Monk Parakeets

It turns out that the monk parakeets that are almost unavoidable in some Connecticut towns along the Sound are doing well in North America because the climate is similar to the climate in their native Argentina. I hadn't known that. Nor had I known that Milan Bull, who is now Connecticut Audubon's director of science and conservation (and who took me on a harrowing trip to Sheffield Island during gull-nesting season in 1986) first discovered them in Connecticut, way back in 1971. The Times has an interesting story about them today; a few weeks ago I contrasted the parakeets' situation with that of the two 5th Avenue Hawks, who apparently are getting a prospective new home.