Peril for Parakeets

I was saddened to read in my local paper that Natural England has put the Ring-Necked Parakeet on their hit-list. From Jan 2010 they can be killed, have their nests disturbed and the eggs destroyed by owners and occupiers of land, as long as they can prove justification and it is done humanely. It's a bit confusing though as the birds also seem to be protected by the 1981 Wildlife and Countryside Act...????

I personally really like Ring-Necked Parakeets even though they are not native to our country. They feed happily alongside the smaller birds on my feeder and unlike other birds don't touch any of our growing veg. or fruit and lets face it a lot of Britain's wildlife didn't originate in this country. However Natural England have outlawed them because they have had complaints from farmers saying they are ruining fruit crops and that they also act aggressively towards native species such as starlings, nuthatches and woodpeckers that have similar types of roosts.

Apparently they have long been regarded as a pest in their native India so, knowing that, what a shame that the 'powers that be' allowed them to get a hold in this country as there are now so many in the South of England, that by allowing their destruction, it is inevitably going to mean that some of these beautiful, intelligent birds will be subjected to abuse and suffering.

In addition, the Canada Goose, Egyptian Goose and Monk Parakeet have also been added to the list of undesirables:-(

Clever Birds

The frenetic feeding of baby birds in the garden seems to have calmed down a bit over the last few days. I don't know if this is because of the stormy weather we've been having or because the youngsters are now managing to feed themselves. Either way I think the parent birds have done and incredible job in raising their young. They have built their nests, kept them clean, fed their babies and all with no hands just a beak...wow...clever things.

The Parakeets do use their feet quite a lot though and often spend several minutes just hanging around but I wonder if they use them in parenting. This one hung by just one toe for about a minute and a half.

Now there aren't so many protective parent birds around the squirrels have returned to the feeder. Over the years I have tried several ways to make it more difficult for them to get at the bird food. Not that I mind them having some but they eat soooo much. Anyway they are just too agile so I have now given up and they help themselves along with everything else.

Rotten Tree

The Ring Necked Parakeets that visit our feeder usually look very sleek and well groomed...

...that is until it rains like it did on Sunday, then they look like this...

It is guaranteed to make me feel sorry for them so out I went and filled up the feeder to the top so that more than one bird could use it at the same time. I hooked it over the usual branch but there was a big cracking sound and I just managed to dive out the way as the feeder crashed to the ground.

Luckily for the wet bedraggled birds the feeder wasn't broken but I found that the branch and a lot of the rest of the Cob Nut tree is rotting away with several patches of soft wood and holes. No wonder the Woodpeckers and Nuthatches like the tree so much but I wonder if it will survive very long especially when Woody is hell bent on making the holes bigger.

Another update on the fox cub; he has found his mum. Both trotted happily through the garden yesterday evening looking fit and well...hooray.

Cheeky Squirrels

A lot of people don't like the Ring Necked Parakeets that have colonised in some areas of England because they are not native but I find them very entertaining and contrary to rumors I find they get on just fine with the smaller birds and I regularly watch them sharing the feeder with blue tits and finches. The thing that the parakeets really dislike though are the squirrels and as the picture below shows they get very cross when the squirrel hogs the feeder.

The squirrels can also be very entertaining, although, also a little annoying as they eat the bird food so quickly that it costs me a fortune keeping the feeders topped up. Luckily we only ever seem to have two or three squirrels at one time. They can be very cheeky and besides upsetting the parakeets they love to taunt the pheasants.

The squirrels aren't as bad as the young Magpies for teasing male pheasant though. They just love to try and pull out his lovely long tail feathers. The pheasant never seems to retaliate he just walks around with a Magpie hanging off his tail...very amusing...one day I will manage to catch it on camera.