Total Pageviews

Monk Parrots Find Freedom

Johann Schumacher

Staring at a parrot flying through the biting cold of Queens, it is easy to imagine its escape from the warmth of someone’s home, and just as easy to picture its brief future. But looks can be deceiving.

The monk or Quaker parrot (Myiopsitta monachus) has made a home in New York City for four or five decades now. Tropical green, with blue wing tips, monk parrots measure about 12 inches from beak to tail. They are natives of central and southern Argentina, where steamy summers are common and snowy winters have prepared them well for life in the five boroughs.

In New York City, the monk parrot has generated volumes of urban mythology. It is one of many animals reputed to have colonized the Northeast through broken shipping crates and other misadventures at Kennedy Airport, but its current presence in Belgium, Britain, Israel, Spain, Chicago, Cincinnati, Rhode Island, Wisconsin and of course New York City implies a less romantic explanation. Monk parrots were popular pets in the 1970s, easily trained and cooperative. So a global pandemic of smashed shipping crates is less likely than occasional releases â€" intentional and not. Though there may have been occasional shipping mishaps, pet owners are probably at least as responsible for this parrot’s spread.

Interestingly, monks are by no means the first colorful parrot to have graced North America’s skies. A New Yorker in the early 19th century would not have had to travel far to see Carolina parakeets (Conuropsis carolinensis), the only truly native parrot in North America. Now largely forgotten, these beautiful yellow-headed, red-cheeked birds were once regularly sighted throughout southern New York State.

The bird’s interest in our crops, and the millinery trade’s interest in its feathers, conspired against it. By the late 1800s the Carolina parakeet was rare, and like its better known contemporary, the passenger pigeon, it was extinct by the early years of the 20th century. All that remains of the bird today are one of John James Audubon’s most haunting engravings and some study skins.

Monk parrots have steadily extended their range into a Northeast devoid of the Carolina parakeet. They are the only parrots known to construct twig nests, and aside from the unmistakable sounds of parrot screeching, these sometimes huge structures are often the best indicator of the birds’ presence in a community.

They can be seen all across the city: In the Bronx they can be observed in Pelham Bay; in Manhattan, on the Upper West Side and occasionally in Central Park. They can also be found in eastern Queens in Howard Beach, throughout Staten Island, and most points in between.

One of the most compelling places to observe these birds is in Brooklyn. They can be seen on telephone poles in Gravesend, Marine Park and Midwood, often dangerously incorporating transformer boxes as nests’ central heating units. Greenwood Cemetery hosts one of the largest colonies in the city. The interwoven mass of twigs and birds turns the cemetery’s gothic main gate into a living sculpture. At 25th Street and Fifth Avenue, it houses dozens of parrots in all seasons.



A Fellow Lover of Smoked-Fish Ends

Dear Diary:

I was crouched in Fairway, squinting at smoked salmon ends, when I sensed someone behind me. I assumed another shopper was waiting to get through the smoked fish, dry salami, won-ton wrapper area, but when I stood and gestured for the white-haired man to pass, he said, “I’m waiting to do just what you’re doing.”

I’ve never met someone else who scrutinizes the bits of nova and gravlax that remain, sold in plastic containers, after the gorgeous pink slices are sheared off.

“What do you look for?” I asked, staring. (I scan for some ineffable quality of juiciness; properly chosen, it’s better than the full-price stuff, but today’s selection was only so-so.)

“I’m not sure,” he said, thoughtfully. The lines on his face suggested he had looked at lox for decades. “That one looks good to me â€" juicy.”

“To me, too.” We smiled.

“Have it,” I said, handing it to him.

“Many supermarkets sell these -” he began.

“ - but it’s best here,” we said, almost simultaneously.

As I shopped, I thought of questions I didn’t ask this stranger who also inspects the appetizing section: Did he enjoy it when bits of sable or sturgeon appeared? Did he agree that it was worse when the pieces were chopped small? Did he eat it straight from the container?

He reappeared, behind me, at checkout. He said, “Not such a good selection today.” I agreed, and looked, with curiosity, at what else he was buying. But the remainder of his cart was unfamiliar.

Read all recent entries and our updated submissions guidelines. Reach us via email diary@nytimes.com or follow @NYTMetro on Twitter using the hashtag #MetDiary.



On Christmas Eve

Log in to manage your products and services from The New York Times and the International New York Times.

Don't have an account yet?
Create an account »

Subscribed through iTunes and need an NYTimes.com account?
Learn more »



On Christmas Eve

Log in to manage your products and services from The New York Times and the International New York Times.

Don't have an account yet?
Create an account »

Subscribed through iTunes and need an NYTimes.com account?
Learn more »



New York Today: The (Sorry) Year in Sports

Where did that blasted puck get to? Oh!Gus Ruelas/Associated Press Where did that blasted puck get to? Oh!

Updated 6:32 a.m.

Greetings on this soon-to-be-bright Friday morning.

New York’s teams and their fans will be glad to crumple up 2013 and throw it away.

Not that 2014 looks much brighter, but the future, at least, is a blank slate.

The past is not. With the help of our colleagues in the Sports department of The Times, here are a few of the year’s more unforgettably forgettable moments:

- Jets: A communication lapse caused the center to hike the ball into the wide receiver’s groin as he ran by. The opposing Ravens recovered it.

- Devils: Back in April, a 10-game losing streak tied a franchise record.

- Knicks: “I don’t want to keep using ‘embarrassment,’ ” Carmelo Anthony said in the wake of a 41-point loss, “but right now, the losing is just becoming unacceptable.” Yet it continues.

- Mets: A 20-inning, six-and-a-half hour loss to one of the few teams in the league worse than them.

- Giants: On the very first play of the year, a running back ran the wrong way and a tackle pushed a defender right into the path of a pass from Eli Manning. The first of many interceptions.

- Yankees: A clergy group held a prayer vigil outside the offices of Major League Baseball to seek divine intervention for A-Rod in his bid to beat a steroid suspension.

- Islanders: How many hockey teams can say they were scored on by a kneeling man?

- Rangers: Having a 19-year-old opponent shoot between his legs for his fourth goal of the game is a real morale-builder.

- Nets: With his team trailing in the final seconds, Coach Jason Kidd purposely spilled a soda on the court to stop the clock. They lost anyway, and he was fined $50,000.

Here’s what else you need to know for Friday and the weekend.

WEATHER

Nice, in a low-key way. Mostly sunny with a high of 40.

Even nicer Saturday, with a high near 50.

Not nice on Sunday â€" rain, possibly quite a bit.

COMMUTE

Subways: O.K. Check latest status.

Rails: Scattered delays on L.I.R.R. Check L.I.R.R., Metro-North or New Jersey Transit status.

Roads: No major delays. Check traffic map or radio report on the 1s or the 8s.

Alternate-side parking is in effect.

Weekend Travel Hassles: Check subway disruptions or list of street closings.

DE BLASIO WATCH

- The mayor-elect made 1,000 inauguration tickets available to the general public yesterday.

- They were gone within 90 minutes, but some went to scalpers. One was charging $20. [New York Post]

- Mr. de Blasio has appointed only three of the nearly 50 agency heads he will need, the least of any incoming mayor since John V. Lindsay. [Newsday]

- All the appointees he has named to prominent posts have significant public-sector experience â€" a break from the Bloomberg era. [Capital New York]

- Mr. de Blasio is said to be looking for a replacement for his spokeswoman Lis Smith, who has been romantically linked to Eliot Spitzer. [New York Post]

COMING UP TODAY

- All those boats chugging up the West Side are on their way to the New York Boat Show, which opens next week at the Javits Center.

- High school track-and-field athletes from around the East Coast compete in the Marine Corps Holiday Classic at the armory in Washington Heights. 9 a.m.

- A protest march from 125th Street in Harlem to the South Bronx against the incoming police commissioner, William J. Bratton. 6 p.m. [This one was mistakenly listed yesterday. It really is today.]

- Turn Christmas cards into LED lanterns at a “Remake the Holidays” workshop at the New York Hall of Science in Queens. [$12]

- Make zawadi and otherwise learn about Kwanzaa at the Brooklyn Public Library. 3 p.m. [Free]

- The radio D.J. Imhotep Gary Byrd hosts a Kwanzaa celebration at the Apollo Theater. 7:30 p.m. [$18]

- The acclaimed East Williamsburg restaurant Gwynnett St. reopens, two weeks after its owner’s arrest on charges of receiving chemicals used to make Ecstasy. [New York Times]

IN THE NEWS

- A 2001 interview with then-candidate Bloomberg was unearthed. He called himself “a big believer in term limits.” [New York Times]

- Minimum wage in New York state goes up to $8 an hour at year’s end â€" 75 cents above the old wage, which was the federal minimum. [Associated Press]

- Mr. Spitzer’s family-owned real estate company bought a four-acre development site on the West Side for $88 million. [New York Times]

- You’ll be able to pay the parking meter via smartphone starting in 2015. [Daily News]

- Florida will soon be more populous than New York State. [New York Times]

- Cleaning house: Brooklyn’s incoming district attorney wants his predecessor’s toilet seat replaced. [New York Post]

THE WEEKEND

Saturday

- College football at Yankee Stadium: It’s the New Era Pinstripe Bowl. 12:15 p.m. [$50 and up]

- The Valentinos doo-wop at the Bronx Library Center. 2:30 p.m. [Free]

- Tour the decorated farmhouse at the Queens County Farm Museum. 12 p.m. to 4 p.m. [Free, with mulled cider]

- Last day to see Tosca’s leap at the Met. 12:30 p.m. [$30 and up]

Sunday

- A seal watch is on at Orchard Beach in the Bronx. 2 p.m. [Free]

- Last day to see 48 haunting tintypes of contemporary soldiers and veterans at the Alice Austen House Museum on Staten Island. [$3 suggested donation]

- Last day to hear Satchmo read “‘Twas the Night Before Christmas” on a holiday tour of the Louis Armstrong House Museum in Queens. [$10]

- “The Wizard of Oz” screens in 3-D at Film Forum. 11 a.m. [$12.50]

- For more events, see The New York Times Arts & Entertainment guide.

Joseph Burgess, Michael M. Grynbaum, Andrew Keh, Naila-Jean Meyers, Bill Pennington and Ben Shpigel contributed reporting.

New York Today is a morning roundup that stays live from 6 a.m. till about noon.

What would you like to see here to start your day? Post a comment, email us at nytoday@nytimes.com or reach us via Twitter using #NYToday.

Find us on weekdays at nytoday.com.