In the Chimera Canyon novels parrots play a key role. In the actual canyon that the neighborhood in the books is based on, a flock of wild parrots often dominates the evening sky as they scream at each other from the tree tops. Yes it is loud!
Amazonian parrots aren’t native to the area and over the years legends have risen around the reason for their presence. I thought I’d share some of my favorite stories.
- The Garden Center Fire: One story traces the flocks back to a major fire during the late 1950s at Simpson’s Garden Town Nursery and Bird Farm. (Also why is this not a place I can go!) The business housed a large, diverse collection of birds, and during fire, many of the parrots were either intentionally freed or managed to escape. The survivors formed a flock and thrived for decades in the warm climate becoming the large population in the area today.
- The “Individual Escapees” Theory: Some experts believe the flock of parrots grew as individual pet parrots escaped from the safety of their suburban cages to join the local gang. Brought to the area as part of the thriving pet trade in the mid-to-late 20th century, individual birds escaped by accident, owner negligence, or intentional release. Over time, these solitary escapees found one another in the wild and successfully formed breeding populations.
- Escape from Black Market Smugglers: Some believe that the parrots escaped from smugglers who illegally brought them across the border. Another theory, though less supported by scientists, is that the parrots simply migrated to the region on their own from their native habitats in Mexico.
How ever they arrived, the bad dudes of the bird world have made Chimera Canyon home.