A flock of green parakeets along the Gold Coast

I have to preface this post by mentioning that I don't know the difference between a parrot and a parakeet. I read it once at the zoo but forgot it by the time I walked out the gates. I'm calling them parakeets because they are small. It's as good a reason as any.

There is a flock of parakeets living among a set of tall pine trees along Riverside Drive (i.e. Berwyn's "Gold Coast"). They are bright green, noisy little guys who make for very surreal immigrants to the neighborhood. I first encountered them during a bike ride. There they were, 15 or so of them by my count, flying in and out of rather elaborate nests, looking as comfortable in Berwyn as they might have been in South America (or wherever). Their nests aren't the "bowl" style. They form oblong cave-like structures with a single side entrance. I saw several nests spread about the branches of one tree, so I assume that there are now several extended families living together like an old Italian family.

I asked around about it and, as the story goes, someone a few years back decided they didn't want their parakeets any more, so they released them to the wild. In an unusual reversal of fortunes, the hardy couple managed to overcome a rather large impediment to survival (mainly, a total lack of ability to adapt to freedom after a lifetime in a cage). They found a nice big tree, built a nest in it, and started reproducing. Apparently, they liked the neighborhood so they stayed long-term. And now there's a flock of them. And you can see them if you want. They are right on the south side of Riverside Drive, between Harlem and Morton West High School. There's a church right across the street from the spot.

I had heard that they don't fly south for the winter. I wanted to see how they were weathering the cold. But, no dice. I couldn't even see their nests. I did hear quite a bit of racket coming from trees around the area and their calls did sound like what I had remembered. Maybe they built winter homes in the eaves of the nearby house - for warmth. I hope they make it. I want to get a good look at them again this spring. I suppose if they've already been there for years, then they'll make it through this winter too.