Last week while I stood outside the Seward Park PCC store, I heard
a thunderous roar of wings overhead. As I looked up, a brilliant flash
of green flew by, filling me with awe and wonder. The person I had been
talking to was surprised that I did not know about the colony of conures
(Parrots) that live in Seward Park.
Refugees from a domestic prison cell, the conures thrive well in the
hostile environment of Seward Park beside the eagles, crows and domestic
cats turned wild. Sticking out into Lake Washington like a crooked finger,
the park provides food and shelter for a colony of nine or 10 birds.
Bob Warner, a Seattle Parks Department employee who has worked at
Seward Park for the last three years, says, "The Conures have lived
in the Park for the last 10 years, with little or no change in the population
of the colony for the last three years."
Charlie Harding of the Seattle Parrot Shop reports that "There
is more than one variety of conure at Seward Park, with colonies at
Northgate and Discovery Park."
Beautiful Seward Park also provides for other escaped pets, including
cats and rabbits. Warner has named one of the largest cats "Wiley."
The eleven bald eagles and countless number of pesky crows inhabiting
the park provide a means of population control for the escaped pets.
For information about bird watching tours and pre-registration
instructions call the Seward Park Nature Center at (206)684-4396.