Polly Want A Cracker?

We have a new customer in Mexico. The way we get their metal to them is to drop it at a Mexican freight forwarding company in Brownsville, TX. Then a Mexican trucking company finishes the run.

Last time I was down there, I saw these wild parrots sitting on the power lines. They were watching me un-strap my load and get it ready for off-loading. I kept expecting one of them to strike up a conversation with me... "Hey driver, do you think they will unload you today?"

This job has never ending surprises to it. I really enjoy the changes in scenery and experiences I go through on a daily basis. As I was leaving, four more parrots joined in the fun. There were six of them sitting there watching me as I left South Texas. Three or four days later I was in Upstate New York delivering metal to an American manufacturer.

OS that is pretty cool. I’ve had sea gulls flocking around a couple times. Not unusual in coastal areas.

I never heard of wild parrott’s before.

Those look very much like the parrots I would see in parts of Tampa a few years back when out running my errands.

Parrots are wild and abundant in South America. They are actually quite pesky to the farmers. They are capable of destroying several types of crops as they are getting ready to be harvested.

They have been finding their way into the southern parts of the United States for a while now. They are pretty much confined to the warmer climate of the south. They don't seem tolerant of cold weather.

I reckon they are pretty smart. I don’t take much to cold weather either!!!

Haha! Yeah, they are true Southerners.

I reckon they are pretty smart. I don’t take much to cold weather either!!!

There are wild parrots near my old neighborhood in Brooklyn, NY. Apparently they escaped from their shipping containers at JFK airport years ago. They survive in the northern climate by building their nests around electrical transformer boxes, which give off heat. Their acidic guano causes damage to the electric equipment, so Con Ed doesn't love them, although they're otherwise quite popular.

We have a new customer in Mexico. The way we get their metal to them is to drop it at a Mexican freight forwarding company in Brownsville, TX. Then a Mexican trucking company finishes the run.

Last time I was down there, I saw these wild parrots sitting on the power lines. They were watching me un-strap my load and get it ready for off-loading. I kept expecting one of them to strike up a conversation with me... "Hey driver, do you think they will unload you today?"

This job has never ending surprises to it. I really enjoy the changes in scenery and experiences I go through on a daily basis. As I was leaving, four more parrots joined in the fun. There were six of them sitting there watching me as I left South Texas. Three or four days later I was in Upstate New York delivering metal to an American manufacturer.

Here's an interesting fact:

Those parrots are not native to South Texas nor Northern Mexico. So how did they get there? They started off as domesticated parrots that were let go for various reasons. Having no natural enemies in the area, they began multiplying. Now they are an invasive species in the area that is flourishing.

They are "Red Crowned Amazon Parrots", an endangered parrot species native to Mexico are now taking up residence in urban areas of South Texas, according to a recent study from Texas A&M University.

Researchers estimate that there are currently around 900 red-crowned parrots living in the Rio Grande Valley, with four main roosts confirmed in the cities of Brownsville, Harlingen, Weslaco and McAllen. The red-crowned parrot species is endemic to a small region of Northeastern Mexico.

Many were bought as pets in the 1980's when it was legal to buy them. .Less than 2,000 red-crowned parrots remain in the wild.

Parrots are wild and abundant in South America. They are actually quite pesky to the farmers. They are capable of destroying several types of crops as they are getting ready to be harvested.

They have been finding their way into the southern parts of the United States for a while now. They are pretty much confined to the warmer climate of the south. They don't seem tolerant of cold weather.

There is a wild parrot population in the Pasadena, CA as well as a wild peacock population. Word is, the peacocks escaped from a zoo. Not sure about the parrots.