Letters to the Editor: Readers are thankful for the noisy, vibrant parrots flying around L.A.

To the editor: As Board President of the Plumery, a nonprofit whose mission is to provide a haven for displaced and relinquished parrots, I am grateful for the Nov. 18 opinion piece “I love L.A.’s noisy parrots. Poachers should leave these wild creatures alone.”

No one can really validate how parrot colonies in Southern and Central California became established. But a few are thriving, finding environments that support how they live and what they eat.

At Carpinteria’s Avocado Festival last October, three of us from the Plumery talked with people from neighborhoods mentioned in the opinion piece. They all loved having parrots nearby and in their backyards, giving them a bird’s-eye view into the joyful life of these exotic avians.

The despicable poachers capturing these innocent parrots only serve to illustrate how objectification and commodification have replaced ethics and empathy. The pain and suffering they cause are not only unforgivable, but also criminal.

Leslie Rugg, Santa Barbara

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To the editor: Several years ago, one of our local green parrots flew down from an oak tree in my yard and perched on my shoulder. It spent the afternoon with me, even going into the house with me for a glass of water. After several hours it flew back up to the oak and then off to the east.

Our local troupe passes through occasionally, and I always hope my friend will stop in again. It may be an immigrant, but its ancestors were on the continent well before mine.

John Sherwood, Topanga

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To the editor: I was delighted to read the article about the feral parrots that have made Alhambra their home. Better parrots than peacocks, I always say.

We bought our house here in 1975, and for decades crows and their extended families have lived rent-free in the huge pine tree in our front yard. One day about six years ago, we heard loud, frantic caws, rattles and clicks coming from the old tree, and the racket went on for hours.

The next day, the crows were gone, and the bright green parrots had taken up residency.

Evidently, the victorious but flighty parrots didn’t much care for their new digs, because they’ve since taken up permanent residence in my neighbor’s backyard palm tree.

Oh, I almost forgot to mention: The crows are back.

Ramona Saenz, Alhambra