Fairfield, Connecticut: Monk Parrot Nests (Gone)

These loud, bright green birds can also be found in Fairfield on the grounds of Fairfield University. They mainly reside in a large tree by the chapel on top of the main hill.

There are a number reports on the roadsideamerica.com site of Monk Parakeets appearing as far up the Connecticut coast as Milford. Just last year, during the annual NMSS/Bayer MS Walk, I spotted these birds further up the coast in West Haven. According to the University of Bridgeport, they nest as far up the coast as Branford. Some people might get thrown by the name parakeet. These birds are different and much bigger than our average little pet store parakeet that people train to talk and many imagine are baby parrots. Those little colorful parakeets are Budgerigars (Melopsittacus undulatus)and quite different from the Monk or Quaker Parakeet (Myiopsitta monachus). The Monk Parakeets are large, green birds that are rarely quiet and nest in large ball-like nests.

Yes, There ARE parrot colonies all along the southwestern shore of CT. One of the newest colonies is in the big pine trees at the main entrance to Beardsley Park in Bridgeport. This species is called the Monk Parakeet (Myiopsitta monachus)and the Audubon Society Field Guide explains that they escaped from a dropped crate from South America at JFK Airport in the '60s. They've had no trouble adapting establishing colonies in NYC and all the way up the coast to Milford. They build huge stick nests and when a colony gets too big or something happens to a nested tree (lightning hit one in Fairfield in the '80s), they split up and start new ones. They are quite entertaining to watch.

The parrots are actually all over southwestern CT and are the result of a pet-cargo truck overturning on I-95 several years ago. Somehow the little bastards have actually survived over the years and show no signs of flying south ever again.

There are lots of wild green parrots that mistakenly found their way to the sandy beaches of Milford. I believe that the parrots flocked here in droves from Brazil a couple of years ago. These beautiful birds can only be found living in the pine trees on Beach Avenue located in the Woodmont section of Milford. Check it out, you won't believe your eyes or your ears. What a racket!