This made me sick!!!
Wild parakeets are being put to death in Florida and at least one environmental expert thinks Connecticut should consider doing the same.
Over the past two years, Florida Power and Light has used carbon dioxide to euthanize monk parakeets nesting on the utility's infrastructure.
And, while some in Connecticut think the brightly colored birds and their communal nests on utility poles along the shoreline are cute, others think the pesky invaders cause more trouble than they are worth.
Connecticut should seriously consider eradication if the parakeets are deemed nuisances, said Elizabeth Zimmerman, an environmental manager with a master's degree from Yale University. She is a former employee of the state Department of Environmental Protection and currently works in the private sector.
Zimmerman thinks the estimated 1,000-plus feral parakeets in Connecticut menace the state's fragile ecosystem and compromise safety. The U.S. Department of Agriculture considers the birds an "invasive species, non-native."
Zimmerman, of Woodstock, views coating parakeet eggs with vegetable oil, euthanizing them by carbon dioxide or breaking the birds' necks all humane means of reducing the flock.
She scoffs at animal rights activists who applaud the colorful South American parakeets as cute escapees who have adapted to harsh New England winters.
Massive feral parakeet nests built on warm electrical transformers ignite fires and increase the odds that falling equipment will seriously injure a human, Zimmerman said.
United Illuminating reports it has dismantled between five and 10 nests over the past four years. The company attributes six power outages in 2004 to monks.
"Does someone have to die before [the state and federal governments] take action?" Zimmerman asked. "The nuisance factor is not adequate. If someone is complaining of bird poop, it's not an adequate basis to eradicate a species."
Zimmerman is especially concerned because the hardy and raucous parakeets are migrating inland to New Britain and other locales after decades of living along the shoreline.
Native to such warm-weather climates as Uruguay, Argentina and Brazil, the raucous green, gray and yellow parakeets usually grow to about 12 inches in length.
"They are showing they are capable of expanding their range," Zimmerman said. "[Euthanasia] is an option that should be considered."
Zimmerman urged both the state Department of Environmental Protection and federal government to closely study the parakeets' effect on Connecticut's ecosystem and safety.
The parakeets' impact on Connecticut crops has not been determined, but in South America the birds are considered pests that damage corn, sunflowers and other crops.
"The longer you wait, the harder it is to control - and the bigger damage gets done," Zimmerman warned.
Consider Florida Power and Light, which services three-quarters of Florida.
The utility began killing the parakeets after spending about $500,000 investigating non-lethal methods to control them, reports Jim Lindsay, the utility's biologist in charge of the parakeet problem.
Noise, lights, decoys and water bursts all failed to deter the birds, Lindsay said, noting that lasers were effective but are too costly and labor intensive.
"We have an aggressive trap and nest-removal program. ...They are on transmission lines and structures. They are in our substations. They are in our distribution structures," Lindsay said.
He said recent research estimates Florida's population of about 35,000 monks doubles every seven years. He declined to say how many monk parakeets the utility workers have killed.
"This is a sensitive issue for us," he said. "We recognize the emotions attached to it."
ADVERTISEMENT
Zimmerman said she realizes wiping out the monk parakeet population could be a tough sell in Connecticut.
"It's going to be particularly difficult because it is an attractive bird and it looks like a pet, like Bambi," she said. "You can't be emotional when you make these decisions. You have to be objective and do what is right."
Milan Bull, a senior director at the Fairfield-based Connecticut Audubon Society, said feral parakeets are not causing sufficient problems to warrant extermination.
"I don't think that is necessary here," Bull said. "They are not an agriculture nuisance in Connecticut as of yet. So far, we haven't noticed them competing with native songbirds for nest sites."
Bull consults with United Illuminating on how to deal with problem nests. He recommends regularly removing unsafe nests from transformers during non-nesting periods. He is not troubled that the displaced birds will construct several more nests nearby.
Zimmerman is at war with non-native species that "mess with the ecosystem" on her Woodstock homestead. House sparrows, introduced by the English in the 1800s, are especially unwelcome.
She methodically traps and euthanizes the sparrows, a species that she says endangers her beloved native bluebirds.
Zimmerman has scattered numerous feeders around her rural property and neighborhood to help replenish the native bluebird population in Connecticut. She is especially proud and protective of five baby birds nesting nearby.
She has killed 25 sparrows this year, more than a hundred last year.
"They don't belong in this ecosystem," she said.
************************************************** **
Excuse me??? THEY don't belong in this ecosystem??? These birds were here LONG before there was an ecosystem!!! Why didn't the utility companies figure out how to build "bird resistant" transformers before this became such a big problem???
UGH!!!
12/02
Reply With Quote
Bookmarks