A fussy bird moves in

Wilson, the Free Parrot of Prince Street, stops by a Berkeley house twice a day to say hello and grab some chow. Photo by Marilyn Pon, special to the Chronicle Credit: Marilyn PonReaders intrigued by the wild parrots of Telegraph Hill may be interested in Berkeley's Free Parrot of Prince Street. This small yellow- crowned, green Amazon parrot with a metal tethering ring around its right leg was originally one of a pair that were already frequenting the Ashby BART neighborhood when we moved here more than 20 years ago.

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California Couple Buys Habitat for Rare Ecuadorian Parakeets

El Oro Parakeets, Fundacion JocotocoMALIBU, California, June 10, 2004 (ENS) - A husband and wife team of environmentalists has scored a victory in saving a critically endangered bird in Ecuador. The El Oro parakeet, a species discovered 24 years ago by ornithologist Dr. Robert Ridgely, had declined to an estimated 125 birds.

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Thick- billed parrot brings birders to Engle

Thick-billed parrot at Armendaris

Wildlife watchers continue to flock to the Armendaris Ranch headquarters to view a mysterious bird temporarily living in a sparse patch of pine trees shading the sun-baked Chihuahuan desert east of Truth or Consequences.

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Tests pinpoint deadly corella poison

A warning not to use the poison called Phosdrin. Photo by Leonard John MatthewsDEPARTMENT of Sustainability and Environment staff have confirmed that chemical Phosdrin poisoned about 300 corellas in the Burnt Creek area last month.

Wimmera department manager Geoff Evans said Horsham police and department staff decided to name the chemical to highlight its extreme danger.

They have encouraged people possessing Phosdrin to hand it into the department for safe disposal.

Detective Sergeant Philip Nicks said it was not illegal to possess the chemical but its only legitimate use was to control diamond-backed moths in cabbage and cauliflower crops in vegetable-growing areas.

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Conservationist fulfils his dream of letting nature take its course

African grey parrot sitting outside at Eden Place

EDEN Place, near Kirkby Stephen, is aptly named as its land, along with that of neighbouring Hartley Fold, has become a 900-acre “garden of Eden” devoted entirely to nature.

Every year it attracts an increasing number of wild animals, birds and butterflies and the wild flowers and wetland plants, which flourish in different areas, attract a variety of insects.

John Strutt, now in his 60s, is the man responsible for this “paradise”, above which colourful parrots and other exotic birds grace the skies as they fly free, writes HELENE PHILLIPS.

In 1994, the area became a nature conservation area, named the John Strutt Conservation Foundation in recognition of the generosity of its “creator” and his long-standing concern for conservation.

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