...to have fallen in love with parakeets

[ohhereweareagain]

that's it really. went armed with sunflower seeds & cut up apple in search of the secret path that leads to a parakeet haven in central london. My heart has been warmed

I lived in London for years but didn't know they were a thing until I went for a picnic in Richmond Park and thought I was hallucinating!

There are masses of parakeets further out of London, Mitcham common, Lloyd Park and Shirley Hills and around New Addington (Croydon area).

When I was a child I lived in Thanet for a while and there used to be a colony in a park there. I don’t know if they’re still there now though.

WhyBeDennyDifferent Pretty well anywhere in South London, near a park.
Not sure about north of the river, but then that's practically Scotland so not sure if they would like all the snow and cold.

They are a threat to our small native birds, they do ££££ of damage to crops (they decimated a whole commercial vineyard in Kent a few years ago) and they make a horrible squeaking sound.

We have them in back gardens here in S London and I don’t think they should be encouraged.

They are in Brixton.
And all over inner S London.

Masses around here. TBH have stopped feeding them, since they would get through so much so quickly.
Have had to find very robust parakeet-proof bird feeders for the smaller birds. Parakeet beaks are so strong, they will rip ordinary ones open in no time.
In Richmond Park, near here, I once saw a baby parakeet poking its head out of a hole in a tree. Parent was coming back to feed it.
In winter I think they're eating a load of buds on trees. I've noticed a lot of bud-debris under horse chestnut trees locally - the buds are nowhere near opening yet.
We used to have a peanut feeder in a tree near our bedroom window but the parakeets were making such a racket first thing in summer, that didn't last long.

I'm vaguely where South London meets Surrey and we have loads of them. I quite like them, they're beautiful, but one flew into my parents living room one day and my DM is terrified of birds so both she and the parakeet were screaming and DF had to forcibly evict it. It was very strong!

A friend had a budgie escape and they think she may now be living with the parakeets.

Loads here in North London. They hang out in our garden in flocks of as many as 10. Watching them is one of my favourite lazy pastimes:

There are lots in Greenwich Park. You tend to see masses of them towards the end of the day when they come home to roost.
I once encountered a stand-off/ fight between a parakeet and a squirrel in a tree; the squirrel lost and fell out of the tree on to the path right by my feet! Was a bit dazed and then ran off. probably a bit embarrassed!

Yep loads in our local park and back gardens in N London too

They are all around in outer East London/Essex and Epping Forest. They ARE having a significantly bad effect on the woodpeckers - they take their nesting holes and apparently woodpecker numbers are lessening (presumably being driven further afield). I have to say I've seen woodpeckers most days in the forest but I certainly haven't had them coming to my birdfeeder for at least 10 months (they used to come a lot in the winter), so maybe they've been moved on by the parakeets as well.

I live just outside Brussels, and have 6 parakeets as regulars in my garden, as well as two pairs of lesser spotted woodpeckers and a couple of green woodpeckers as well.

I also have treecreepers, robins, wagtails, various tits and nuthatches.

A friend of mine managed a block of flats in Greenwich where they had worked out how to rip off the plastic air vents outside and get into kitchens where they would steal food.

There's definitely a flock of them in Littleheath Woods @cherrytree63 - we live very close and I see them in the garden.

We have just started getting them in our garden - so lovely!

I am going to get sunflower seeds to try and encourage them.

We're in London recently and went to look at the parakeets. We stood there looking at one in a tree, turned round and there was a squirrel right next to us looking expectantly at us. It wanted food, but we had none so felt guilty. Next time I'm taking food for the parakeets and squirrels!

Loads of them here.

Hate the screeching fuckers. Especially when they shit down the washing and the windows

They look pretty but can push out native birds :(

We have loads in West London too. We often get them at our bird feeder.

I LOVE them. They flock to the massive tree behind my house in late spring/early summer eating all the blossom and the swooping and noise is amazing. Such cheerful birds.

I love them to look at but sad that they drown out the sound of the native birds. We have tons in SE London

They live by my mum's way too, the ringnecked ones. Lovely birds, have been in the area for decades and are doing really well.

Does anyone know whether it's true that the original parakeets were released into the wild in the UK for a Tarzan film? (I guess at Ealing Studios, maybe?)

There's loads in Kew Gardens, but they've also spread out as far as Maidenhead!

Please don’t feed them on sunflower seeds. They’re very fatty and can lead to fatty liver disease. Fine in small treat quantities though.