Yes, these are Ring Necked. They'll either be juveniles or females, if the ring doesn't show clearly. There is one other type of Paraqueet that can be found in the UK, The Monks Parakeet, but these have a lighter coloured bib and look more like an oversized Budgerigar.
Are they ring necked necked parakeets? Can't see the ring.
Good resolution on that photo 👍
It's pretty good for a phone. Google 6 Pro. Decent camera.
Anyone any tips on food/feeders I could use to attract smaller birds and woodpeckers? We get loads of parakeets, collared doves and magpies but only a handful of robins, starlings and blue tits. Not seen a blackbird, chaffinch, sparrow, bullfinch, thrush, wren etc or woodpecker (used to get them a few years back when we last fed the birds) since we started putting the food out about 3 months back.
Woodpeckers love peanuts. Goldfinches love Niger seed. Most small birds will go for mixed seed. Starlings are great fun, very under-rated bird, they love fat balls and squabbling with their siblings.
Most important lesson is to thoroughly clean your feeders in-between feeds. There are a lot of viral nasties out there that are helped by otherwise well meaning people who don't keep their equipment clean.
Woodpeckers love peanuts. Goldfinches love Niger seed. Most small birds will go for mixed seed. Starlings are great fun, very under-rated bird, they love fat balls and squabbling with their siblings.
Most important lesson is to thoroughly clean your feeders in-between feeds. There are a lot of viral nasties out there that are helped by otherwise well meaning people who don't keep their equipment clean.
Another tip that's not so obvious: If you already have birds in your garden that are not very common, think very carefully before putting food out. You might be better not doing it or, at least, not doing so regularly. Or, if you have a large garden, being careful to place feeders away from their haunts. Feeding the birds will tend to attract the very common garden species because they are the ones that tend to be more comfortable in human presence. Sometimes these more common birds can scare off the less common ones. It's a bit of a conundrum and you won't know if you've found the right or the wrong answer until you've seen the results. Good luck.
And another one. Growing sunflowers and leaving them scruffy at the end of the season rather than dead-heading can provide hours of more naturalistic bird watching.
In the garden at our last residence we had a variety of visitors to our bird feeder; Goldfinch, Great Tit, Long Tailed Tit, Bullfinch, Robin etc, and a regular group of noisy chattering Sparrows. The Sparrows seemed to be very particular about which seeds they wanted and seemed to delight in chucking any unwanted seeds away making a real mess under the feeder. Unfortunately on one occasion a particularly large Rat appeared under the feeder attracted by this bounty, causing my wife to completely freak and ban me from having a feeder anywhere near the house!
Another tip that's not so obvious: If you already have birds in your garden that are not very common, think very carefully before putting food out. You might be better not doing it or, at least, not doing so regularly. Or, if you have a large garden, being careful to place feeders away from their haunts. Feeding the birds will tend to attract the very common garden species because they are the ones that tend to be more comfortable in human presence. Sometimes these more common birds can scare off the less common ones. It's a bit of a conundrum and you won't know if you've found the right or the wrong answer until you've seen the results. Good luck.
Before we had only collared doves and magpies so it has been great seeing more diversity. In lockdown we actually had a magpie rip the head from a dove on our lawn and fly off which was somewhat gruesome!
Another tip that's not so obvious: If you already have birds in your garden that are not very common, think very carefully before putting food out. You might be better not doing it or, at least, not doing so regularly. Or, if you have a large garden, being careful to place feeders away from their haunts. Feeding the birds will tend to attract the very common garden species because they are the ones that tend to be more comfortable in human presence. Sometimes these more common birds can scare off the less common ones. It's a bit of a conundrum and you won't know if you've found the right or the wrong answer until you've seen the results. Good luck.
Before we had only collared doves and magpies so it has been great seeing more diversity. In lockdown we actually had a magpie rip the head from a dove on our lawn and fly off which was somewhat gruesome!
I remember a few years ago watching a sparrow hawk dismembering a wood pigeon in my parents garden!
This one's a Monk Parakeet. About 7 years ago I made a trip to Mudchute Park on the Isle of Dogs which is supposedly a good place to see them. There's only one colony of them in the UK; they're easier to find in southern European cities like Rome, where I've seen them a few times. Not as showy as the ring-necked parakeets, quite a bit smaller and hard to find, as opposed to hard to avoid.
About 10 years or so ago the local council was trying to destroy the nests of the monk parakeet colony because they're not native here and ideally we wouldn't want them to spread. But many of the people whose gardens they were nesting in liked having them and wouldn't allow the pest controllers in to remove them, so they ended up staying.
In the garden at our last residence we had a variety of visitors to our bird feeder; Goldfinch, Great Tit, Long Tailed Tit, Bullfinch, Robin etc, and a regular group of noisy chattering Sparrows. The Sparrows seemed to be very particular about which seeds they wanted and seemed to delight in chucking any unwanted seeds away making a real mess under the feeder. Unfortunately on one occasion a particularly large Rat appeared under the feeder attracted by this bounty, causing my wife to completely freak and ban me from having a feeder anywhere near the house!
What a shame. Rat watching can be more fun than birdwatching. There can be fewer finer sights than watching the ingenuity of a rat climbing a bird feeder:
Unless it's a rat having a swim:
Getting chased by a Mallard:
Going underwater:
Or just bumping into another rat and bowling each other over:
Another tip that's not so obvious: If you already have birds in your garden that are not very common, think very carefully before putting food out. You might be better not doing it or, at least, not doing so regularly. Or, if you have a large garden, being careful to place feeders away from their haunts. Feeding the birds will tend to attract the very common garden species because they are the ones that tend to be more comfortable in human presence. Sometimes these more common birds can scare off the less common ones. It's a bit of a conundrum and you won't know if you've found the right or the wrong answer until you've seen the results. Good luck.
Before we had only collared doves and magpies so it has been great seeing more diversity. In lockdown we actually had a magpie rip the head from a dove on our lawn and fly off which was somewhat gruesome!
Very spiteful bastards magpies, which have slowly proliferated enormously over the last 40 years or so. You would never see one other than in genuine countryside and even then not very often.
In the garden at our last residence we had a variety of visitors to our bird feeder; Goldfinch, Great Tit, Long Tailed Tit, Bullfinch, Robin etc, and a regular group of noisy chattering Sparrows. The Sparrows seemed to be very particular about which seeds they wanted and seemed to delight in chucking any unwanted seeds away making a real mess under the feeder. Unfortunately on one occasion a particularly large Rat appeared under the feeder attracted by this bounty, causing my wife to completely freak and ban me from having a feeder anywhere near the house!
What a shame. Rat watching can be more fun than birdwatching. There can be fewer finer sights than watching the ingenuity of a rat climbing a bird feeder:
Unless it's a rat having a swim:
Getting chased by a Mallard:
Going underwater:
Or just bumping into another rat and bowling each other over:
Quite brilliant photos @Stig. The Rat in our garden was no more than 12 feet from the back door, so sadly the Wife was having none of it. We often left the back door open for the Dog to wander in and out and the missus had visions of the rat being tempted in by the smell of dog food. (PS I know what you're thinking, but trust me my dog would be more scared of the rat!)
Another tip that's not so obvious: If you already have birds in your garden that are not very common, think very carefully before putting food out. You might be better not doing it or, at least, not doing so regularly. Or, if you have a large garden, being careful to place feeders away from their haunts. Feeding the birds will tend to attract the very common garden species because they are the ones that tend to be more comfortable in human presence. Sometimes these more common birds can scare off the less common ones. It's a bit of a conundrum and you won't know if you've found the right or the wrong answer until you've seen the results. Good luck.
Before we had only collared doves and magpies so it has been great seeing more diversity. In lockdown we actually had a magpie rip the head from a dove on our lawn and fly off which was somewhat gruesome!
Very spiteful bastards magpies, which have slowly proliferated enormously over the last 40 years or so. You would never see one other than in genuine countryside and even then not very often.
Yeh, it's hard to believe now that the Magpie was once thought of as a country bird. When we moved on to Abbey Wood Estate back in the late 50's, we lived in a 4-storey block of maisonettes facing the Southern Outfall Sewer bank, with abandoned Royal Arsenal land over the other side (which is now part of North Thamesmead housing development). House Sparrows used to nest in the tops of the Hawthorn trees opposite, as well as in the crook of the drainpipe running down from the rooftop of the block. Over the sewer bank in the hedgerow running along the Arsenal access road (which became Nathan Way) every spring and summer you would find nests of Blackbird, Song Thrush and Dunnock. I rarely seem to find nests in semi urban hedgerows these days and I haven't seen a Sparrows nest in over 50 years! My mother-in-law was thrilled to have Blackbirds nesting in her grapevine a couple of years back. I told her the nest was so visible they wouldn't stand a chance if the Magpies spotted it. Sure enough MIL was quite distressed to witness a Magpie plucking out the nestlings one by one.
Are they ring necked necked parakeets? Can't see the ring.
Good resolution on that photo 👍
It's pretty good for a phone. Google 6 Pro. Decent camera.
Anyone any tips on food/feeders I could use to attract smaller birds and woodpeckers? We get loads of parakeets, collared doves and magpies but only a handful of robins, starlings and blue tits. Not seen a blackbird, chaffinch, sparrow, bullfinch, thrush, wren etc or woodpecker (used to get them a few years back when we last fed the birds) since we started putting the food out about 3 months back.
Blackbirds and robins are mostly ground feeders, so a suitably protected tray with mealworms. Blue tits are quite shy and tend to just flit back and forth between the feeder and some cover. You might have visitors but just haven't spotted them.
Another tip that's not so obvious: If you already have birds in your garden that are not very common, think very carefully before putting food out. You might be better not doing it or, at least, not doing so regularly. Or, if you have a large garden, being careful to place feeders away from their haunts. Feeding the birds will tend to attract the very common garden species because they are the ones that tend to be more comfortable in human presence. Sometimes these more common birds can scare off the less common ones. It's a bit of a conundrum and you won't know if you've found the right or the wrong answer until you've seen the results. Good luck.
Before we had only collared doves and magpies so it has been great seeing more diversity. In lockdown we actually had a magpie rip the head from a dove on our lawn and fly off which was somewhat gruesome!
Very spiteful bastards magpies, which have slowly proliferated enormously over the last 40 years or so. You would never see one other than in genuine countryside and even then not very often.
Yeh, it's hard to believe now that the Magpie was once thought of as a country bird. When we moved on to Abbey Wood Estate back in the late 50's, we lived in a 4-storey block of maisonettes facing the Southern Outfall Sewer bank, with abandoned Royal Arsenal land over the other side (which is now part of North Thamesmead housing development). House Sparrows used to nest in the tops of the Hawthorn trees opposite, as well as in the crook of the drainpipe running down from the rooftop of the block. Over the sewer bank in the hedgerow running along the Arsenal access road (which became Nathan Way) every spring and summer you would find nests of Blackbird, Song Thrush and Dunnock. I rarely seem to find nests in semi urban hedgerows these days and I haven't seen a Sparrows nest in over 50 years! My mother-in-law was thrilled to have Blackbirds nesting in her grapevine a couple of years back. I told her the nest was so visible they wouldn't stand a chance if the Magpies spotted it. Sure enough MIL was quite distressed to witness a Magpie plucking out the nestlings one by one.
The bigger birds - woodpigeons, magpies, crows - who seem to thrive alongside man, are surely one of the reasons why so many smaller bird species have declined in numbers?
Another tip that's not so obvious: If you already have birds in your garden that are not very common, think very carefully before putting food out. You might be better not doing it or, at least, not doing so regularly. Or, if you have a large garden, being careful to place feeders away from their haunts. Feeding the birds will tend to attract the very common garden species because they are the ones that tend to be more comfortable in human presence. Sometimes these more common birds can scare off the less common ones. It's a bit of a conundrum and you won't know if you've found the right or the wrong answer until you've seen the results. Good luck.
Before we had only collared doves and magpies so it has been great seeing more diversity. In lockdown we actually had a magpie rip the head from a dove on our lawn and fly off which was somewhat gruesome!
Very spiteful bastards magpies, which have slowly proliferated enormously over the last 40 years or so. You would never see one other than in genuine countryside and even then not very often.
Yeh, it's hard to believe now that the Magpie was once thought of as a country bird. When we moved on to Abbey Wood Estate back in the late 50's, we lived in a 4-storey block of maisonettes facing the Southern Outfall Sewer bank, with abandoned Royal Arsenal land over the other side (which is now part of North Thamesmead housing development). House Sparrows used to nest in the tops of the Hawthorn trees opposite, as well as in the crook of the drainpipe running down from the rooftop of the block. Over the sewer bank in the hedgerow running along the Arsenal access road (which became Nathan Way) every spring and summer you would find nests of Blackbird, Song Thrush and Dunnock. I rarely seem to find nests in semi urban hedgerows these days and I haven't seen a Sparrows nest in over 50 years! My mother-in-law was thrilled to have Blackbirds nesting in her grapevine a couple of years back. I told her the nest was so visible they wouldn't stand a chance if the Magpies spotted it. Sure enough MIL was quite distressed to witness a Magpie plucking out the nestlings one by one.
The bigger birds - woodpigeons, magpies, crows - who seem to thrive alongside man, are surely one of the reasons why so many smaller bird species have declined in numbers?
I believe predation by corvids has been a big factor, alongside habitat loss
Lewisham pond life. USB microscope ~400x. Larger animal is a copipod. Unsure about the smaller round one (Google lens not much help). Not as beautiful as the vertebrates in other pictures in the thread but interesting nevertheless.
Another tip that's not so obvious: If you already have birds in your garden that are not very common, think very carefully before putting food out. You might be better not doing it or, at least, not doing so regularly. Or, if you have a large garden, being careful to place feeders away from their haunts. Feeding the birds will tend to attract the very common garden species because they are the ones that tend to be more comfortable in human presence. Sometimes these more common birds can scare off the less common ones. It's a bit of a conundrum and you won't know if you've found the right or the wrong answer until you've seen the results. Good luck.
Before we had only collared doves and magpies so it has been great seeing more diversity. In lockdown we actually had a magpie rip the head from a dove on our lawn and fly off which was somewhat gruesome!
Very spiteful bastards magpies, which have slowly proliferated enormously over the last 40 years or so. You would never see one other than in genuine countryside and even then not very often.
Yeh, it's hard to believe now that the Magpie was once thought of as a country bird. When we moved on to Abbey Wood Estate back in the late 50's, we lived in a 4-storey block of maisonettes facing the Southern Outfall Sewer bank, with abandoned Royal Arsenal land over the other side (which is now part of North Thamesmead housing development). House Sparrows used to nest in the tops of the Hawthorn trees opposite, as well as in the crook of the drainpipe running down from the rooftop of the block. Over the sewer bank in the hedgerow running along the Arsenal access road (which became Nathan Way) every spring and summer you would find nests of Blackbird, Song Thrush and Dunnock. I rarely seem to find nests in semi urban hedgerows these days and I haven't seen a Sparrows nest in over 50 years! My mother-in-law was thrilled to have Blackbirds nesting in her grapevine a couple of years back. I told her the nest was so visible they wouldn't stand a chance if the Magpies spotted it. Sure enough MIL was quite distressed to witness a Magpie plucking out the nestlings one by one.
The bigger birds - woodpigeons, magpies, crows - who seem to thrive alongside man, are surely one of the reasons why so many smaller bird species have declined in numbers?
I believe predation by corvids has been a big factor, alongside habitat loss
Corvids are not the problem. This from the RSPB site.
"To find out why songbirds are in trouble, the RSPB has undertaken intensive research on species such as the skylark and song thrush. To discover whether magpies could be to blame for the decline, the RSPB commissioned the British Trust for Ornithology (BTO) to analyse its 35 years of bird monitoring records.
The study found that songbird numbers were no different in places where there were many magpies from where there are few. It found no evidence that increased numbers of magpies have caused declines in songbirds and confirms that populations of prey species are not determined by the numbers of their predators. Availability of food and suitable nesting sites are probably the main factors limiting songbird populations."
And then, of course, there is that supreme hunter: the domestic cat. A study in America found that cats took 79% of birds shortly after they left the nest. Another UK study found that domestic cats were responsible for 30% of sparrow fatalities.
Comments
Parakeet you say.
Good resolution on that photo 👍
Grey Heron seen in the street in Stratford.
It's pretty good for a phone. Google 6 Pro. Decent camera.
Anyone any tips on food/feeders I could use to attract smaller birds and woodpeckers? We get loads of parakeets, collared doves and magpies but only a handful of robins, starlings and blue tits. Not seen a blackbird, chaffinch, sparrow, bullfinch, thrush, wren etc or woodpecker (used to get them a few years back when we last fed the birds) since we started putting the food out about 3 months back.
Most important lesson is to thoroughly clean your feeders in-between feeds. There are a lot of viral nasties out there that are helped by otherwise well meaning people who don't keep their equipment clean.
Enjoy!
The Sparrows seemed to be very particular about which seeds they wanted and seemed to delight in chucking any unwanted seeds away making a real mess under the feeder.
Unfortunately on one occasion a particularly large Rat appeared under the feeder attracted by this bounty, causing my wife to completely freak and ban me from having a feeder anywhere near the house!
Before we had only collared doves and magpies so it has been great seeing more diversity. In lockdown we actually had a magpie rip the head from a dove on our lawn and fly off which was somewhat gruesome!
About 10 years or so ago the local council was trying to destroy the nests of the monk parakeet colony because they're not native here and ideally we wouldn't want them to spread. But many of the people whose gardens they were nesting in liked having them and wouldn't allow the pest controllers in to remove them, so they ended up staying.
Unless it's a rat having a swim:
Getting chased by a Mallard:
Going underwater:
Or just bumping into another rat and bowling each other over:
You would never see one other than in genuine countryside and even then not very often.
The Rat in our garden was no more than 12 feet from the back door, so sadly the Wife was having none of it.
We often left the back door open for the Dog to wander in and out and the missus had visions of the rat being tempted in by the smell of dog food.
(PS I know what you're thinking, but trust me my dog would be more scared of the rat!)
When we moved on to Abbey Wood Estate back in the late 50's, we lived in a 4-storey block of maisonettes facing the Southern Outfall Sewer bank, with abandoned Royal Arsenal land over the other side (which is now part of North Thamesmead housing development).
House Sparrows used to nest in the tops of the Hawthorn trees opposite, as well as in the crook of the drainpipe running down from the rooftop of the block.
Over the sewer bank in the hedgerow running along the Arsenal access road (which became Nathan Way) every spring and summer you would find nests of Blackbird, Song Thrush and Dunnock.
I rarely seem to find nests in semi urban hedgerows these days and I haven't seen a Sparrows nest in over 50 years!
My mother-in-law was thrilled to have Blackbirds nesting in her grapevine a couple of years back.
I told her the nest was so visible they wouldn't stand a chance if the Magpies spotted it.
Sure enough MIL was quite distressed to witness a Magpie plucking out the nestlings one by one.
I remember a drive in the Kent countryside in the 70s would result in the windscreen getting plastered with them - that don't happen now.
USB microscope ~400x.
Larger animal is a copipod.
Unsure about the smaller round one (Google lens not much help).
Not as beautiful as the vertebrates in other pictures in the thread but interesting nevertheless.
"To find out why songbirds are in trouble, the RSPB has undertaken intensive research on species such as the skylark and song thrush. To discover whether magpies could be to blame for the decline, the RSPB commissioned the British Trust for Ornithology (BTO) to analyse its 35 years of bird monitoring records.
The study found that songbird numbers were no different in places where there were many magpies from where there are few. It found no evidence that increased numbers of magpies have caused declines in songbirds and confirms that populations of prey species are not determined by the numbers of their predators. Availability of food and suitable nesting sites are probably the main factors limiting songbird populations."
And then, of course, there is that supreme hunter: the domestic cat. A study in America found that cats took 79% of birds shortly after they left the nest. Another UK study found that domestic cats were responsible for 30% of sparrow fatalities.
Beckenham.