Tag Archives: Austin

Monk Parakeets II

  
I discovered another nest of Monk Parakeets today as I was exploring along Guadalupe Street.  This one was near 38th and Guadalupe.  This is what I have learned so far about the parakeets.

     

  • They are native of Argentina.

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  • They are bright green on top, dull gray on bottom, and have an orange bill.

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  • They like to build a stick nest that may be home to several pairs of birds.

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  • For some reason, they like to build nests on electric utility poles.

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  • They are very social and intelligent birds, and as pets, they can develop a pretty good vocabulary.

  

Monk Parakeets

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I read an interesting article today about the Monk Parakeets of Austin.  Then I discovered the very cool Facebook page.  So, off I went in search of these birds.  As the story goes, the construction at the University of Texas intramural fields has taken some of their homes away since they liked to build nests in the light towers.  It is not confirmed if they will like the new light towers or not – and to complicate things, it is rumored that the grass fields will be replaced with AstroTurf.  Who new that Austin growth would negatively affect bunches of Parakeets?

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Rock Mover

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Although beautifully colored, this fish was too fast for photos.  I had to take my car to the shop this morning, and this guy was hanging out in the waiting room.  His mission was that of destruction.  He wasn’t happy with his current environment, so he decided to change things one rock at a time.  In the top photo, you can see where he has dug a hole in the aquarium all the way to the bottom and upended some plants along the way.  He would swoop in, pick up a rock in his mouth, and then swim over to the side and spit it out.  He was a nonstop blur of rock transplantation.  :-O

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The Music Run

  
The Travis County Expo Center has a nice hilltop view of downtown Austin.  The following set of photos will let you know what it is like to participate in the Music Run.  Me and my bad knee cheated and walked the course tonight.  This is a wonderful event and you should join in if it shows up in your town.  My only regret was that I didn’t get a better photo of the Left Shark.  I showed up early, had lots of fun, and was one of the last people to leave.

  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  

Chinese New Year Celebration

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The Chinese New Year Celebration in Chinatown Center was fun.  My favorite performance was Draiku Aerial.  They were mesmerizing.  I also took the opportunity to walk around and stop in at two of my favorite places – Pho Saigon for steamed rice with charbroiled sliced pork, and Short and Sweet for Thai iced tea with pearls.

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