David Morison's recent post re Parakeets on LBC Non-Lincs Birding UK Only and his comment about their possible spread from S.Yorks to Lincs prompted me to check my 'archive' notes. They confirmed that I had twitched the noisy Esher roost in the late 80s when the roosting flock was already into several hundreds.
Visiting the local hostelry after my visit for a pie and a pint before returning home, it became quite clear to me that the locals' views on their exotic birds were very mixed. My notes reminded me that some people loved having the colourful Parakeets in the area and one protective and outspoken woman, ever full of the milk of human kindness, even suggested that those who advocated shooting the Parakeets should themselves be shot, then cut up into small pieces and fed to the Parakeets at designated feeding stations at weekends ....... why only at weekends, I never did find out.
Others complained about the noise, the intimidating of local pets and the birds' habit of stripping the fruit trees for miles around. One literary buff was quite paranoid about the parakeets and proclaimed that Esher's townsfolk needed a Hamelin-type Pied Piper to rid them of this "vermin".
It all made such an impression on me that a few days later I penned some additional observations on the Esher visit ........with apologies to Robert Browning. :
" The Gaudy Squawker of Esher
Esher Town's in Surrey,
By famous London City;
The River Thames, rolling deep and wide,
Flows nearby to the northern side;
A pleasanter spot you never spied;
But when begins my ditty,
Some several short days ago,
To see the townsfolk suffer so
From "vermin" was a pity.
Parakeets!!
They buzzed and clawed the local cats,
Swirled everywhere like vampire bats,
Chased dogs across the rugby pitch,
Filled every tree without a hitch,
And even pooed on birders' hats,
While spoiling all their twitching chats,
By drowning their talking
With shrieking and squawking
In fifty different sharps and flats "
When I showed my wife the draft of this post, her only comment was, "Well, I'm glad you didn't give up your day job after writing that stuff!" Oh! Well! You can't please everybody
Visiting the Esher rugby club at roosting time is now said to be one of the most spectacular avian experiences in the British Isles, with the winter roosts there of
Rose-ringed (or Rose-necked) Parakeets (Psittacula krameri)
totalling over 7000 birds. Experts say that the present total UK population numbers in excess of 10,000 birds, but figures vary wildly - even going up to 50,000, essentially around London and in the neighbouring counties.
If the Parakeets ever do spread to Lincs in numbers in the years ahead, there will inevitably be those in favour of some sort of control, others will be against and some undecided ( as per the Ruddy Duck ). However, it's early days yet and we are hardly swamped with reports. But if one day you do find a few exotic Parakeets on your patch or on your garden feeders and you feel in a 'live and let live' frame of mind, then perhaps you might at least do the birds themselves a favour (for the time being, anyway) by keeping the news of the exact location to yourself.
Regards,
Freddy
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