I looked out of the window and saw this...

http://www.flickr.com/photos/bobhobd...7633197988148/

Most unusual colouration.

-- Regards
Bob Hobden
Posting to this Newsgroup
from the W.of London. UK

On 08/04/2013 18:37, Bob Hobden wrote:
I looked out of the window and saw this...

http://www.flickr.com/photos/bobhobd...7633197988148/

Most unusual colouration.

-- Regards
Bob Hobden
Posting to this Newsgroup from the W.of London. UK



Lovely. I wonder if it's the only one. I like the pic of the green one
sat on top of the pole like a meerkat :~).

--
Spider
from high ground in SE London
gardening on clay

"Spider" wrote ...

Bob Hobden wrote:
I looked out of the window and saw this...

http://www.flickr.com/photos/bobhobd...7633197988148/

Most unusual colouration.



Lovely. I wonder if it's the only one. I like the pic of the green one
sat on top of the pole like a meerkat :~).


Never ever seen that colouration before, they are normally all the usual
bright green. They usually make such a racket but they are always totally
silent when feeding so unless you are watching you won't know they are
around, until they leave.
--
Regards. Bob Hobden.
Posted to this Newsgroup from the W of London, UK

Soft blue and even white variations also exist although the colour variants rarely occur in wild populations or last for long due to them being more easily targeted by predators. I had a blue male and yellow female many years ago - my intention being to breed them for whites. Their incessant screeching put paid to that plan and I passed them back to the breeder.

"Dave Poole" wrote ...

Soft blue and even white variations also exist although the colour variants
rarely occur in wild populations or last for long due to them being more
easily targeted by predators. I had a blue male and yellow female many
years ago - my intention being to breed them for whites. Their incessant
screeching put paid to that plan and I passed them back to the breeder.

They are obvious in the winter with no leaves on the trees but it always
amazes me how such a brightly coloured bird can disappear amongst leaves in
the summer, if they kept quiet.
Can you imagine what is was like at Esher Rugby Club where 4,000+ used to
roost every evening. :-)
--
Regards. Bob Hobden.
Posted to this Newsgroup from the W of London, UK

On 2013-04-08 18:37:00 +0100, Bob Hobden said:

I looked out of the window and saw this...

http://www.flickr.com/photos/bobhobd...7633197988148/

Most unusual colouration.

-- Regards
Bob Hobden
Posting to this Newsgroup from the W.of London. UK

We'd get very excited if we saw those! They haven't got this far yet!
--

Sacha
www.hillhousenursery.com
South Devon
www.helpforheroes.org.uk

I'm glad I don't have that lot! Bad enough keeping up with the greenfinches.
Nice colouring, though.

"Martin" wrote

"Bob Hobden" wrote:

"Dave Poole" wrote ...

Soft blue and even white variations also exist although the colour
variants
rarely occur in wild populations or last for long due to them being more
easily targeted by predators. I had a blue male and yellow female many
years ago - my intention being to breed them for whites. Their incessant
screeching put paid to that plan and I passed them back to the breeder.

They are obvious in the winter with no leaves on the trees but it always
amazes me how such a brightly coloured bird can disappear amongst leaves
in
the summer, if they kept quiet.
Can you imagine what is was like at Esher Rugby Club where 4,000+ used to
roost every evening. :-)

Were there really 4,000? Claims that there were 600 parakeets in a
Dutch park were checked by experts. 600 turned out to be around a
dozen. Our parakeets seem to be quiet. Maybe because they don't roost
in our garden. Their favourite food is unopened buds and flowers on
our chestnut trees. Somewhere on internet I read that Europe's wild
parakeets originate from a royal park in Brussels, where they were
deliberately released to make the park more colourful. There are wild
parakeets in Paris parks too.

Yes, estimates were between 4 to 6 thousand birds. Certainly at the time we
used to have flocks of 40 or 50 birds (I counted) flying over in the evening
and it was a constant stream of flocks of various size for an hour or so.
They seem to have changed their roosting pattern now.
--
Regards. Bob Hobden.
Posted to this Newsgroup from the W of London, UK

"Sacha" wrote in message
...
On 2013-04-08 18:37:00 +0100, Bob Hobden said:

I looked out of the window and saw this...

http://www.flickr.com/photos/bobhobd...7633197988148/

Most unusual colouration.

-- Regards
Bob Hobden
Posting to this Newsgroup from the W.of London. UK

We'd get very excited if we saw those! They haven't got this far yet!
--

Sacha

They haven't got to me yet either, but I'm not sure I want them!
Tina

On 2013-04-09 18:33:16 +0100, Christina Websell said:

"Sacha" wrote in message
...
On 2013-04-08 18:37:00 +0100, Bob Hobden said:

I looked out of the window and saw this...

http://www.flickr.com/photos/bobhobd...7633197988148/

Most unusual colouration.

-- Regards
Bob Hobden
Posting to this Newsgroup from the W.of London. UK

We'd get very excited if we saw those! They haven't got this far yet!
--

Sacha

They haven't got to me yet either, but I'm not sure I want them!
Tina

I know! I've seen people here curse them but for us they're exotic! I
had lovebirds in my Jersey garden and that really was charming.
--

Sacha
www.hillhousenursery.com
South Devon
www.helpforheroes.org.uk

It's interesting how even bright colour can be camouflage. For example, we were visited today by a particularly well-coloured male greenfinch. But since he was exactly the same colour as the fresh green leaves of the Rosa rugosa, he disappeared once he landed. And the garish orange breast of the robin renders it well camouflaged against fallen autumn leaves.

"Martin" wrote
I can imagine that having 4,000-6,000 parakeets in close proximity
like Bob had is a bit overwhelming, but one or two parakeets liven up
a garden. On the plus side seagulls and jackdaws give parakeets a wide
berth, although other birds don't seem to be frightened by parakeets.
It's around ten years since we first saw parakeets in the area. The
most we have ever seen in our garden was four and that was only once,
normally we get one or two.


Luckily I don't live that near the Esher Rugby Ground, it's about 12 miles
away. Much too expensive an area for me.
--
Regards. Bob Hobden.
Posted to this Newsgroup from the W of London, UK