12 - That's great Tim, the most I have seen at once has been 11

12 flew S into the park at 8.50am from Rusholme at a height of about 80 ft at least. They were in two slightly separated parties of 6. This is the most I've seen since the parties of 8 and 6 I saw last summer c. 9.00pm at a date in June (which I'm afraid I failed to record).

10 on the allotment feeders this afternoon. 2 adult male and 8 ringless, all very vocal and putting on quite a show.

13.30 to 14.00

3 parakeets at Fog Lane Park, near the ponds.

Rick.

6 flying south over Boscombe St., Rusholme 8.55am this morning headed for Platt Fields and seen a few minutes later flying around calling before moving further south through the park.

Thanks for that info Mike.

A group of 9 Parakeets at the allotment this afternoon. Immediately after they flew out towards Platt Fields another two flew in from a different direction.
and fed for a while then they flew towards Platt Fields too.

Just in case any of the regular parakeet-watchers haven't seen this

www.birdguides.com/webzine/article.asp?a=2407

parakeets heard about 4pm saturday 6 november around platt lane but none seen!

Eleven Parakeets all feeding together 5pm and then flew off towards Platt Fields. 3 males and 8 ringless. My partner also saw a group of what he said was more than 10 Parakeets fly overhead when he was cycling through Platt Fields yesterday.
I have been seeing regular groups of between 4 and 7 ringless birds together and also males in ones or twos over the last few months but now they seem to be going round in bigger groups again.
I haven't seen the Amazon for months now - anyone spotted him? He did do this vanishing act last year and then turned up in the snow on Christmas eve so I'll try not to worry about him.

30th October.

Single Ring-necked Parakeet in Platt Fields Park mid-morning

Cheers,

Bill.

2 Flew over Stockport Road, Longsight this afternoon.

keep Birding

1 Ring-necked Parakeet flew across Chorlton WP and over the Merseybank Estate at 09.22. I was watching a Mink on the river from the bailey bridge at the time (less than 5 minutes after Ian Keith had passed with hiis dog) and heard it calling. There can't be many places in the North West where you can record these two species simultaneously!.

-- Edited by Pete Hines on Saturday 7th of August 2010 10:14:19 PM

3 birds over Alan Rd Withington heading south this morning.
Presumably a pair & a youngster

Possibly a new addition to the Parrot crew - a very grey vocal bird over Alan Rd Withington this afternoon - possibly a Cockatiel

Rob Smallwood wrote:

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Thank goodness - your reputation is in tact!

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The Amazon was probably supporting Uruguay Who needs a vuvuzela with that squawk

Thank goodness - your reputation is in tact!

Rob Smallwood wrote:

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Debs Wallace wrote:

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Pete,
The Amazon is currently hanging out with a Crimson Rosella (in addition to the parakeets). The two of them are very "chatty" in each other's company and make social noises which would fit the "chorlting" description very well and that Amazon can certainly squawk! In flight the Amazon has a short tail, fairly broad wings and fast wing beats.
It does sound very much like that is who you heard and saw.
cheers
Debs

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More to the point, what was Pete doing at the Con Club?!

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The Con Club is opposite the Spread Eagle . I could hear the parrot from about 100m up the road and traced it to there whilst on my way to watch the second half of the Holland v Uruguay semi-final in the pub.

Debs Wallace wrote:

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Pete,
The Amazon is currently hanging out with a Crimson Rosella (in addition to the parakeets). The two of them are very "chatty" in each other's company and make social noises which would fit the "chorlting" description very well and that Amazon can certainly squawk! In flight the Amazon has a short tail, fairly broad wings and fast wing beats.
It does sound very much like that is who you heard and saw.
cheers
Debs

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More to the point, what was Pete doing at the Con Club?!

Pete,
The Amazon is currently hanging out with a Crimson Rosella (in addition to the parakeets). The two of them are very "chatty" in each other's company and make social noises which would fit the "chorlting" description very well and that Amazon can certainly squawk! In flight the Amazon has a short tail, fairly broad wings and fast wing beats.
It does sound very much like that is who you heard and saw.
cheers
Debs

near dusk at 20.40 on Tuesday 6th July a parrot sp was squawking loudly and chorlting (as if talking to itself) unseen from a sycamore behind the Chorlton Conservative Club on Wilbraham Rd. I managed a brief silhoette flight view with the naked eye as it flew out west (up Wilbraham Rd towards my flat). Characteristics would fit the Amazon, though I've neither heard or seen it in flight before, so I can't be 100%.

Debs is away but asked me to update on her allotment.

Sunday afternoon, as many of us were bemoaning the lack of goal line technology Deb's was scoring a hat-trick of her own as the 8 Ring-necked and usual Amazon were joined by a single Crimson Rosella.

Could this be one of the three that has survived or do we have a new escapee?

The three juveniles have been visiting the feeders on their own over the last week and are much more competent now (less clowning around and missing the feeder ports). Tonight there were 5 ringless birds together and they all looked like juveniles from where I was viewing them - I am not positive about this. All 5 flew in Platt Fields direction 6.30pm.
Two adult males came down to feed about one hour later.

It seems like the Parakeets like to visit the allotment for breakfast as well as supper. 6.20am at the start of my BBS there were 6 (including 3 of this year's juveniles) eating sunflower seeds from the feeders

6.45pm this evening - one male and two juvenile. The male ate a lot of sunflower seeds from a feeder and then flew into my plum tree and fed the two juveniles. I got great views of this as I was stood quite close to them. At on point a woodpigeon landed on the same branch close to the juveniles and the male chased it off immediately (actually he jumped on top of it).
7.45pm five arrived, three male and two juvenile (which were feeding themselves)
8pm the Amazon arrived on its own, ate sunflower seeds for 10 minutes before heading off.

NINE Parakeets on the allotment feeders 6.45 - 7pm tonight (x9).
3 were definite males
3 were definite juveniles. one other looked like a juvenile but I didn't get a good enough view to be sure as it stayed on the opposite side of the feeder the whole time.
The others I can not be sure about because there was so much flying round and changing position going on I couldn't keep up with them all.
However, I do know that there are at least 4 males around in the area as I saw 4 together last week.
One of the males fed one of the juveniles in the apple tree. The juveniles were taking food from the feeders on their own too and one of them was copying the Amazon by hanging upside down on an adjacent feeder to the Amazon to feed.
8 Parakeets and the Amazon all flew off together in the direction of Platt Fields at 7pm leaving one Parakeet (a ringless - possible juvenile) feeding on its own.

Thanks, Rob. I'll be more observant having seen them now, as I work next to the park.
CH

The Amazon could give that impression - my first flight view of it it looked like a bulky tail-less Ring-necked.

2 Parakeets over Chorlton Park yesterday at 8am, with another bird that I have no idea what it was.
Size of a little owl, looked like a juv Tawny, flew straight.
Was following the 2 Ring Necks(or chasing?)
Any ideas?Could it be this Amazon olne?
Chris H

Very interesting evening at the allotment between 7.30pm - 8pm Three parakeets and the arrived Amazon together.
One was a definite mature male with a very distinct ring, there was a second male with what seemed to have a thinner black ring (but still a ring non the less) AND a definite juvenile.
The juvenile fed from one of the feeders, flew around quite a bit and landed on things which were not going to support its weight. It bounced off the fine netting like it was on a trampoline and did a full summersault round a branch then had a big feed on the blossom on my apple tree (yeh thanks for that junior!). It flew quite close up at one point and we got quite a good look. It was great to see it and I am assuming that this is the juvenile from Graham's posting. I was a bit puzzled by the two male birds which it was with as I expected it to be with one male and one female.

2 Parakeets and a chunkier bird (presumably the Amazon) over Withington 6:30 Weds night

This is a family - 2 parents and 1 juvenile.

sorry for late post

3 in birchfield park, fallowfield
last thursday

Hi Graham, it's great news that we've got "a new kid", I will keep a look out for it.
The two birds which were hanging off each other's beaks last week were both mature males with ring necks. The two of them are a regular pair on the allotment feeders and were there again this evening. They seem to generally squabble a bit over which feeder to go on. They have a choice of 12 feeders and guess what...........they both want to go on the same one!
The Amazon was there as well this evening. Have you seen the Amazon's upside down feeding trick? It's really great.

At least one making a racket all day in Alex Park

info from Alan Lee

Debs Wallace wrote:

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Two males and the Amazon have visited the allotment feeders for the last two evenings. The male Parakeets seen a little argumentative and this evening saw the bizarre spectacle of one of the birds standing on a branch with the other one hanging off its beak, flapping its wings with their beaks locked together . Not seen that before.

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I've seen this behaviour for the previous two days in Birchfields Park and it looks to me like one is feeding the other -- the lower one is the new kid. Very little difference in size though. This coincides with the tree hole in a friend's garden being empty of a head at the entrance. For several weeks I had seen this bird being visited by a male and a female and them tucking up for the night there.

On Wednesday I counted 4 birds in the air at once with one calling elsewhere. I think the local population has increased by 25% -- now 5 RNPs. But only 1 female.

I also saw the Amazon heading off in the direction of Brighton Grove allotments where it is frequently seen, probably on route to your allotments Debs. Knows where to get a good meal!

Two males and the Amazon have visited the allotment feeders for the last two evenings. The male Parakeets seen a little argumentative and this evening saw the bizarre spectacle of one of the birds standing on a branch with the other one hanging off its beak, flapping its wings with their beaks locked together . Not seen that before.

I have seen ringless birds since the winter Rob. The most has been 2 together. The Amazon still drops in regularly for sunflower seeds (and sometimes a chat too). He has been on his own each time I have seen him recently.

A big thanks for your help with the habitat survey Tony, I'm ready for my first ever breeding birds survey now.

Male and female in Birchfields Park.

2 Parakeets over the allotments last night when I helped Debs do the habitat survey for her BBS square. Also Blackcap and Chiffchaff along the railway.

Interesting, have only the males survived the winter, or are all the females tucked away in hollow trees I wonder.....

3 male Parakeets on the feeders at the allotment 6.15pm. This is the most males I have seen together this year. I still get regular visits from the Amazon. The last few times he has been on his own and usually flies off in the direction of Withington (Fog lane Park?).

RN Parakeet heading north up Alan Rd 11am - presumably towards Platt Fields

Pete Hines wrote:

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Pete Hines wrote:

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A new site and more of a Central Manchester Parakeet. A friend, Tony Groom, has been seeing a single adult bird throughout the summer of 2009 near his workplace at Palmerston Street, Ardwick / Beswick. The bird is in woodland between here and the R. Medlock. Looking at the A-Z I'd say SJ858978. He says it dissappeared when the leaves fell off the trees but saw it again recently on Thurs 7th Jan 2010. Philips Park, Clayton is not far from here.

He also saw three fly out from Alex Park on 7th Jan.
-- Edited by Pete Hines on Saturday 16th of January 2010 07:10:41 PM

-- Edited by Pete Hines on Saturday 16th of January 2010 09:31:32 PM

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The Ardwick / Beswick bird is still around.

Info from Tony Groom.

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Just looked at Bing Maps online (was multimap) and there is a lot of greenery around there. I may take a look this week sometime.

Pete Hines wrote:

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A new site and more of a Central Manchester Parakeet. A friend, Tony Groom, has been seeing a single adult bird throughout the summer of 2009 near his workplace at Palmerston Street, Ardwick / Beswick. The bird is in woodland between here and the R. Medlock. Looking at the A-Z I'd say SJ858978. He says it dissappeared when the leaves fell off the trees but saw it again recently on Thurs 7th Jan 2010. Philips Park, Clayton is not far from here.

He also saw three fly out from Alex Park on 7th Jan.
-- Edited by Pete Hines on Saturday 16th of January 2010 07:10:41 PM

-- Edited by Pete Hines on Saturday 16th of January 2010 09:31:32 PM

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The Ardwick / Beswick bird is still around.

Info from Tony Groom.

I male Parakeet at the allotment at 2.30pm then at 3.30pm 2 male, one ringless and the Amazon (who was being very vocal indeed) all on the feeders. That parrot is very loud. Does anyone else hear it or does it reserve all its "yelling" for its visits to the allotment?

I too saw 2 birds again Weds between 2.45 qnd 3.15pm in Fog Lane Park before they flew off northwards. One seemed to be feeding the other or they where performing pre mating ritual???

I saw two of them there today in the trees for over half an hour.

I saw them at the western side where Westholme Rd and Old Broadway enter the Park. There is a seated area and the birds were in the trees leading up towards the Bowling Green. I haven't been back since 9th Feb when I last saw them.
Rick.

Fog Lane Park is big, where were the parakeets?

2 Ring-necked Parakeets and the Amazon present in Fog Lane park at 0945.