I realize that for some this is ho-hum but it hasn't been that long ago that I can't remember how challenging it can be for those of us from out of the area to find parrots and parakeets--and how it is still fun for us to view them. I had a blast watching these parakeets last night. So I wanted to share that I was able to located a large aggregation approaching 500 (yes, I counted them in my photos, about 457 I could pick out) of Green Parakeets I found last evening in McAllen. I was on my way around 5 pm to the 10th and Dove location where the Rio Grande Valley Rare Bird report noted that have been staging but stopped at the Walgreens at McColl and Nolana where I heard then saw some fly over. I drove around a little looking for them then returned found they had perched on the utility lines right next to Walgreens. As I watched for the next half hour as more and more joined the aggregation. Around 5:50 pm they all took off in an amazing spectacle-both visual and auditory- and flew west on Nolana. Locals noticed and seemed to enjoy the spectacle also. I followed and watched for another 20 minutes as they flew back and forth and around, sometimes in a line of birds stretching to the horizon. I last saw a large number of them perched on utility lines above the new (and so popular they had cops directing traffic for all that wanted to get in) Popeye's Chicken on Nolana about a half mile west of McColl and Nolana. I did get photos and some video and have some uploaded to my Birds and Nature blog <http://BirdsAndNature.blogspot.com>. That said, I am a novice when it comes to parrot species. I don't know if they will be there again tonight or following nights but this area is also noted as a location that they fly to so it seems worth checking for those looking for this species in the McAllen area of the Valley. SeEtta Moss Colorado birder staying in Pharr Blogging for Birds and Blooms magazine @ http://birdsandbloomsblog.com/author/seetta-moss/ Personal blog @ BirdsAndNature.blogspot.com Edit your Freelists account settings for TEXBIRDS at //www.freelists.org/list/texbirds Reposting of traffic from TEXBIRDS is prohibited without seeking permission from the List Owner