The Nanday Parakeets

I'd been trying to get a good photo of a Nanday parakeet since our first visit to St. Pete Beach over a decade ago. Until this year, I would see and hear them regularly at Passe-A-Grille and, later, across the street on the TradeWinds grounds. They are hard to shoot because they're mostly in constant motion. The noise -- which makes me laugh -- is awful!

For a few years, Passe-A-Grille was difficult to access because of extensive infrastructure projects that included roads, sewers and palm tree planting. The birds must have decided to move up the beach, because I haven't seen or heard one in that area since we arrived three weeks ago. They're all here, I think.

Several times a day, the flock travels around our building, screeching the entire way. Two of them seems to have decided to nest together, perhaps in the large palm tree under our condo. They are quieter, heads together, chattering cheerfully, looking totally smitten with each other.