Sunday, 12 August - Species number 45 visited our yard: a monk parakeet. (They had been sighted in nearby Leonia, and in a neighbour's yard.)

It explored the back yard.

Unlike any other bird we had ever seen, it got in a fight with a squirrel.

The next day, 13 August, it was back, watching and learning.

Under the big "house sparrow" feeder, many birds, along with squirrels, eat what falls to the ground. The monk parakeet joined the crowd.

It even learned how to co-exist with a mammal.

By the third day, 14 August, the monk parakeet had decided to just blend in as much as possible, perching along with the house sparrows, completely inconspicuous... except that it was green.

The feeders were taken down and not refilled for several days. The birds, including the monk parakeet, vanished. When the feeders were refilled and hung out again, the birds returned, but not the parakeet.

More photos and videos to come >>

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