monk parakeets--alternative nesting substrates?

[Jason South]

Hello everyone.

I've lived in Chicago for about a year now, in a neighborhood called Hyde
Park. Monk parakeets have become established here and have been breeding
for about twenty years. Every now and then a debate will ensue as to their
potential detriment to the community, as they are known as an agricultural
pest in South America.

Recently, they have begun to cause another problem. The monk parakeets, the
only nest-builders among the psittacids, have chosen utility poles more and
more to build their huge, bulky stick nests on. In June, one of these nests
caused a transformer to overheat, and the nest caught on fire, knocking out
power for several hours and charring a telephone pole. It was also
obviously not good for the birds. The local electrical company decided very
recently (Oct. 31) to begin tearing the nests down. They plan to monitor
periodically the poles on which nests have been built, and continue tearing
new nests down. This is obviously not a long-term solution, and has many
bird-lovers in the Hyde Park worried as to the health of the birds. Without
their insulated nests many of the birds will not survive the harsh cold
nights of Chicago.

My question is as follows. What kind of structure could one provide for the
parakeets as to minimize the building of nests on utility poles? They seem
to like the poles because they are high off the ground, have a lattice for
building nests, and are provided with warmth from the transformers. Does
anyone know what has been done in other communities where the birds have
utilised utility poles, or what has been done when other birds have nested
on poles, causing electrocutions and power outages?

Please respond to my email if possible.

Thank you.

-Jason South

http://student-www.uchicago.edu/users/jmsouth/

[Dwight U. Bartholomew]

Jason South wrote:

> My question is as follows. What kind of structure could one provide for the
> parakeets as to minimize the building of nests on utility poles? They seem
> to like the poles because they are high off the ground, have a lattice for
> building nests, and are provided with warmth from the transformers. Does
> anyone know what has been done in other communities where the birds have
> utilised utility poles, or what has been done when other birds have nested
> on poles, causing electrocutions and power outages?

I know you might not like this answer but the monk parakeets should be
destroyed. They are an "exotic" species and do not belong on this continent.
Thus, my suggested design would be along the lines of a "Monk Hotel": parakeets
check in but they don't check out.

Dwight Bartholomew