Now Citizen Scientists Can Report Chicago Parakeet Nests September 22, 2009

Welcome, Oak Parkers and River Foresters!

The following post is about Monk Parakeet nests found in neighboring towns. If you want to read about a time when Monk Parakeets visited our backyard in south Oak Park, then check out this post:  http://neighborhoodnature.wordpress.com/2009/03/19/backyard-parakeets-and-more/

Many of our other Neighborhood Nature blog posts are about nature in Oak Park and nearby Columbus Park (just east of Austin).

Thanks for stopping by!

Eric, Ethan, and Aaron Gyllenhaal & Gail Fisher (our wife/Mom)

(This updated added 12/15/2010.)

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Monk Parakeets have a special place in our family’s hearts. Although we usually aren’t big fans of non-native birds (like Starlings, House Sparrows, and Pigeons), we kind of make an exception for Monk Parakeets. That’s because these birds jump started our family’s interest in birding when Aaron saw his first Monk Parakeet nest on the south side of Chicago. Plus Monk Parakeets are really cute, as we are reminded when we welcome them to our backyard feeders several times a year. (To read more about Monk Parakeets, go here or here.)

So, this morning we were excited to learn about a new citizen science project that lets ordinary folks help scientists by reporting Monk Parakeet nests. If the scientists get enough citizen reports, they can be certain they have included all the Chicago-area nests in their research. It’s called the Chicago Parakeet Project, and the project’s home page is here. You can also read a press release here and a news article about the Chicago Parakeet Project here.

Once you’ve found a nest in the Chicago area, entering data is really simple. You just complete a Survey Monkey form that tells the scientists where the nest is located, what kind of tree or structure the nest was built on, and how many parakeets you saw around the nest, and then you tell them a bit about yourself. It’s as simple as that! At this point you can’t see your nest data plotted on a map, but the project scientists hope to include those sorts of features in the future.

So, we couldn’t wait — we filled out forms for two nests immediately, and then went back to enter some more data when a friend gave us some news about the second nest.

The first nest is in the Austin neighborhood of Chicago. It was built on a utility pole in an alley, and it looks like this:

This Monk Parakeet nest was built on a utility pole in a Chicago alley. It's made of sticks woven together by the parakeets. Photo by Ethan Gyllenhaal.

This closer view shows the openings through which the parakeets entered their nest. Photo by Ethan Gyllenhaal.

We first learned about this nest from a Chicago Police officer we met in  Columbus Park. He had seen birds in the nest several times, but we did not see any Monk Parakeets while we were there.

The second nest was in Berwyn, Illinois. We had known about it for years, and when I drove past the nest last Friday there was a Monk Parakeet on a nearby wire. The second nest was built in a spruce tree in a residential neighborhood:

A red arrow points to the Monk Parakeet nest high in a spruce tree.

The nest, once again, was built of sticks woven together by the parakeets.

Right after we reported this nest, we heard from a friend who told us that the parakeet colony that built this nest had relocated to a tall tower near North Riverside Mall, about a half mile away. Sure enough, we checked it out, and this is what we found:

This nest was well protected: It was built high in the tower, and the base of the tower is surround by a fence.

The red arrows point to different sections of the nest. The green arrow points to where the head of a Monk Parakeet peered out of an opening in the nest.

I saw several Monk Parakeets at this nest, and I heard even more while I was parking near a mall entrance. If you want to see this nest, go to the far south side of the North Riverside Mall parking lot, near the railroad tracks. Be sure to take binoculars or, better yet, a telescope!

My Twitter Stream from Our No Child Left Inside Block Party, August 22 September 22, 2009

Since this summer’s No Child Left Inside (NCLI) block party started kind of slow, I pulled out my laptop and started tweeting about events (and non events). Twitter has since erased all those tweets from the public record, so I decided to retrieve them and put them on the web for anyone interested in planning their own party.

I reversed the Twitter order so that the first tweets are at the top of the page, rather than lost at the bottom. That way it reads more like a story. I also added some tweets from before and after the party, plus I added a bit of commentary that I neglected to tweet during the party. Finally, I did some editing and reforming, removing various aspects of Twitter speak but leaving a few #NCLIBlockParty “hash tags,” as they’re called. (That’s a way to search for all the tweets on a topic.)

So, starting a week or so before the party:

We’re planning our summer block party as a “no child left inside” event, hopefully with longer term effects. 12:56 PM Aug 12th

Our “No Child Left Inside” block party is next week. I blogged about its philosophy & posted the activity schedule here: http://bit.ly/xyKwU 4:02 PM Aug 15th

Just posted NO PARKING signs for tomorrow’s “No Child Left Inside” block party http://bit.ly/xyKwU It may rain a bit, but we’ll survive.  2:06 PM Aug 21st

I probably won’t have time/energy to live blog the party, but I may Tweet about AM nature walk finds. Predicted north winds = good migrants? 2:09 PM Aug 21st

Of course, my kids feel too old for all this. They will help with nature activities, but would rather chase a possible Stint in Ohio. 2:12 PM Aug 21st

Forecast for tomorrow’s “No Child Left Inside” block party: Rain ending, migrating birds arriving for our nature walk.  10:08 PM Aug 21st

And now it’s August 22, the date of the NCLI Block Party:

Weather radar showed some migration in our area last night — saw 4 Robins in front yards instead of the 1 we’ve been seeing. 6:45 AM Aug 22nd

Much more migration to the west of us. Hope nothing rare reported on birding lists — the boys would be begging to leave our #NCLIBlockParty. 6:47 AM Aug 22nd

I almost forgot the other important things about the weather: It’s about 60 and NOT RAINING on our #NCLIBlockParty.  6:56 AM Aug 22nd

So far I’ve counted 10 bird species and only 2 humans other than myself. Fortunately, our #NCLIBlockParty nature walk runs until bedtime. 7:47 AM Aug 22nd

An Annual Cicada just started a song, then quit. Temperature only 59 degrees, but at least it’s sunny!  8:07 AM Aug 22nd

It turned out that my kids were the only ones who woke up early enough for the 8 a.m. nature walk. So we decided to fit in nature observations and activities throughout the day, as they happened.

1 more human — Emma, a naturalist since her toddler years, current geology student, going back to college.  8:42 AM Aug 22nd

3 birds are singing, Cardinal, American Goldfinch & Starling, plus lots of cheeps and chirps, as expected this time of year.  8:44 AM Aug 22nd

The Village’s block party website advises, “Supervise children at all times.” What would @FreeRangeKids say to that?   8:48 AM Aug 22nd

Our street is now closed to traffic — kids are appearing outdoors (some without parents). Safe streets make a difference!  9:10 AM Aug 22nd

The DinoJump and a new neighbor’s moving truck showed up at the same time. Got that sorted out. On with the show!  9:43 AM Aug 22nd

Kids in DinoJump or on bikes/skateboards in the street. Except for supervising DinoJump, adults leaving kids on their own.  11:31 AM Aug 22nd

Having friends over is a vital part of #NCLIBlockParty. Ethan has friends over, Aaron’s can’t come yet. Ethan’s busy, Aaron’s bored.11:35 AM Aug 22nd

We have 13 bird species so far, all summer residents. Aaron and I are going to search for fall migrants.  11:41 AM Aug 22nd

Oh my, Ethan and his friends have started climbing trees! (The few that can be climbed on our block) #NCLIBlockParty must be a success! 12:27 PM Aug 22nd

Now the high school freshmen are playing with sticks and stones. Could we ask for anything more?  12:37 PM Aug 22nd

The next tweet relates to one of the activities we did with the younger kids: Turning over rocks, catching the bugs, worms, and slugs, and putting them in containers for a closer look.

2 preschool girls were just arguing over who had the cutest slug. As they left, they said I should “take good care of them.” 1:12 PM Aug 22nd

Busy, busy, busy — digging for treasures, trading at Nature Swap, wild pets (like tadpoles, mosquito larvae), & soil bugs.  3:36 PM Aug 22nd

Time to slow things down with nature crafts, giant bubbles, building with bark and sticks.  3:38 PM Aug 22nd

Cool thing this year: Lots of 6th to 9th graders active outside with their friends — mixing, talking, doing our activities. 3:40 PM Aug 22nd

Of course, I’ve watched most these kids grow — I can tell WHY things are working — it’s a good mix of great kids.  3:46 PM Aug 22nd

Got to fire up the grills soon. I’ve taken some digital photos of activities, but I won’t have time to post. 3:49 PM Aug 22nd

Aaron’s friend finally showed up. He’s happy, at last.  3:51 PM Aug 22nd

I just counted 50 kids on our street. Half are doing active sports; half older than 10; half are guests from off the block.  4:08 PM Aug 22nd

Our bubble mix: 2 buckets warm water (less what kids spill); biggest Dawn Ultra available; 6 oz CVS glycerin; stand back…   4:26 PM Aug 22nd

Six-on-six touch football in the street, coached/officiated by one of the dads.  4:48 PM Aug 22nd

I hear tonight’s high-school-aged rock band practicing in their garage. (They’re up-and-coming, so we just pass the hat.)  4:54 PM Aug 22nd

First casualty of the day was an accidentally smashed slug. Second: The coach/dad was hit on the nose with a football.  5:23 PM Aug 22nd

I thought 4 gallons of lemonade mix would be enough for a cool day. Then they started playing football.  5:24 PM Aug 22nd

Another dad stepped in as coach/official for big-kid football — his kids are 7 and under, so I think he’s loving it.  5:25 PM Aug 22nd

It’s great to have a long block. We have room for football, bubbles, little kids stuff, bikes, & dinner setup at same time.  5:28 PM Aug 22nd

Dinner’s over, time for bingo under the stars…er, clouds. This tradition is led by one of the founders of our block party.  6:52 PM Aug 22nd

Suspicious activity in the alley — everyone reminded to lock their back door and keep an eye on loose bikes.  7:22 PM Aug 22nd

Our local band (headliners) swung deals for a stage, sound system & lighting — the opening act brought the sound system. 7:24 PM Aug 22nd

Middle schoolers crowding the stage during set up, as bingo concludes at the other end of the block.  7:25 PM Aug 22nd

While the opening act plays the Beatles, Gail & I are putting away tables & supplies with a little help from our friends.  8:07 PM Aug 22nd

As one end of the block rocks on, the other plays ghost in the graveyard. And glow sticks decorate everything.  8:56 PM Aug 22nd

It’s barely 9 o’clock. Two more hours…. I think the parents are ready to call it a night, but not the kids.  8:59 PM Aug 22nd

The street is quiet — just a few clusters of teens/adults. Maybe the day did wear out the kids, as the parents hoped.  9:54 PM Aug 22nd

The #NCLIBlockParty is over! As I took down the barricades, the last kids on the street scootered along, taking down No Parking signs. Bye! 11:10 PM Aug 22nd

And now some tweets from the next day and beyond. I’ve been keeping an eye out for kids playing outside on our block.

The block looks pretty good AM after #NCLIBlockParty. Folks already picked up most the trash, squirrels and starlings getting what’s left. 8:18 AM Aug 23rd

#NCLIBlockParty lost-and-found at record low: 1 scooter, 5 dot paintings, & 1 steak knife left behind — on our front steps until reclaimed.  8:21 AM Aug 23rd  Later some lost kitchenware also turned up down the street.

24 hrs ago there were 50 kids playing outside on our block. Now there is 1 parent pulling 1 toddler in a wagon. (sigh…)  4:01 PM Aug 23rd

At least the boys are bugging me to take them birding at Columbus Park. Soon, Aaron, soon….  4:03 PM Aug 23rd

It’s sunset, but the middle-school skateboarders & four families with younger kids are outside on our block. I’m smiling….  7:40 PM Aug 23rd

And finally, from mid-September:

A dozen middle schoolers took back our street! A diverse group in gender, ethnicity, & mode of transportation. (Just went home for supper.) 5:23 PM Sep 16th    I wish that happened more often!

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That’s it for now. I may add photos and more commentary later.