Update: Saturday’s safari has been CANCELLED due to the snow. Check back for the next safari in February (date TBA)
You’ve probably heard they’re here; you may have even craned your neck to catch a squawking flash of green up above. Brooklyn’s got parrots. As legend has it, the early avian settlers escaped from a container at JFK Airport back in the ’60s. Now, they’re practically a native species to the NYC environs, and Brooklyn’s become home to more than its fair share. This Saturday, Jan. 8, one of our local parrot ambassadors is leading a free Wild Brooklyn Parrot Safari to see the birds. Whether BK’s parrots are news to you and you’ve gotta get a glimpse, or you’ve just never known how to spot the famous flying Argentines, this weekend’s your chance.
When and where: Saturday, Jan. 8, 11 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. at the Hillel Gate into Brooklyn College (Hillel Pl. and Campus Rd.). Stephen Baldwin, the safari leader and author of BrooklynParrots.com, calls the college the local parrots’ “Ellis Island,” with the large nests around the athletic field representing the “first major colony in Brooklyn.” That’s where you’ll be headed.
What to bring: photo ID (to get onto the college grounds), camera, binoculars, cold weather gear and bird-friendly food if you want to offer up a treat (finch food or millet).
Also, DO NOT WEAR ORANGE. Seriously. For reasons still unknown to science, Baldwin says, “Monk Parrots freak out when you show them something orange.”
Other than that, go see the birds. The safari’s free, but RSVP’s required at steve@brooklynparrots.com.
via The Midwood Blog