"datsy" wrote in message
"Ben" wrote in message
I am a Canadian journalist and am working on a story about the
expanding parakeet population in London.
My research tells me that the population is currently expanding at 30
per cent annually for at least the last 5 years and is continuing to
grow. A favorite food of the birds in the city - fruit, vegetables,
cereal grains etc.
My request is this: have any of you had your gardens pecked at by
parakeets?sightings of parakeets in your gardens or friends gardens?
Anybody in London or the suburbs who could help me and would be
willing to talk would be great. Thank you kindly.


The legend is that these Birds come from a couple that were released
from
their cage onboard a barge that was sinking in the Staines/Wraysbury
area.
Indeed they were first noticed around the Wraysbury area and seem to
have
spread along the R.Thames from there. I myself have counted over 50 in
one
flock flying over my house.
They fly over to roost every evening.


According to Bill Oddy on TV last month, there's another theory that they
escaped from the set of an Indian-type film.

Well that must have been a long time ago 'cause the "Surrey Parrots" have
been around here for decades. It's true they are a common sight around Delhi
etc, our Indian guide and the rest in our party thought I was mad when I
pointed and shouted "look Surrey Parrots" all those years ago. :-)

To go back to the original poster, whilst I've never seen any land in my
garden only fly over, I have a friend that lives a couple of miles away at
Wraysbury who assures me they do visit local gardens and bird tables there.
As I've said before they do like to "prune" the young shoots of trees
especially horse chestnut as I found to my cost when I parked under one last
spring, car was covered in sticky buds and shoots. A local council employee
told me they had made a "right mess" of the trees in a park in Chertsey
during the winter, tearing off the bark.

Going back to my original legend post, that is the legend but I'm more
inclined to think they were probably from some escapees from the parrot
breeding/sales place at Wraysbury.

I've seen them breeding in the trees in both Syon Park (first noticed, must
be, about 10 years ago or more) and at the Savill Garden and Bushy Park, in
fact anywhere there are tall trees with holes along the Thames valley.

--
Regards
Bob
in Runnymede, 17miles west of London, UK