Make of it what you will but rest assured none of us involved influenced the content or angle.
Thanks Tim for all your input on this and to Tony Darby and Pete Hines for coming along to Platt Fields Park that afternoon in February to lend me moral support and provide advice to the One Show team on where best to film the pre-roost. I would have been more than happy to let you take the limelight but appreciate you weren't free that day. Notwithstanding Martyn Jones' comments I am a reluctant media star
It was fairly clear from conversations and email exchanges that they wanted to take a particular line on Ring-necked Parakeets. Most of what I said was cut including the bits about
the observations of someone who regularly feeds RNPs and other birds that they don't behave in an aggressive manner
my view that the population was unlikely to increase to the numbers present in SW London/Surrey
The scientific research (BTO News July/Aug 2011) that there is no real evidence that they are having a negative impact on other hole nesting species in the UK
I cited as evidence for the last point that recording for Bird Atlas 2007-11 has shown significant increases in numbers of Nuthatch, Great Spotted Woodpecker and Stock Dove in Manchester and elsewhere in GM.
Steve
Tony Darby said
Sat Apr 26 4:55 PM, 2014
Martyn Jones wrote:
Seems like we might have Humphrey Bogart and the African Queen film to blame for this invasion.
It's a little known fact that parts of the African Queen were filmed on the R. Medlock as it flows through Manchester, so it's almost certain that this is the origin of the parakeets. Humphrey Bogart was quite keen on having a gritty northern industrial setting for the film (I believe the original title was the Ancoats Queen) as he thought setting a film in the African jungle would be appear unrealistic to the filmgoers of the time. After a couple of days, however, he decided that filming in an African river full of leeches would be much more preferable than wading through the stuff in the R. Medlock, hence the African Queen as we know it now.
Mike Passant said
Sat Apr 26 3:35 PM, 2014
Concerning Ring-necked Parakeets, I and anyone else interested (such as Cleveland/Durham year listers) see them at will in Ward Jackson Park, Hartlepool, where the colony has been established for some years.
I have no idea if these are the "furthest north" in the country, but for the record Hartlepool is of course by a good margin well north of both Manchester and Lytham.
Martyn Jones said
Sat Apr 26 9:59 AM, 2014
It's on iPlayer starting at 17:22 if you want to skip to it.
Seems like we might have Humphrey Bogart and the African Queen film to blame for this invasion. Good old Steve Atkins is becoming a bit of a birding celebrity now that the BBC has moved to Salford Quays - this is the second time I've seen him on TV in almost as many months. The Woodpigeon at 21:23 made us laugh.
Nick Isherwood said
Fri Apr 25 10:01 PM, 2014
On the whole I thought it was a fairly good article.
Tim Wilcox said
Fri Apr 25 9:33 PM, 2014
Ian and myself were involved in the research element for Ikon, the production company. I spent a day in Feb with the researcher up from Bristol (not the Natural History Unit as I was hoping). The very amiable non-birding young lad turned up with no bins when I collected him from Piccadilly. I had to lend him a spare pair which we had to stop off for at my house! I then drove him about all afternoon in the drizzle and he got some research shots on video at Stenner Woods and Chorlton WP. I was away in London when the actual film crew came up so Steve Atkins and Tony Darby did all of the rest of the work for them and Steve did loads of research. Unfortunately the researcher for the One Show failed to contact me as requested to tell me when it was going out so I didn't see it - even though I was in. Disappointing that. Tony tells me the One Show IS on iPlayer, or will be later or tomorrow, despite saying 'not available' right now. Make of it what you will but rest assured none of us involved influenced the content or angle.
Nick Isherwood said
Fri Apr 25 7:23 PM, 2014
Steve Atkins currently on the One show in an article about Ring-necked Parakeets in Platt fields Park in Manchester.
Mike Dillinger stated that the Manchester colony was the furthest north. They probably don't know about the one in Lytham Crematorium then?
Charles Farrell said
Wed Jun 8 1:52 PM, 2011
I haven't seen the program as I don't own a TV but I have been one of those in the London area who have been helping Ms Peck with the co-ordinated Roost counts which have been taking place around London. My own local park (Wormwood Scrubs) is a roost for between 2500 and 3000 of these noisy birds, though thankfully most of them scarper in the morning and make themselves a nuisance in other parks around the South East.
I don't have any evidence of them actually nesting locally, but thought that some of you might be amused by the Blog entry entitled 'A Room with a View' - which has 3 species including Ring-necked Parakeets investigating the same hole in a tree in Hyde Park.
http://hpkg.blogspot.com/
Mike Crawley said
Mon May 30 12:55 PM, 2011
this story formed part of last night's Countryfile programme.
John Doherty said
Sat May 28 9:14 AM, 2011
Apparently they intimidate other garden birds? The researcher is called Ms Peck!
Thanks Tim for all your input on this and to Tony Darby and Pete Hines for coming along to Platt Fields Park that afternoon in February to lend me moral support and provide advice to the One Show team on where best to film the pre-roost. I would have been more than happy to let you take the limelight
It was fairly clear from conversations and email exchanges that they wanted to take a particular line on Ring-necked Parakeets. Most of what I said was cut including the bits about
I cited as evidence for the last point that recording for Bird Atlas 2007-11 has shown significant increases in numbers of Nuthatch, Great Spotted Woodpecker and Stock Dove in Manchester and elsewhere in GM.
Steve
It's a little known fact that parts of the African Queen were filmed on the R. Medlock as it flows through Manchester, so it's
almost certain that this is the origin of the parakeets.
Humphrey Bogart was quite keen on having a gritty northern industrial setting for the film (I believe the original title was
the Ancoats Queen) as he thought setting a film in the African jungle would be appear unrealistic to the filmgoers of the time.
After a couple of days, however, he decided that filming in an African river full of leeches would be much more preferable than
wading through the stuff in the R. Medlock, hence the African Queen as we know it now.
Concerning Ring-necked Parakeets, I and anyone else interested (such as Cleveland/Durham year listers) see them at will in Ward Jackson Park, Hartlepool, where the colony has been established for some years.
I have no idea if these are the "furthest north" in the country, but for the record Hartlepool is of course by a good margin well north of both Manchester and Lytham.
http://www.bbc.co.uk/iplayer/episode/b0414pq7/the-one-show-25042014
Seems like we might have Humphrey Bogart and the African Queen film to blame for this invasion. Good old Steve Atkins is becoming a bit of a birding celebrity now that the BBC has moved to Salford Quays - this is the second time I've seen him on TV in almost as many months. The Woodpigeon at 21:23 made us laugh.
Mike Dillinger stated that the Manchester colony was the furthest north. They probably don't know about the one in Lytham Crematorium then?
I don't have any evidence of them actually nesting locally, but thought that some of you might be amused by the Blog entry entitled 'A Room with a View' - which has 3 species including Ring-necked Parakeets investigating the same hole in a tree in Hyde Park.
http://hpkg.blogspot.com/
http://www.bbc.co.uk/nature/13524396