Bill protecting N.J. parrots stalled in Senate committee

Parrots are seen at Memorial Park at the corner of Rt. 5 and River Road in Edgewater on June 4, 2009. Time is running out on a bill to protect the wild monk parakeets that have taken up residence in this urban Bergen County town. For the third time in four years, the parakeet bill has been stalled in Trenton. Image by Ira MachefskyEDGEWATER -- Time is running out on legislation to protect the wild parrots of Edgewater. Again.

While politicians scurry about Trenton, fighting the clock to pass a state budget before the summer recess, a bill granting citizenship to Edgewater's most famous immigrants languishes in committee for the third time in four years.

The legislation is not, even its most passionate proponents admit, a matter of life and death. But it is a vital step toward ensuring the future of charismatic little foreigners that long ago squawked their way into Edgewater's heart.

"We love our birds, and we want to protect them," said Edgewater borough administrator Greg Franz. "I don't think there's anybody who doesn't support the parrots. Well, except maybe the power company."

South American monk parakeets, also known as Quaker parrots, have lived in this urban hillside town just south of the George Washington Bridge for more than 30 years. How they got there is a matter of speculation: Maybe a crate broke open at JFK airport; maybe they're former house pets gone wild, or a deliberate release by an avian activist.

What is certain is that they are -- of about 350 known parrot species in the world -- the only ones biologically disposed to survive New Jersey winters. The reason is their unique ability to build massive, multi-chamber nests in which their shared body heat provides mutual protection against harsh temperatures.

The nests are the parrots' key survival trait and their downfall.

They are amazing constructs that can reach the size of a Volkswagen and weigh up to a ton, experts say. Monk parakeets will only build high above the ground and their favorite perches are utility poles and, particularly, transformers.

The nests are blamed for causing power outages and millions of dollars of damage in Florida, New York and Connecticut, where monk parakeets also established wild colonies. In Connecticut, the decision by the local power company to kill more than 100 parrots caused a firestorm of public protest in 2005.

That was the year Assemblywoman Joan Voss (D-Bergen) first introduced a bill to remove parrots from the New Jersey list of "potentially dangerous species."

The list, administered by the state Department of Environmental Protection, allows for the eradication of any species that might harm native fauna or become a "menace to the public health."

It includes bears, wild dogs, vipers, alligators, crocodiles and monk parakeets.

Wildlife experts feared the little birds would "pull a starling" -- spread throughout New Jersey, shove out native birds and destroy crops.

"Even after it became obvious that the parrots weren't bothering anything, they were kept on the list, just in case," said Alison Evans-Fragale, founder of Edgewater Parrots. "It gave wildlife officials and the power companies carte blanche to kill the birds or destroy their nests in the winter, when the birds would freeze to death."

Voss dutifully reintroduced the bill every time it lapsed without action. In 2006, the bill finally went to a full Assembly vote -- it passed unanimously -- but the Senate version never got out of committee.

"I don't understand what the problem is, except this issue is not on the top of anybody's priority list," said Voss, adding that she fully plans to "yet again reintroduce the bill next session."

A FLEDGLING DETENTE

While the parakeet bill stalled in Trenton, Evans-Fragale and other local bird lovers took another tack: They approached PSE&G about a kinder, gentler way to deal with parrot nests.

Power company officials agreed -- except in emergencies -- to limit nest removal to the early spring or fall, when the parrots are not nesting. They would notify the birders in advance of nest removals and re¬search nonlethal methods to keep the birds off transformers.

The most effective repellent so far, PSE&G engineers said, is wrapping power lines in bright orange. Apparently monk parakeets disapprove of bright colors except camouflaging green. It is not completely successful, but appears more effective than programs tried in other states, such as loud noises, fake predators or feed laced with
contraceptives.

The humane approach to removing nests was tested early Friday morning when a transformer on Undercliff Avenue in Edgewater failed, cutting power to about 10 homes, said PSE&G supervising engineer Al Fuschetti. A giant nest had short-circuited the transformer.

"Inside the nest were three baby parrots. The linemen saved part of the nest and put it in a box along with the little birds," Fuschetti said. "We called the bird people, but they couldn't get there until morning, so one of the line¬men took the baby birds home with him overnight.

Such is the charm of monk parakeets that even their arch enemies are seduced, a situation that doesn't surprise ornithologist Mark Spreyer.

"Monk parakeets are social, gregarious, intelligent little birds that don't deserve the reputation that followed them up to the United States from South America," said Spreyer, and principal author of the monk parakeet entry in "The Birds of North America."

"They are smart as a 5-year-old, known to share their nests with other birds, even squirrels, and their reputation as crop scavengers appears to be largely exaggerated," Spreyer added. "Besides, exactly what crops are they going to eat next to the George Washington Bridge?"

He said the parrots tend to stay in place, although there has been some spreading of the Edgewater colony -- now estimated at 230 -- into surrounding Bergen County municipalities.
Edgewater parrots still going strong after 35 years