a pair heard this morning (but not seen) on the island in the boating lake at Platt Fields

A very vocal pair at noon in Platt Fields in trees behind the boat house. Nice surprise on my way back from Sainsbury's.

Ian - are you able to move this discussion into a new parakeet thread?

Tim

Wise words!

How about just having one thread for Parakeets, seeing as the Chorlton Park, Platt Fields, Birchfields Park, Chorlton WP and Whalley Range records probably all relate to the same birds.

20 would be exceptional - I've only managed to get the locals (who as you have found are proud of "their" parakeets) own up to 8 - the same number as we've managed to see so far - but sightings in 2000 would put the first report back by a couple of years - all interesting stuff.

I might try and get down tomorrow late afternoon - that seems to be the best time to see good numbers as they like to pre-roost in the park.

I might ask Ian to move these posts on to the original Parakeet thread as we've strayed away from Chorlton!

2 birds present in trees behind the church this lunchtime and possibly a third. I saw 2 together after being alerted by their distinctive calls. One flew off and seemed to go toward sthe allotments I then saw 2 squabbling in a tree nearer the school. Unless the one that flew off doubled back there are 3. I was then joined by a local resident Naeem Tayyab who runs the Baba Jaan on Birchfields Road who immediately realised I was looking at the parakeets. He moved to the area in 2000 and says he has seen them every year since. He takes a particular interest because he was familiar with them from his boyhood in Pakistan and has seen up to 8 at a time. He took the trouble to point out some of their favourite trees around Tefler Road (a tall fir in a back garden), Birch Hall Lane, Birchfields Road and Meldon Road near his business. He reckons there have been as many as 20 in previous years but this needs verifying. So we know exactly where to check in summer where they raid fruit from local gardens.

Willl see Lynn and her husband Jim tonight and will see if they can get me the name of the person who made the cards. Clearly they are a source of local pride!

Also in the park 20 Redwings

Good luck - I'd have thought that they'd be looking to return to breeding areas soon so the park must be a good option.

If you can get hold of one of the Christmas Card photos I'd like to see a copy - I have also been told that the earliest documented record for this colony is a photo used as a Christmas card about 3 years ago - and it would be interesting to try to age that particular bird.

PS - if you miss them again you can always take a look at the video of these birds I've posted on Youtube!!

-- Edited by Rob Smallwood at 16:14, 2008-01-04

Sorry for belated reply Rob. Yes I did know about Birchfields Park and that belt of trees runs from the park by the stream and to the allotments. Lynn was out when I went round New Year's eve but I tried to look through the fence of the allotment and also around the S end of the park but no luck in the murky gloom. Will try again at the weekend.

If you can't find them there (or can't get the key) they are usually present at Birchfield Park just to the north of the allotmaents - the bestarae being the south and south east corners.

Good luck!

I couldn't find the right thread for this but a casual conversation in the pub tonight with my friend Lynn Aulich revelead that a pair of parakeets are frequenting Brighton Grove allotments in Rusholme. She watched the pair eating apples from a small orchard there this afternoon whilst digging her patch over. They apparentley mainly use a particular back garden on Brighton Grove itself. The allotment is private access by key holders only but I intend to borrow Lynn's key and go and have a look for myslef. One of the allotment soc. members has been photographing them and sending his photos out as Christmas cards!

They are still around. A colleague, Dave Harrison, heard at least two today whilst cycling home for lunch.

At least 4 still at about 14.00hrs on Sun 4th Nov, also one at Chorlton WP at 09.25 that morning ( I was on the Hebs, i.e. Mourning Dove twitch )

-- Edited by Pete Hines at 18:28, 2007-11-08

No sign Sat pm - park very busy.

No sign again early afternoon Friday.

No sign 16.05 - 17.05 today. ( A spotaneous visit. re: r-n parakeet thread. )

6 tthis afternoon including the adult male.

8 today at St Anne's must be a completely seperate group - the invasion continues...

3 - 5 birds congregated in the large willow by the brook 17.25 - 17.30 before flying out in the direction of Whalley Range.

A walk around the pond in Alexandra Park, Whalley Range 17.53 - 18.03 produced neither sight nor sound of any Parakeets.

re: Rose-ringed Parakeets in Whalley Range thread.

I think they've survived at least 2 possibly 3 winters already.

Locals at Birchfields Park say they are present "all year" - my guess is that they dispurse following breeding looking for food supplies until re-convening at the breeding site, which hopefully will be better monitored next year.

It will be interesting to see gow long they hang out in Chorlton - now there are 8 they should be easy to find wherever they go?!

5 still there on Saturday 13th. Fairly mobile between "wildlife area" and hornbeam. Actively feeding in Sycamore just beyond a bird table with some great views as they flew across into hornbeam and birch. Fortunately plenty of natural food around - stuff left on bird table looked lethal.

I spoke to a warden from Chorlton Park this morning. I was informed they'd been there for weeks, tend to be in the adjoining allotments in the mornings and also frequent Southern Cemetary.

The question remains that, apart from artificial feeding, what are they going to do when the natural food resources run out - soon.

5 late afternon, 4 in the hornbeam and another heard.

1 Sparrowhawk circling overhead.

-- Edited by Pete Hines at 21:21, 2007-10-14

Tony O'Mahony saw two birds flying over Nell Lane towards the Park last week.

-- Edited by Pete Hines at 19:33, 2007-10-12

Thanks for the heads up Pete - got down about 4:30 - 7 or 8 showing very well - much better views that at Birchfields Park.

Looks like the same group - ad male, poss imm male, ad female and 5, 6 or 7 imm.

Got some photos but light wasn't great and every passer by had either 3 small children or a dog - even so birds were very tolerant.

Lots of food in the park, saw them having a go at Hornbeam, Sycamore seeds, Crab apples and stripping bark off new shoots.

This is a busy park, lots of kids as there is school nearby - so expect lots of (very pleasant) questioning if going armed with optics!

8 Ring-necked Parakeet in Chorlton Park this afternoon, 100m straight on from the Beechwood Avenue entrance (off Sandy Lane) feeding on hornbeam seeds from about 14.20. The tree is on the right, just past a bench, just before the path splits ( I'm assuming it's a hornbeam and a multi-stemmed one). I saw an adult male and 5-6+ birds without neck rings, presumably immatures though there must be female.

I was taking my old lady shopping when got call from a colleage, Dave Harrison, who lives adjacent to the park, at 14.00 who was watching 4 birds from his garden in a large willow with a snapped off limb by Chorlton Brook 57m from the Nell Lane entrance. Fortunately I had my bins in the car and dragged the old dear along while her frozen food defrosted in the boot of my car (it wasn't even a tick for her - she saw the Poynton Park bird !) so I couldn't stay too long and I alerted local birders. I initially saw two in a large cherry tree before they moved to the willow then the hornbeam.

These birds are extremely obliging, several passers by were stood right underneath them taking pictures on their mobile phones. Mothers on the school run said they'd been around for 3 or 4 weeks. Chorlton Brook is the same brook that runs through Birchfields and Platt Fields Parks in Rusholme so, following a conversation with Rob Smallwood, who watched and photographed them shortly afterwards, we reckon it's the same goup previously at Birchfilds Park.

Interestingly, I believe there used to be colony of Parakeets in the adjacent Southern Cemetary in the late 70's which died out.

Cheers. Enjoy the birds

-- Edited by Ian McKerchar at 17:31, 2008-01-13

-- Edited by Ian McKerchar on Wednesday 18th of June 2014 09:09:52 AM