LI Animal Advocates React To Lindenhurst Parrot Nest Destruction

Lindenhurst, NY—Some Lindenhurst residents and parrot rescue groups are up in arms about what they say was "a careless and inhumane nest removal," of Quaker parrot nests and other birds on June 22 from the stadium lights in Fireman's Park, leading to the deaths of most of the parrot hatchlings.

According to local animal rescue advocates, the Village of Lindenhurst hired green energy company Johnson Controls, based in Syosset, to add LED lights to the stadium lights, a favorite place for the parrots to nest. The Village says the contracted company was supposed to have consulted with a wildlife expert to safely remove the nests and birds, but residents witnessed workers from a subcontractor's truck throwing the nests to the ground.

Quaker parrots are not native to Long Island, but the birds, also known as monk parakeets, are from South America. Common lore says a few escaped from shipping crates at JFK Airport in the 1960s, and ever since they've been spotted making their homes in tall structures across Long Island, especially the South Shore.

Linda McParland lives in Lindenhurst and says she's seen the parrots in Fireman's Park for at least six years. She was home tending to fostered baby birds when she heard about the nest removal.

"It was just sickening to hear about," she said.

Nancy Goldstein lives in Melville and got involved after seeing a post about the incident in a Facebook parrot group.

"People love the birds," she told Patch.

"There was no emergency, no complaints, no fire hazard. People saw them taking the nests down wily-nily, throwing the nests to the ground. Most of the hatchlings died."

A video taken by Caitlin Lefferts the day after the nests were destroyed shows the adult Quaker parrots noisily looking for the nests and baby birds. Leffert also took photos on June 22, showing multiple dead birds on the ground.

One surviving parrot hatchling is being rehabbed by a volunteer in Northport, along with eggs under incubators, Goldstein reports, adding that she's contacted Lindenhurst Village officials asking them to compensate the volunteers for the costs of rehabbing the rescued bird and eggs, estimated to be $400 to $500.

The village posted the following statement on its website after the public outcry:

This is a follow up to our post yesterday concerning the incident on June 22, 2021 involving the improper removal of certain parrot nests from Village Park. This action regrettably resulted in the unnecessary loss of bird life which could have been avoided. First, be aware the Mayor and Village Board are appalled at the callous and unprofessional actions of our contractor and the subcontractor resulting in this inhumane loss. As you may know by way of history, the Village hired a contractor, Johnson Controls, a nationally respected leader in the field of energy conservation as part of an innovative Village wide cost neutral green energy initiative. Part of this contract included the upgrade of lighting at Villages Park. Johnson Controls in turn hired an animal control specialist to responsibly remove certain parrot’s nests from the lighting so the work could be performed and supervised the activity as the general contractor. At no point, until it was too late, was the Village aware that the actions of the animal control specialist and subcontractor would harm any bird life. The Village immediately self-reported the matter to the police, ASPCA and NYS Department of Environmental Conservation. We requested a thorough and complete investigation and demanded that those responsible are held accountable as we deal with this terrible loss.

Ali Fragale has orchestrated safe Quaker parrot removal for energy companies in New Jersey before. She says what happened in Lindenhurst was "unnecessary."

"This is the middle of the breeding season, and there were unfledged baby birds and eggs that were tossed to the ground and left for dead. It was a violent death, clearly, because the entrails of some of the birds were extruding from their rectums because of the force of the trauma. This is the middle of the breeding season for all birds, not just the wild monk parakeets."

"In New Jersey, the utility company PSEG works with their parrot- loving community, and they remove the nests twice a year, once before the breeding season in April, and once after the breeding season in September," she explains.

"This is a very simple and easy procedure to follow that allows the electric company to maintain their equipment, and it also ensures the safety of the parrots and their babies."

Fragale also noted that the adult parrots will return and build nests with twice as many eggs after losing their young.

Because the Quaker parrots are considered an invasive species, they aren't protected under New York Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC) law. But according to the parrot advocates and Lindenhurst Village, there is an inquiry into the incident by the Suffolk County SPCA.

Doug Madlon, Lindenhurst Village clerk, told Patch that he and the mayor are both "outraged" over what happened.

"There's an inquiry now with the ASPCA, and we will fully cooperate. The mayor has lost sleep, we agree what happened was wrong. We truly hope nothing like this ever happens again in Lindenhurst."

Madlon says the village attorney will meet with the contractor next week and that the Suffolk County Police Department has also been contacted.