Chirp!

A couple of months ago, as I was leaving for work in the morning, I saw a small flock of Monk Parakeets in our front yard. The bright green birds caught my eye, and I tried to snap a couple of pictures, but they were fairly skittish and flew away when I approached.

I'd heard that the Cape had a flock of wild Parakeets (they're not native to the US, but there are several flocks in various parts Florida), but I'd never seen them. There supposedly was a nest somewhere by the Cape Coral Yacht Club Beach, which isn't far from our house.

We spotted them a few more times near our condo-- usually on the power lines, but never saw more than two of them at a time.

Today, after Cory and I went to the Farmer's Market, we stopped by the beach on our way back, and could hear the Monk Parakeets squaking from about 100 feet away. This time, I got a decent picture:

Cute, huh? They've built nests in about a half-dozen trees around the beach... and while they're not nearly as social, they're much less annoying than the stupid gulls that keep trying to steal your lunch at the beach.