The Blue Parrot on the street in Carmel, California
@JamesHxstatic (29410)
Eugene, Oregon
January 16, 2016 11:57am CST
Wandering the picturesque streets of Carmel, California during the last week of 2014, we came upon this blue and yellow macaw on his perch outside a local business. It was a partly cloudy day, about 55 degrees and I wondered if that tropical bird was warm enough. But, he is a resident of that mild climate and I had to assume that the owner of the bird knew what he was doing.
Carmel is a beautiful little town near Monterey, with a white sandy beach leading into the rather cold waters of the Pacific ocean. Walking around those crowded streets in the holiday period was like visiting the United Nations. It seemed that everyone who passed was speaking a different language. I heard German, French, many Asian languages and some European that I could not identify.
The little village of Carmel guards its "quaint" architecture and depends on the tourist trade. On this day it was overrun with visitors, unlike many of the days I spent there while stationed nearby at Fort Ord as a military policeman.
Have you ever visited that area of California?
PS: A comment by @jabo prompted me to recall a wonderful YouTube film called "The Wild Parrots of Telegraph Hill (San Francisco). It is great!
9 people like this
9 responses
@TheHorse (238390)
• Walnut Creek, California
16 Jan 16
I have, and it's very pretty. I was recently in Lodi (out on the flats) and it was quite cool (upper 40s?), but there were parrots in outside cages. I reckon they're equipped to handle colder temperatures that we expect when we think of parrots.
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@TheHorse (238390)
• Walnut Creek, California
17 Jan 16
@JamesHxstatic Out here, we hear that they're from just North of Berkeley, in El Cerrito, or something like that.
@JamesHxstatic (29410)
• Eugene, Oregon
17 Jan 16
@TheHorse Maybe it was that "stuck in Lodi again" song that made me think that.
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@JamesHxstatic (29410)
• Eugene, Oregon
17 Jan 16
I think that Credence Clearwater Revival started out in Lodi.
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@JamesHxstatic (29410)
• Eugene, Oregon
16 Jan 16
Yes he is a "pet" parrot. They supposedly can't survive on their own outside a topical climate. There is a wonderful YouTube video called "the Wild Parrots of Telegraph Hill" that tells the story of escaped or abandoned pet parrots in San Francisco that survive in a rather cool climate.
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@jaboUK (64346)
• United Kingdom
16 Jan 16
@JamesHxstatic I think I actually saw that video - someone posted it on Bubblews.
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@xstitcher (39086)
• Petaluma, California
19 Jan 16
No, I can't say that I have. I am a stick in the mud up here in N CA.
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@JamesHxstatic (29410)
• Eugene, Oregon
17 Jan 16
It could very well be the same parrot I think.
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@ElizabethWallace (12069)
• United States
17 Jan 16
I am an unusual native Californian. I have visited all the places that tourists go. Most Californians have not. So, yes, I have been to Carmel several times. It is lovely, and the residents are smart enough to keep it that way. Hmmm. Time for another visit, perhaps this summer.
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@JamesHxstatic (29410)
• Eugene, Oregon
17 Jan 16
Anne and I are thinking about driving down this spring, so she can visit with her old friend.
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@ElizabethWallace (12069)
• United States
17 Jan 16
@JamesHxstatic When you do so, let us all know what the weather is like. Perhaps it won't be too cold or wet then. Summer can get a tad warm, if I remember correctly.
@JamesHxstatic (29410)
• Eugene, Oregon
16 Jan 16
It is my favorite area in that state. The Monterey Bay is so large and beautiful.
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@DeborahDiane (40852)
• Laguna Woods, California
17 Jan 16
Wow! There are so many different comments I have about this. First, I love Carmel. It is so quaint and sweet. Second, whenever I am in Laguna Beach in the summer, it is like the United Nations there, too ... so many languages are being spoken. Finally, there are also wild parrots in Orange County, particularly in Irvine. They believe that they originally were parrots that were released by owners but, now, have bred and many of the parrots were born in the wild. One of our daughters lives in Irvine and frequently sees the wild parrots outside her home. You can find lots of YouTube videos about the wild parrots in California.
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@JamesHxstatic (29410)
• Eugene, Oregon
17 Jan 16
That is fascinating. A friend who lives in Van Nuys says they are there as well.











