Green Invaders From Mexico

I've told you before that I find out the most interesting things at the Y. I was there early on a Sunday morning and had a cup of coffee before class with Jan. She started telling me about the thousands of green parrots that call Southern California their home. I was not aware of this, so I did a little research, and found out that parrots from Mexico began coming here over 50 years ago. There are thousands of them living in the Pasadena area, and in San Diego, flocks have been seen in La Mesa, Pacific Beach, Jamul and Oceanside. One ornithologist in La Mesa says he can almost set his watch by their comings and goings. They love to eat the seeds in his rubber tree, and arrive almost daily around 5pm. There are many versions of how they came here, none of which are very interesting, but the reality is, they are thriving in this urban jungle. Most parrot species in the wild are threatened or endangered, yet here in San Diego they are thriving. There are at least 13 species of tropical parrots that have traded the jungles of Mexico and Central and South America for the Southern California. They include blue crowned conures, cherry headed conures, mitred conures, red crowned Amazons and yellow headed Amazons. They are now considered naturalized by the Department of Fish and Wildlife, and are considered non threatened because they typically nest in or consume non native ornamental plants. They produce no agricultural damage. So, look up once in a while, when you hear a group of squawking birds. You might just see of flock of beautiful green parrots go flying by, something you would not expect. It's not that surprising, as I've learned to expect the unexpected.