At least one Ring-necked Parakeet in the gardens and allotments adjoining Smith's Fields in Timperley this evening.

been LOOKING for the parekeets count less times I saw two when decorating at the girls school they where in the grounds in the trees over looking the lake at platt fields since then i have tried three parks and never seen them since any advice as to when and where ?????????????????????????

Good news - that'll put a strain on your sunflower stocks!

I have not seen the Parakeets or the Amazon since May, but today at 5pm the Amazon and 3 Parakeets came down to the allotment feeders. 1 male, 1 female and the other one had a very short tail and I am pretty sure that it was a juvenile. The were scared off after a while but came back an sat up a tree calling. One of the calls was different to the other types of call which they make and sounded like a young bird's persistent begging type of call.
I'll keep a good look out now, but I think we have a young un out and about.
The Amazon was it's usual acrobatic and cheeky self and seemed quite happy for me to be working quite close to it.
Debs

2 in Alexandra Park still yesterday afternoon

You may be interested in this article (photos credited to me should really be credited to Debs!).

http://10000birds.com/ring-necked-parakeets-in-the-uk.htm

Not seen as much of the parakeets at the allotment recently, but saw 1 male 1 female this afternoon. Followed by 1 male early evening and the Amazon (who I've not seen for a few weeks) flew in at 7.15pm.

4 Ring-necked Parakeets plus Orange-winged Amazon in Alexandra Park for last few days.

Rather late post but one over Horton Road N at 11am Sun and making it onto my 'garden' list as I was standing at my front door! Tried to post this via web access on new Sony Cyber-Shot phone but it wasn't having it. Can anyone else post off their phone?

2 R N Parakeets in Alexandra Park this morning being pursued by the much bigger Orange-winged Amazon.

You know, you might be right. It was perched up a tree making the most incredible racket (this bird is LOUD) yesterday and I thought it was just making a fuss because it wanted to come down and feed and someone was a bit close to its feeder. Maybe it was calling for a mate. It sounded like it was trying to be heard in South America!

That sounds very weird. I have seen a great deal of the Amazon and Parakeets together over the last year and I have never seen any aggression towards each other. I saw the Amazon on the feeders twice this afternoon. Once on its own and once with three Parakeets. They all flew in together, fed together and flew out together. I've never seen the Amazon have a go at anything. How odd.
The Amazon has a very short tail compared with a Parakeet and what is not very evident from the avatar is the orange patches in its wings which are very obvious if it flies away with its back to you and noticeable but smaller orange sections in its tail.

Sunny Saturday morning, 10am in Alexandra Park Whalley Range - 3 parakeets on the lime walk near the pond, two nuzzling each other, then all three being mobbed by large parrot with green tail (any ideas ?) for about 10 mins - bullied parakeets then took it out on a poor woodpecker drumming on the next door tree! Lovely spring sighting.

Pete

Just reviewed the Dec 9th picture of Ringnecks taken in Alexandra Park and have realized that 1 was actually an Amazon!

Comparing to the Wikipedia pictures - the small red flecks on the leading edge of the wing and the base of the tail are consistent with the Yellow Shouldered that has been reported (Unfortunately the bird firmly kept its back turned so I couldn't see face or "shoulder") though the nape seems rather gray.

Incidentally, the Ringnecks definitely have "bill all red" which might suggest subsp. borealis.





-- Edited by gus gem at 22:42, 2009-03-01

Just to expand on the feral status, quoting a chunk from wikipedia:

'Feral Rose-ringed Parakeets

The Rose-ringed Parakeet has established feral populations in India, a number of European cities, South Africa and Japan. There are also apparently stable populations in the USA in Florida and California, and a small but self-sustaining population in Tehran, Iran, mostly concentrated in the northern parts of city. They are also found almost throughout Israel.

The European populations became established during the mid to late 20th Century from introduced and escaped birds. There are two main population centres in Britain: the largest is based around south London, Surrey and Berkshire, and by 2005 consisted of many thousands of birds, known as the Kingston parakeets. A smaller population occurs around Margate, Broadstairs and Ramsgate, Kent. Elsewhere in Britain, smaller feral populations have established from time to time (e.g., at Studland, Dorset, Kensington Gardens, and South Manchester). It has been suggested that feral parrots could endanger populations of native British birds, and that the Rose-ringed Parakeet could even be culled as a result.

In the Netherlands and Belgium, there exist a network of feral populations numbering 5-6000 each in urbanized areas. In Germany, these birds are found along the Rhine in all major urban areas like Cologne and Heidelberg, Wiesbaden and in the northeast of Hamburg. Other populations are found around Paris and in Barcelona.

The specimens in these naturalized populations often represent intra-specific hybrids, originally between varying numbers - according to locality - of the subspecies manillensis, borealis, and/or (to a lesser extent) krameri along with[verification needed] some inter-specific hybrids with naturalized Psittacula eupatria (Alexandrine Parakeet).

However, in some parts of South Asia - from where the Rose-ringed Parakeets originated, populations of these birds are decreasing due to trapping for the pet trade. Despite some people's attempts to revive their population by freeing these birds from local markets, the Rose-ringed Parakeet's population has dropped drastically in many areas of the Indian subcontinent.'

This puts South Manchester on the map in an international context !

There are 4 recognised subspecies of Psittacula krameri: krameri, originally Senegal, E Guinea to W Uganda and S Sudan, S Mauritania (where named in 1769); parvirostris CE Sudan through Ethiopia, Eritrea and Djibouti to NW Somalia; borealis NW Pakistan E through N India, Nepal and C Myanmar to SE China and manillensis Indian Peninsular S of 20 degrees N and Sri Lanka. Feral in Africa, Arabia, W Pal and W Asia, Mauritius, Hong Kong, Macao and Singapore. Uncertainty as to which races involved but generally thought to be borealis. Borealis the larger subspecies with ,more blue on head, more greyish green below and bill usually all red.

I've posted some poor ones of the Rosella's on the gallery here, but there were 3, I wonder if one has perished....

4 seen in Crowcroft Park, Levenshulme from a bus travelling south along the A6 a couple of evenings ago.

Only a short flap from their previous haunt at Birchfields Park

At last! Managed to get into the park on my crutches as far as a bench by the lake for about 4pm. At least 2 Parakeets heard in the area of trees around the warden's house at a distance but not seen. Then on the way back at 4.45pm 3 flew over MC training ground headed NE probably then veering towards Whitworth Park. BUT they had come over Yew Tree Road from the SE and not from the park so that's interesting.

Grateful to be able to make make my first posted sightings for 2009 and add Blackbird, Robin, Tufties, Canadas, Mallards to the year list.

5 Parakeets (2 males and 3 ringless) and the Amazon on the feeders on the allotment today. They all flew off in the direction of Platt Fields at 3.50pm. They were certainly in good voice this afternoon!

Gary, on Sat 3rd Jan the Amazon and Parakeets flew over the allotment from the Withington direction. It was the first time I had seen them head in from that direction.

The other reliable spot is the small orchard area between the car park and the wardens' compound - alongside the ancient Nico Ditch. Anyone wishing to connect will do so after a few visits - a matter of timing. If they are about you will hear them first! Look down this thread to see their movements from the allotments to the park. Believe me just forget about the allotments for viewing as they are private, gated and you will not be able to see in from the path anyway. Declan and Rob see the other party on most visits to Alex Park too.

Could you tell me where the allotments are?I regularly go down Platt Lane and pass Platt Fields.Are the allotments anywhere near the junction with Yew Tree Road?

I work at the toastrack and have been trying to see ring necks in Platt fields for a while but never connected. last there Sat 10th January. Are the allotments u mention the ones i can see from toastrack from Cromwell range?

Where is the sensory garden in Plattfields, loked at al the interpretation boards and signs but none signed sensory garden. Is it called by another name?

ps we had a dead ring necked within grounds of toastrack in January 2007 - a window strike by looks of corpse.