Not long after we have moved to our new location, one morning I looked up on the roofs of the houses and what I saw was a green parakeet looking intently around and then flying away. It didn't fly far, just circled over the houses.
I called my wife.
- Look at this! I pointed up in the air.
- What's that Peter? She asked.
- Parakeets. I replied. Still wondering.
Then she started saying:
"No no they can't be parakeets. Just some kind of green long-tailed birds, but not parakeets."
I was absolutely convinced, that these wonderful green birds singing beautifully were parakeets. I didn't start to argue with her, because this was already a beautiful morning and made even more colourful by these admirable birds.
I felt uncertain. Did it escape from one of the flats? I asked myself and continued to watch as it flew from roof to roof. Then I heard that it wasn't alone, I couldn't see the others, but I could hear their voices as they came closer. Then I saw them too. Three of them were free to fly wherever they pleased.
Another thought circled in my head and wouldn't let go of the question. Where they had come from and where they were going? They didn't fly away. They were happily looking around on the rooftops, their voices ringing out, no doubt wondering which tree would be the next stop for them to fly over.
I watched them for a while, then we headed to a nearby park, where the road leads along a river. It's a wonderful promenade, where people walk, walk their dogs or ride their bikes. Did my little green friends accompany me here? No, it can't be. I saw more of them here, not to mention the herons and the cranes frolicking in the water. By the way it is called Crane Park.
By then I was sure, that the Parakeets had not escaped, but were living here. Which was strange to me, because to tell you the truth, I have never seen them flying freely in a populated area. You don't see them in the city, but in the parks and along the river.
I thought I would learn more about them, why not, I live with them anyway. Just as I am writing this, I can hear them chirping outside from my living room. Isn't that a delightful way to write an article? If they knew I was writing about them... Anyway who are they and where do they come from?
These type of parakeets I am going to talk about are the rose-ringed parakeets (Psittacula krameri) native to Afrika and the Indian subcontinent. They mostly live in London and South-East England and because they live there they also known as Kingston parakeets or Twickenham parakeets. I live in Twickenham. By finding out this, suddenly it all became clear, why they are the ones I wake up to in the morning.
You can see in the map below, where they are located in Great Britain.
How are the parakeets ended up in Great Britain is still not known. There are specific occasions, when some of them got out to the wild, but they were already in England.
"Parakeets that escaped from the branch of Ealing Studios used for the filming of The African Queen — Isleworth Studios— in 1951.
A number of parakeets reportedly escaped from a pet shop in Sunbury-on-Thames in 1970."
Source: https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Feral_parakeets_in_Great_Britain
We don't have that here but we have lots of birds flying around in my area. Sometimes, they would even fly inside the house, and then leave.
The sad thought is more and more trees were cut here. In my childhood days, there were lots of coconut trees here. We also had lot of fruit trees, too, in our front and backyard. But after they typhoon haiyam, many trees were damaged and had to cut it down, including ours. And that made me sad coz they don't have much places to stay.
Oh, sorry for sharing a sad one here.