We had the pleasure of tracking down and photographing a colony of wild Quakers that live near the Portland airport. Quakers are the only parrot that build a nest. They live in colonies and their nests are massive, with lots of little chambers in them. There are four nests that we saw...one huge one near the top of an oak tree, and a smaller one below it. There were also nests in 2 other oak trees. There was a lot of activity around the large nest and the one under it. We saw birds flying in and out, and heard the unmistakable sound of quaking babies. It was such an awesome feeling, seeing the huge nests (actually works of art is more like it) and seeing quakers flying free. We talked to some of the people who worked in the immediate area, and they told us the nests have been there at least 15 years. They seemed to be very matter-of-fact that they had a parrot colony living in their parking lot. They also gave no indication that the birds were pests in any way. When we mentioned the quakers to people who worked as close as across the street from the nests, they said "what parrots?". It really makes me wonder how quakers have gotten the reputation of being pests in different states,when they've lived in this location for 15 years and most people don't even know they are there.
