Ring necked parakeets
Back in November David Chapman wrote an article about ring neck parakeets in which he praises their being around but admits they do compete with our native species, a fact he glosses over as if it does not matter. I've just read an article in another magazine that features parakeets and how they affect our native birds by keeping them off bird tables, taking nesting sites from other species that use holes in trees like wood peckers. They also cause major damage to fruit farmers crops and as such are on a very limited list of birds that can shot for so doing. The article I read refers to them as the grey squirrels of the skies. If we are to act as conservationists then lets conserve our native species not invaders. Please do not encourage parakeets in any way.
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To be fair to the Ring Necked Parakeets the OP needs to quote the source of the information "read in a magazine."
The RSPB website states Parakeets don't present a problem at present. You can read all about them on the RSPB web site.
I suppose if you can have a "marmite" bird this is one of them.
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Leave em be I say👍🏻. We bring them here, we release them, we get upset with them because of our own stupidity then decide they don’t fit so let’s try & starve them.
Conservationist-a person who advocates or acts for the preservation of the environment & wildlife. Ring knecked Parakeets are wildlife👍🏻
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Evening
There's a resident RNP at Cirencester Park club site. Good to watch but very aggressive with other birds. Gives the crows and magpies a run for their money.
JK
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That'll be this chap then?
We have around 5 / 6 of them that visit the area, you hear them before you see them!
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Forget RNP, look what is flying free in Peak District.......
Trained to free fly by his zoologist owner, this is Motley the Macaw. Stunning bird....
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I've seen two parakeets in Bristol and a very noisy colony near a friend's house in London. There is a map on line showing where they are but the RSPB say they prefer the all year round food sources in urban areas.
At the moment the robins are singing their hearts out around us and I wouldn't really enjoy tuneless squawks! 🦜 (wrong colour, I know...
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We have a group of 5 or 6 of these fellas who pop in every so often.
You hear them before you see them😁
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I have a problem with some of this to be honest Rocky.
If mankind has been stupid and introduced a species that has a detrimental effect on our natural wildlife do we merely ignore the stupidity and not try to rectify it?
Take the Grey Squirrel, introduced from America. Driving out our natural Red Squirrel, which has adapted itself to our environment and has it's own UK predators. A Vegetarian to boot. The Grey is aggressive and takes over the Red's area. The Grey will also take birds eggs and chicks if it can. It isn't the Red's fault that they are here. Why when we have endangered it should we allow this to happen?
Same scenario with Japanese Knotweed and the Killer Shrimp ( most likely here through commercial activity). Our own species are suffering through this.
So I would prefer it if that if mankind was the direct root cause of introducing a species that causes problems for native ones that we try to correct that mistake.
That is not to say that I think RNP have reached that stage. I'm not an expert in this so will leave any judgement of that to those that are. If they say they are not causing harm to native birds then I'm willing to go along with them and it looks like the RSPB have taken that view.
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Reminds me of the woeful tale of the Ruddy Duck😢 Used to see these on a regular basis at Clumber and other places back in the 1980’s and 90’s. Beautiful little bird, but so promiscuous.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ruddy_duck#Invasive_species
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So they have got as far North as Derbyshire?😱, I doubted they would get away from their southern origins. Derbyshire borders South Yorks, or is that a pic from elsewhere Tertiz🤔
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I’ve never seen one nor heard one on my travels B🤷🏻♂️
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Spot on, Derbyshire it is.
We stayed at Abbey Wood site a few years ago and there are loads there, we wondered what the noise was when we first arrived and then spotted the flock flying overhead.
I understand that they were someone's pets that had escaped and then bred and they are everywhere on that site!
Bit late for anyone to be upset by them, they're already here!
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Thanks👍🏻, I sooooo need to get out now👍🏻😊. I for one welcome their colourful addition👏🏻👏🏻. If they don’t belong then Darwin’s Law will sort it. That’s not going to happen I found out they’ve been here for over 100 years😱
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Good resource thanks👍🏻
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None that I’ve either seen nor heard but I’ll be across to Bolton Abbey looking out for them as soon as the rules allow that’s for sure👍🏻
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I think we need to look at the source of this opinion as it dosn't match that of the RSPCB. Bit like those game magazines writing about the management of pheasants and other introduced game birds not having an effect on native wildlife. Not to mention habitat management and the mass spread of toxic lead shot across tracts of land.
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"We’ve lost half our farmland birds in the past 50 years, 40% of all species have declined in number and many of our rivers are in a shocking state."
It's a bit unfair to blame all farmers for the damage caused when maintaining shooting estates or adopting habitat destroying practises. It's a minority of land owners perpetuating this vandalism. There are many farmers doing their best to maintain a living whilst restoring natural habitats. We should not tar all!
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They are extremely noisy in west London when you are trying to have a peaceful evening before bed on a campsite in the Walton on Thames and Chertsey areas.
If you have never seen a parakeet in the wild before I have no doubt one could find them attractive, however, after a while they are a nuisance and to my way of thinking should be shot on sight!
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Had read an article quoting Sir Ian Botham's maiden speech to Parliament's upper house. Knew it would be controversial, the lets protect our native species against the it looks pretty so it must be harmless brigade. We've managed to blame farmers for the decline in small birds when Wild Justice have managed to protect the predators that game keepers and others want to reduce to protect red list birds. Dont ever assume the RSPB knows best, for instance they would not control vermin on their reserves and have video of a fox eating young hen harriers, they had a colony of birds wiped out by predators. Someone said the RSPB should have an ostrich not a curlew as their logo.
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