PARROT FEVER

Have you ever heard of psittacosis?  It's a bacterial infection carried by birds such as parrots, macaws and  other birds that can be transmitted to humans. Back in 1929 a large and highly publicized outbreak of what was then termed "parrot fever" occurred in the US.  It led to greater controls on the import of pet parrots and actually had a hand in creating today's National Institutes of Health..aka the NIH.

No, we are NOT suffering from that malaise, which is treated these days with antibiotics.  However, we are somewhat afflicted with a form of parrot fever that involves chasing down, observing, listening to and photographing the feral populations of parrots that live here in the Rio Grande Valley.

Lilac-crowned Parrot, Brownsville, Texas

I'm sure you've heard of or seen the film The Wild Parrots of Telegraph Hill about the feral parrot populations of San Francisco..but you may not know that many feral populations exist in other states too including southern Texas.  Here in the Rio Grande Valley, three well known populations exist; in Harlingen, McAllen and Brownsville...but there's another big population in Austin, too.

More often than not,   our experiences with parrots have come via a pet shop or zoo or a friend who might have posessed a parrot for decades... unless you've been lucky enough to visit the tropics where they fly and roam in the wild.  My first wild parrot flock sighting was in Panama. Hearing their shrill, grating calls as flocks gathered in the trees, and then seeing this group of intense green birds left me speechless and wanting to see more, more, more!!

Audubon's Carolina Parakeets

 It may be hard to imagine now,  but wild parakeets were once common in the southeastern United States.  The Carolina Parakeet sometimes ranged as far north as Wisconsin and New York.  Their relentless persecution by farmers and those who killed them for their gloriously beautiful feathers led to their demise by 1920.  It's a sad story, that continues today, only this time the hunt is to supply pet shops,

Parrots are incredibly long lived, and very social birds. They have needs and issues, just as you would if you were taken from your family group, your native habitat and put in a cage for years.   It's little wonder people release them. It's a daunting responsibility to care for a social, demanding bird, who, among other things manifests its stress living in captivity by plucking out its own feathers,

One must arrive before dusk in Oliviera Park in Brownsville. You hear them long before you spot them, as they gather in small groups before roosting.The volume builds and they number in the hundreds as they raucously work out their family groupings for the night.

This particular evening, many fed furiously on low hanging tender tree buds.







As the sun sets, we quickly try to figure out how many different species we see. It's a challenge as they move about. Usually there are many Red-crowned, some Lilac-crowned and a just a few of the declining Yellow-headed Parrots.  Once they land in the eucalyptus trees, they blend and meld..but this pair was too busy grooming each other to notice us...and how could you NOT just adore them!! 

Red-crowned Parrot pair

So...our search and fever to find others, including finding the Green Parakeets in Harlingen: part of our bucket list of birding expeditions as we begin March, our last month in the Rio Grande Valley.

A Day in Our Volunteer Life

Here at the Refuge, we must each "work" twenty four hours per week, to receive the benefits afforded to volunteers, namely: trailer pad, hookups, shower and laundry facilities and the run of the place on our days off.  Sadly, budget cuts over the past few years have removed many of the paid positions at refuges and parks as staff transfers out to other locations.  Here at Laguna, there is a virtual army of volunteers; in the visitor services, maintenance and resource management divisions. It's a good deal for the refuge and for us.  However, it doesn't address the serious and perpetual decline in staff needed to operate this and many other federal areas around the country. For the refuge, and us it seems win-win as we trade our skills and desires for their needed  personnel to conduct birding tours during the January thru March high season.

So, here's a glimpse into one of our work days.  For us, it's just another excuse to go birding and meet people from all over the country.

Here in the "Volunteer Village" amidst the other RV's and TT's,  we head out from our little home away from home to retrieve our van for today's Birding Tour.

We check in at the Visitor Center before it opens to do a few chores.  Marion is our boss, and the "Lone Ranger" of Visitor Services at the Refuge....Note on the welcome sign that the visitor center is closed on Tuesdays and Wednesdays due to budget cuts...(and not enough paid staff to keep it open 7 days a week.. With the attrition of other positions, her job duties have grown enormously over the course of the four years she has been here.

After checking in visitors, we load up and set out for our destination:  Bahia Grande and the "Red Gate" tour. This is a special tour of an area normally closed to the public and only accessible  during a 3 1/2 hour birding tour scheduled 5 days a week.

The Bahia Grande (Big Bay) is a unit of the Refuge that is currently undergoing an intensive vegetation and coastal wetlands system restoration. At 9,000 acres, it is believed to be the largest restoration project of its kind currently underway in the United States.

A huge group of federal, state and regional partners have come together to restore these wetlands that have been dry for more than 30 years. With so much habitat loss here in south Texas, and wetlands in general, this will bring new life and hope for the many waterfowl, wading birds and shorebirds who depend upon them. Many of these are on the Texas and federal threatened and endangered species list.

Aside from an abundance of wetlands, native grasslands and open savannah will benefit the  Northern Aplomado Falcon, a bird that was once extirpated from the state due to habitat loss, pesticide use and hunting. Although their numbers are stable in Mexico, back in 1993 in partnership with the Peregrine Fund the first captive bred chicks were released on the Refuge. They continue to do well here, with about 25 pairs in south Texas, but they remain on the endangered list.

With so much water and the open space of the savannah, we will often count 30 or more bird species on the Bahia.  For many visitors, this falcon is a "life bird". On a trip last week, we not only had fantastic close up looks at the falcons, but an aerial display of two falcons harassing a pair of Chihuahuan Ravens ( I wonder if they understand Spanish?)  were a little too close for falcon comfort.  Leon got some great pics... and it made all of us bird nerds very happy!

Aplomado means "lead colored" in Spanish

Falcon "communicating" with the  Raven