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#16
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Parrots in the Garden?
"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. -- Regards Bob in Runnymede, 17miles west of London, UK |
#17
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Parrots in the Garden?
Bob Hobden wrote:
"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. Could there be more than one such incident? ISTR a flock of green parakeets living wild in and around Bromley, Kent (South East edge of London) about 20 years ago. -- Howard Neil |
#18
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Parrots in the Garden?
"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 |
#19
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Parrots in the Garden?
".......... Will roast parakeet replace chicken? ........"
if they do wont they be Parakate? -- David Hill Abacus nurseries www.abacus-nurseries.co.uk |
#20
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Parrots in the Garden?
On Thu, 15 Jul 2004 19:16:16 +0100, Howard Neil
wrote: Bob Hobden wrote: "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. Could there be more than one such incident? ISTR a flock of green parakeets living wild in and around Bromley, Kent (South East edge of London) about 20 years ago. There are flocks in West London including Kew. By the end of the decade there could be 100,000 parakeets according to Radio 4 a few days ago. Will roast parakeet replace chicken? -- Martin |
#21
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Parrots in the Garden?
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 |
#22
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Parrots in the Garden?
Ben wrote:
Hello all, 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, while there's nothing wrong with asking about this in uk.rec.gardening, there's also uk.rec.birdwatching -- some of whom do watch birds in their gardens! We lived in Chertsey, Surrey about 20 years ago, and ring-necked parakeets came regularly if not frequently to our birdfeeder (a wire tube containing peanuts). The first time I saw one I literally could not believe my eyes; it shone like a jewel against the drab grey and brown of our garden in winter. regards sarah -- NB. Note change of *usenet* email address: 'amitiel.demon.do.uk' will soon cease to function. My other email address will remain valid. Think of it as evolution in action :-) |
#23
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Parrots in the Garden?
"David Hill" wrote in message ...
".......... Will roast parakeet replace chicken? ........" if they do wont they be Parakate? As long as they haven't been treated with the popular chemical control, Paraquate. In Australia, a well-known delicacy led to the invention of the nursery-rhyme "Paracake, paracake, baker's man". If you can get enough dead ones, you can make the feathers into an unusual and attractive floor-covering: in the trade this is known as paraquet. Mike. |
#24
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Parrots in the Garden?
Ben wrote: Hello all, 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. B Ben, I suppose that you know they are not only around London? For many years, there have been colonies of Ring-neck parakeets near Brussels - and in Holland, too. Interesting, yes, but also sad - they are pushing out other bird species that also used to breed in hollow trees. Roger. There's more than money to be looked for in this short life of ours |
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