The tropical birds are no longer under an imminent death sentence, but the town's parrot advocates must find a new hangout for their feathered friends.

And it has to be the right kind of hangout: an enclosure that will keep the birds from flying free, according to Clark Public Utilities.

That process will come into clearer focus this weekend when Yacolt residents gather to discuss their options. They will meet at 7:30 p.m. Saturday at Yacolt Pentecostal Church, on the corner of East Humphrey Street and Ranck Avenue.

The birds - called Monk parakeets as well as Quaker parrots - have been weaving their nests around electrical transformers atop power poles in the north-county town.

The wickerwork of twigs and sticks is a fire danger and a threat to electrical service, so Clark Public Utilities hired a private electrical contractor, as well as wildlife specialists from the U.S. Department of Agriculture, to capture the birds and remove the nests from the transformers.

Early Tuesday morning, the crews removed five nests. Three birds were netted and euthanized - humanely killed in a chamber filled with carbon dioxide.

But the majority of the flock escaped. Now the question is: What happens to the survivors?

Utility officials have one thing in mind - captivity - but members of the Yacolt Quaker Parrot Preservation Association are thinking more along the lines of a free-and-wild relocation.

"There are bird rescue groups, and we will give them an opportunity," said Lena Wittler, Clark Public Utilities spokeswoman.

"We won't get in their way, Wittler said, adding that, "We will provide mechanical equipment if they need assistance to place a humane netting box in a tree."

Members of the Parrot Preservation Association would like to lure the birds to a different nesting site, away from the power equipment.

"We want the parrots to live here in Yacolt," said Joy Tindall, who has been a neighbor of the birds for several years. "We are scrambling right now to get people who have experience in erecting alternate nesting sites; we have volunteers willing to provide labor and supplies."

Tindall said the relocation campaign is relying on the birds' nesting preferences. While the heat generated by the electrical transformers is seen as part of the utility poles' appeal, it's not the only draw.

"They must build on the highest thing within 50 feet," Tindall said. "When they originally built the nest, the trees around them were much smaller. One way people get a successful relocation is to erect alternative poles at least 3 feet higher than the utility poles."

That's not good enough for Clark Public Utilities.

"We do not want the birds to be free," Wittler said. "If they are going to be humanely captured, they need to be in a netted environment. We need them to not be in the wild. We need the birds to not be in our service area."

Wittler said local power officials have been in contact with utilities in other parts of the country that also had parrot problems.

"We are learning from their experiences that a lot of things people have suggested have not worked," Wittler said.

To parrot advocates, captivity is their "worst case scenario," Tindall said.

"If we can't provide a way for the parrots to stay in Yacolt, we are researching bird sanctuaries," Tindall said.

These are not creatures that can be adopted out, one at a time, to people with an empty bird cage, she said.

"They don't tame well. They are not easily domesticated when they are born in the wild," Tindall said. "Being around people in cages is likely to kill them."

For now, Wittler said, Clark Public Utilities "will continue to remove any nesting material on our transformers that are on our power poles."

"We are holding off on euthanization," Wittler said. "That doesn't mean that in the future, if the groups are unsuccessful, it would not be an option."

Update

Previously: Early Tuesday morning, crews hired by Clark Public Utilities tore down five parrots' nests in Yacolt, and three of the birds were euthanized.

What's new: Utility officials say they will hold back on further eradication efforts so bird advocates can try to capture the parrots and relocate them to an aviary or other enclosure.

What's next: The Yacolt Quaker Parrot Preservation Association will meet at 7:30 p.m. Saturday at Yacolt Pentecostal Church, East Humphrey Street and Ranck Avenue.

Tom Vogt can be reached at 360-759-8008 or at tom.vogt@columbian.com