This is very interesting!  When I lived in Laurel Lakes (2004 season?)
Monk Parakeets were being seen in Laurel up by the racetrack near or
at the AA county line.  They never seemed to get to nesting, actually,
it's more like "roosting" as they are building their colonial stick
structures.  They do well in some very cold locales (Chicago,
Connecticut) so I am hoping that this "naturalized" species gets
established here.  Birds are adaptable; not all "non-native" species
are a bad thing, IMHO.

***************************
Frank Boyle
Rohrersville, MD

***************************

On Thu, Oct 28, 2010 at 4:56 PM, Marcy Stutzman
<> wrote:
> Jay Sheppard let me  know today that the 3 Monk Parakeets were seen @ 4PM at the nest site they've been building on a cel tower in the right-of-way on Mt. Pleasant Drive near its intersection with Muirkirk Road in Laurel. Muirkirk Road connects Rte 197 in Laurel with Rte 1 in Beltsville.
>
> The birds are building the nest on the first cel tower on the east side of Mt. Pleasant Drive on the north side of the tower (on your left as you face it) and about 20-30 feet off the ground (if I remember correctly). They had a few of what seemed to be false starts when I visited there in Sep.
>
> In case you are intersted in checking out the nest and are using a map program, the nearest address is 12111 Mt. Pleasant Drive, Laurel 20708.
>
> This area is in Jay's Bowie Christmas Count sector, so we're hoping they stick around.
>
> Marcy
>
> Marcy Stutzman
> Russett, MD
> 
>



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"The most powerful weapon in the hands of the oppressor is the mind of
the oppressed" - Stephen Biko