Harringay, Haringey - So Good they Spelt it Twice!
Parakeets have arrived in Harringay
I saw a pair of parakeets - distinctive by their calls, their green coluring and the fact they they were flying in a pair - flying over the houses on the St Ann's Road side of Green Lanes, in the direction of Duckett's Common.
Parakeets are known to have gone wild in the South East of England in the mid-1960s, possibly earlier.
Until a few years ago, London's parakeets had been confined to West London (Richmond Park and the suburban Grand Union Canal), North West London (Hampstead Heath) and South East London (Gypsy Hill, Burgess Park, etc.) In late summer/early autumn last year, I started seeing them in Clissold Park, Stoke Newington, and along the Hackney Central stretch of the Regent's Canal, and heard parakeets in the skies above Alexandra Palace. I finally caught sight of parakeets above Ally Pally last week.
I'd heard what I thought were parakeets above my garden a week ago, and know I've finally seen them in the neighbourhood. They have arrived in Harringay. With so many green spaces around - Duckett's Common, Lordship Rec, Downhill's Park, Railway Fields, I'm sure they will make themselves at home.
The West London parakeets are Indian parakeets, and the North London parakeets are Monk's parakeets. This raises the possibility of a distinctive London hybrid parakeet emerging in the near future.
Replies to This Discussion
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Permalink Reply by Helen Riley on
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And ditto Finsbury Park and Stationers Park in the past few months.
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The ones I saw looked like 'ring necks'. http://www.theguardian.com/environment/2011/apr/24/monk-parakeets-c... I liked this comment. "Two years ago, Natural England designated ring-necked and monk parakeets as pests, enabling them to be shot without a licence. At the time there was an outcry of racism towards non-native species; the London Wildlife Trust said the ring-necked variety was "as British as curry".
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Permalink Reply by HarringayBirder on
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Indeed - I am only aware of Ringnecked Parakeets in this part of London - the ringing, shrieking calls are an immediate indication of their presence - and I noted a flock in Downhills Park a few weeks back. I am very doubtful about what Defra and indeed the RSPB said about the threats to native wildlife and have seen no evidence of any harm being done. Indeed this question was recently posed by a reader of (I believe) Birdwatch magazine and the clear answer was that there was no danger to native species from these exotic escapees. They are a bit loud though and perhaps too eye-catching maybe for traditional British tastes - a tad vulgar perhaps? We are used to more restrained colouration in this country..
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Permalink Reply by Michael Anderson on
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Saw a couple in early December perched high in a tree in the gardens between Warham and Pemberton. You tend to hear them first as they seem to enjoy a good shouting session.
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Permalink Reply by mrs finch on
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I have about 6 parakeets who have regularly visited my garden for several years now. This year I noticed two of the birds were much larger than i remember. I don't know if they have grown, or if they are a different species that have joined the flock. I am wondering if they do attack other birds? My small bird population has increased, but i now see hardly any pigeons, blackbirds, jays,or magpies on the lawn.
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in crouch end, half way between the parkland walk and highgate woods. When i first saw them i thought they had escaped from my neighbours aviary, but then i read about the north london flocks. i must look at them more carefully and see what sort they are.
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I would imagine that you are being visited by the flock that lives in Highgate Wood. I think our occasional visitors come up the New River from Finsbury Park.
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Permalink Reply by Ros on
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Parakeets have been in Haringey for years! In 2009 I was doing a training course in Coldfall Woods and we saw and heard flocks of them flying around nearly every day! I have also seen and heard them in Highgate and Queen's Woods and one of my favourite pass times while walking on Hampstead Heath (not Haringey, but close enough!) is parakeet spotting. Personally I love them for their "adapt and not-only-survive-but-thrive!" quality. I have looked into it and there doesn't seem to be much if any threat to native wildlife - they use old woodpecker holes as nests but breed at a different time of year to woodpeckers I believe. I love 'em!
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Permalink Reply by Mike C on
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They have been flying around back gardens near Downhill Park area for over a year now - I am also familiar with them having worked out in Surrey for the last few years and they're everywhere. I hadn't noticed that these joyful creatures were different in North and West London, I thought they were all the green "ring-necked" ones that the urban myth says went wild after shooting for the film African Queen along the Thames and Ash rivers. I'd agree that they seem to be becoming more common - I wonder how's that going to work with them squawking all night!
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