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.

Ben

I live in Esher, reported to be the home of one of the colonies. But
as you can see from the BBC report the colonies are spread far and
wide.

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/education/3869815.stm

In my experience they feast on buds and very young fruit from trees.

My nieghbours have Prunus - thats Cherry trees, these are popular with
the parrots in spring time when they peck the tree tops - but not to
the point of devastation.

Also popular at that time of year is Crateagus and Betula.

As for eating fruit, veg , cereal and grain - I cannot comment. In my
experience I have never see these birds come down to the ground, so
the idea of them eating veg does not seem to ring true.

As for eating cereal and grain - we are talking about London suburbs
here, its not a big grain farming region. Maybe they do eat these
things if people put them out on bird tables or in feeders.

Anyway take a look at the pictures from the BBC report, and that is
what most of them look like, Green with reddish beaks.

Hope that helps

Phil, Esher, Surrey