Those flocks of green parakeets which fly around SW London and Surrey etc

[Fauve]

Are they a pest to gardeners? There is a flock of 6 or 7 in the garden two doors away which seems to be pecking all the blossom off a cherry tree. Are my apple trees safe?
I've always enjoyed watching them fly around but it's only this year that they've come so close to home.

essentially they are pests as they are not indiginous to this country.

They will have escaped over the years and some will have survived, and as they have quite a good lifespan (between 15/50 years depending on the species) it's more than likely that they will pair up with other escaped birds over the years, and ultimately they will have bred.

The birds that now form these flocks are probably mostly second and third generation birds, but presumably birds that do escape probably stand a better chance of survival in the wild if they can join such a flock. Indiginous birds will actively attack strange birds as most flock with their own kind, therefore a loan bird is far more vulnerable than one in a group.

Yurt would ds2 be placated with a picture of my parrot instead? .

Oh, thanks for all these responses (what a flurry )

I don't want them to chase out the nice little birds we have in our garden normally, especially the nesting {ahem} tits. I think I'll try to shoo them out of our garden if they venture in, then.

If Hallgerda's around, I'd love to tap into her expertise!

I wouldn't say I'm an expert (thanks for the compliment, Blu), but here goes...

They're a commercial fruit tree pest in India, so I'd be a bit concerned about your fruit trees. (In the wild they eat fruit, berries, seeds and flowers; here they also visit nut and seed feeders and also take meat scraps.) My mother used to put thread round our cherry tree to keep birds off. Perhaps some similar trick might work for apple trees. I've noticed fruit trees with CDs hanging from them - I presume that's to deter birds, but I don't know whether it's effective.

Whether they're a threat to native birds is not altogether clear. Competition for nest holes is thought to be more of an issue than food, as most of our native garden birds (e.g. tits, robins, blackbirds, thrushes) mainly eat small invertebrates, particularly in the breeding season. The tits should be OK as the parakeets would need much bigger holes. The larger woodpeckers (Great Spotted and Green) are pretty tough birds and would probably be able to see off the parakeets. (The Lesser Spotted Woodpecker's holes would be too small). Starlings would seem the most likely bird to suffer from nest hole competition - their numbers have declined around 70% since the 1970s for reasons unrelated to parakeets.

There are some wonderful urban myths about how they came here. CountessDracula has already mentioned The African Queen. There's also a story that they're all descended from birds released by Jimi Hendrix. I think girlfrommars is broadly correct over the escaped cage birds, but "released illegally" may in many cases have been closer to the truth than "escaped". They are very demanding pets. Here is a website that gives some insight into why owners might be tempted to release their birds - imagine having a shrill green flying toddler in your house for 15 or so years!

To summarise, your apples may be at risk but your garden birds are probably not.

they're really odd, they all gather on one tree out the front for a while then flock about for a bit, always in the morning. they're really attracted to that one tree. it's nice.

spring and summertime

cod, many Londoners no longer have sparrows

On a happier note, I can reassure territorialbullfinch that her cousins at Beddington have been seen recently

my dd , nearly 3, is really obsessed with them asking for green parakeets reports from everyone she meets

I definitely see more parakeets than sparrows on a day to day basis.

We've got sparrows as well as parakeets In fact, we've also got a very sweet little wren which I see every year, and a pair of jays (less sweet, but very colourful). I've tried attracting finches by planting teasels, but haven't spotted any so far.

Thanks very much for that summary, Hallgerda I think shouting might work to keep them off my nearest apple tree (very near the kitchen); and we are getting a terrier in the summer which I might train to dislike big green birds.

Southeastastra, they come to us in the evening, but yes, that's how they flock. Very squawky.

The tits nest in a rather big hole in the nearest apple tree - I'd be more concerned about losing the tits than the apples, although both are good. Again, shouting and a terrier might deter them. I have used CDs against wood pigeons, but I think you have to keep moving them or the birds suss out that they aren't really scary. Terriers OTOH do move about a bit and are clearly a live threat.

I wonder how easy they are to catch? My local pet shop are selling them for £50 each. I asked the owner if they are the same breed of parakeet we have flying around in the wild and he sheepishly said they were.

Haha, there's a hobby for local youth, then...

Nobody has sparrows, we all have bloody pidgeons

Nyger seed is good for attracting finches, particularly goldfinches. Having said that, I've only ever seen one goldfinch in my garden and we've lived here nearly 13 years. Greenfinches are quite common here in Streatham - they come to peanut feeders.

Meid, parakeets have sharp beaks - I'd not care to try to catch one.