Red and Green on the Wing

I cannot express how happy this makes me. These are red-faced conures enjoying toyon berries in the front of  Robin's house (Robin of Various and Sunday). There were about 12  of them, and they make this funny crackling noise while they eat.

The first time I ever encountered them on a bush eating berries like this was in Los Angeles--I came around a corner with Tallulah Mae's predecessor, Elektra, and there they were, dozens of them, in a bush. It took my breath away.

These parrots are legendary in Southern California. We saw and heard them in L.A., and I see/hear them every day here in SD. We lived in L.A. during the 1994 Northridge earthquake, which struck around 4:30 a.m. It was a ferocious quake, and of course it knocked electricity out. As the sun came up on a dark and quiet city, the first sign of life we heard was a flock of wild parrots flying overhead. It was, somehow, very reassuring.

By the way, those photos above are straight out of the camera--no enhancements needed when you're that beautiful!