Of all the immigrants who’ve made homes in Brooklyn, there’s still one group that doesn’t quite fit in: the parrots.
That’s right, hundreds of the birds — wild Quaker parrots, to be exact — call the athletic fields at Brooklyn College and the main gate of Green-Wood Cemetery home. And on Saturday, you can visit them with an expert.
Bay Ridge resident Steve Baldwin has been running parrot tours for three years and knows the terrain well. His “Wild Brooklyn Parrot Safari” has attracted international visitors and local bird buffs alike due to the strange nature of the birds.
“Several years ago, I got really intrigued by the story of these birds — they’re immigrants from Argentina — and it seemed miraculous to me that parrots who normally live in the jungle were able to really establish a foothold in Brooklyn,” said Baldwin.
“These parrots are committed Brooklynites — they really want to make it here.”
“The Wild Brooklyn Parrot Safari” begins at noon on July 12 at Hillel Gate at Brooklyn College (at the intersection of Hillel Place and Campus Road in Midwood). The tour is free. For information, call (646) 361-2879 or visit www.brooklynparrots.com.
