't have?
Molfetta has been invaded by parrots in the past decade. How they arrived here - in what is definitely a non-tropical environment - is the stuff of local urban legend. The prevailing theory is that a pair of these small green parrots escaped from a ship docked off shore and made their home in a large palm tree in the Madonna delle Rose neighborhood. Ten or fifteen years ago there was just one big nest full of parrots...now they have spread out all over town. The fields around my house are chock full of them and I hear their squawking and see them zooming from tree to tree every day.

The hard part is capturing them on film. They, like all birds, are fast when they fly by. And they tend to roost in the green trees, where they blend in completely. This morning they happened to be flying by while I shot the photo of the two doves on the telephone lines. I don't think they're identifiable as parrots here, but...trust me...they are!

6 comments:

Unknown said...

Last year I was surprised to see a big green long tailed parrot on a palmtree near my place; the other day I saw 5 of them! This means they are thriving here too as parrots are not migrating birds.

Knoxville Girl said...

I like how they're all fluttering around - a true invasion! San Francisco has a parrot population too - I saw some near Coit Tower when I was visiting the city. What is is with parrots and cities?

Pietro Brosio said...

Two charming compositions.

Saretta said...

I had no idea there were worldwide parrot infestations! Goodness, next thing you know we'll be considering them pests!

Ming the Merciless said...

There is an infestation in Brooklyn too. Apparently, they colonized one of the big cemeteries there.

Now, there are guided tours of the cemetery to see the parrots. :-)

Anonymous said...

I see them from time to time here in Tokyo. Usually in pairs.