Ringneck Parakeets

I live just south of London in Kent and see flocks of them 40-50 strong every day - you hear them before you see them!.  They demolish food on my bird table in seconds (especially sunflower seeds).  I did have a yellow parakeet visit last year  - haven't seen it since though.

wow that must be a sight to see didnt think they would eat seed i thought obviously wrongly they were after sweet fruits

JBNTS

I have 2 cats and in my experience the natural order will take over too many predators one year means they eat too many quarry but the balance will be struck and it will self regulate it's the natural order. Usually only unbalanced when mankind intervenes.

It was! I got a photo (not a very good one) but can't post it as it's on my now broken computer!!  They do seem to like the seed though - sunflower, as I said before, and a mixed seed that I put out and sometimes the peanuts too.  They hang upside down on the feeder and one parakeet will empty the whole feeder in minutes.

please send them up North 60 miles or so and I will make sure they have their own feeder LOL

Haha! Exactly, been thinking about getting a feeder just for small birds because of this.  The starlings empty the feeders pretty quickly too so what with them and the parakeets, it leaves nothing for the little ones!

I saw on the RSPB web site yesterday a simple cage device to go over a feeder this one was for the ground but if you have anybody handy in your scope of people they could probably make something for a hanging feeder.

The device was simply a mesh cage around the feeder of about 2 inch or 50mm mesh so small birds could enter to access the feeder but bigger ones and predators could not simple but I should imagine affective

Terry

would have thought so very similar thing only you would need to make sure it well fixed and cannot be moved eg fixed to and bottom as I had one and the squirrels got wise and used to shake it til the nuts fell out then eat them on the ground.

And of course the Parrot family are very clever

TerryRobbins said:

 

I think they will be a colourful addition to our ever evolving countryside but care must be taken Remember the Cane Toad and the Rabbits in Australia

I'm being a bit of a misery on this subject.  Nice looking birds but what is the long term effect.  Our history tells us we can take care but won't know until it is nearly too late.  We have had no noticeable effect from the Mandarin Duck or pheasant.  Minimal effect from the little owl. Increasing issues over Sika Deer and Canada Goose.  International concern from the ruddy duck and then you move on to the considerable impact of American crayfish, mink, grey squirrel  etc.   In America we took the starling there and that is now a problem for them.   This is one area where prettiness mustn't overrule good sense.