Wild "Parrots"?

[Athravan]

This is going to sound odd, but I swear there is a parrot living locally. I have never seen it, but on a few occasions I have heard it - like just now, as I often have the window open, and it sounded quite close.

Having kept conures for a number of years, as well as cockatiels, budgies, and I used to keep finch, parakeet and quail aviaries, I know what native british birds sound like, and what parrakeet/parrot varities sound like, and it is the screeching very similar to a conure that wants something and isn't getting it right away - those of you with conures know the sound I mean!

I've heard a few stories about parakeets living wild - does anyone know exactly what species are known to survive and breed wild in the UK and if anyone has ever heard of any groups in Cardiff?

I hate to think of someone lost pet sitting in a tree somewhere screeching, and I would much rather it be a wild, albeit non native bird.

This morning I also heard the crows squabbling and calling at each other the way they often do when they are bullying something, or if a predator is close and they're trying to warn it off, which I thought was odd, they were doing it a few days ago too - I always check when they do that my cats aren't sitting in the garden playing with a baby bird or anything, as they only make those noises for a reason usually.

[Kylie]

i know they are green and live in london but cant remeber the name of them they are very pretty though

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

just found that!!

[Graham]

The most common ones are Ring Necked Parakeets and there are huge flocks of them round here, up to 7000 in a single roost!

I get some in my garden most days...



Legend has it they escaped from Shepperton Studios during the filming of The African Queen in the 1950s, or if you prefer they are all descended from a pair that Jimi Hendrix released in the late '60s!

I haven't heard of these outside the South East though, I'd have thought it's more likely that yours is an escaped pet.

[Dan]

Ringnecks are the main one, by the gazillion, lol.

The article there says about alexandrines, but, i have seen a pair of these that were bought and turned out to be wild ringnecks so i don't know if its mainly a mis-id, although it shouldn't be with thsoe two really.

[Kylie]

i aint got a clue about bird just found the article and looked at the picture didnt actually read it all i know is i have seen these and they are very pretty!

[Graham]

Last autumn a flock of them descended on my neighbours garden, and stripped their apple tree of fruit in half an hour flat!

My neighbours opposite have an aviary in their garden with some sort of parrots, and the wild parakeets often sit in the tree next to it talking to the captive birds. In fact looking out of the window I can see a few of them there right now.

There was a pair nesting in a hollow Willow tree round the back this spring.

[Kylie]

oh how lovely we have loads of red kites around at the moment they are stunning but quite annoying cos i cant let the rabbit run round the garden anymore!

[Schip]

It may be that someone has got some homing parrots, yes they do exist as I've done it myself with a pair of macaws and some moustached parakeets, they came in to roost in the aviary shed overnight where it was safe and then I let them out again in the mornings.

I know a guy in Chatteris who used to have a wooden beer barrel up a tree where his macaws nested and bred, never had an aviary for them.

[Graham]

we have loads of red kites around at the moment they are stunning but quite annoying cos i cant let the rabbit run round the garden anymore!

I wouldn't have thought Kites would be a problem with rabbits, they are more of a carrion feeder although they will take mice and other small mammals, an adult rabbit would probably be too big for them though.

They are beautiful birds, I look forward to driving up the M40 on a nice day because I know I'll see loads of them. There are lots around Henley too, When I go boating there I can usually lie back and watch a pair of them wheeling and diving overhead, amazingly aerobatic birds.

[Crownan]

Yeh we have hundreds round us, very noisey but they are really beautiful and are pretty cool.

Richmond Park is full of them and they are all over Surrey now really