8th November - Riverside Park, Southampton, Hampshire

There are few birds on the British list that I have seen and not photographed.  One of those I haven't but have photographed outside of the United Kingdom is the Ring-necked Parakeet.  I suppose it is a little to do with the reason the bird is present, they were introduced.  I have seen many but never taken the time to photograph them until today.

I headed for Riverside Park in Southampton, a park that follows the Itchen River.  I parked in the car park close to Wood Mill and immediately saw two Parakeets on the other side of the car park.  However once kitted out and walking towards them with the camera they flew off.  I had been told you would hear the parakeets but as I walked around the paths the only bird I heard was a Great Spotted Woodpecker at the top of a tree.

I walked alongside the river after trying other areas, heading up stream.  Finally I heard the annoying call of the Ring-necked Parakeets and found one sitting quietly in a tree on the other side of the river.

The only member of the parrot family found in the United Kingdom, it is Commonly known as the ring-necked or rose-ringed parakeet in reference to the band around the male birds' necks, Psittacula krameri is native to Asia and sub-Saharan Africa.

Records of parakeets living wild in the UK can be found going back to the mid-nineteenth century, but it is only since the late 1990s that the raucous green parrots have been seen in London and southeast England in significant numbers and started to settle elsewhere in the country.

To pinpoint the ancestral home of the birds living in Europe, researchers from the University of Kent took DNA samples from wild birds and museum specimens, including some cared for at the Natural History Museum at Tring. The scientists traced the majority of the UK's parakeets to Pakistan and northern areas of India.

None of the birds made the journey here under their own power - they were taken from the wild and brought here as exotic pets. As with many animals introduced by the pet trade, some birds either escaped or were released.

Our climate proved a good match for the cooler areas these birds grew up in, and as adult birds taken from the wild, they had the skills to survive where domesticated birds might not. In the late 1960s experts confirmed ring-necked parakeets were breeding in London and Kent, and some imaginative tales for how they got there began to circulate.

A popular theory was that the birds escaped from the set of the 1951 film The African Queen, filmed in West London. Another rumour was that Jimi Hendrix released a pair on Carnaby Street, right in the centre of the capital. But according to a study which mapped historical news reports of sightings of the birds, none of these urban myths are true.

The researchers from Queen Mary University of London wrote, 'most ornithologists believe the parakeets' spread in the UK is more likely to be a consequence of repeated releases and introductions'.

But why would someone give up a precious pet? In the early 1930s and again in the 1950s, 'parrot fever' made headline news, the researchers found, with cases of bird owners catching psittacosis, a respiratory disease that can result in pneumonia and can jump from birds to people.

The Ministry of Health banned the import of birds for 20 years and scientists suspect pets may have been released by fearful owners or dodgy pet traders during this time.

Accidental escapes, such as when aviaries were destroyed by the Great Storm of 1987, could also have boosted wild populations - and not just in the South East.

It would seem that they have a liking pf the lichen on the bark of the trees.

Ring-necked parakeets have now been recorded in most English counties, much of Wales, past the Scottish borders and even across the Irish Sea in Northern Ireland. The British Trust for Ornithology estimated 12,000 breeding pairs in 2016, with numbers growing.

While the birds may have gradually spread out from their London stronghold to the surrounding counties, populations further north are thought to be the result of separate introductions. They do particularly well near humans and have made their homes in many of our cities and suburbs - from London's Richmond Park to Didsbury in south Manchester and Glasgow's Victoria Park.

Averaging 40 centimetres long and with a powerful beak for breaking open seeds, ring-necked parakeets are tough characters that fight to win.

They nest in tree hollows and have plenty of competition for resources in their native habitats from other parrots and bird species. It's exactly this competitive instinct that makes people nervous about how parakeets could be affecting UK wildlife forced to adapt to these bright green foes.

Ring-necked parakeets are here to stay - they number tens of thousands and their population size is growing.

They have been here for around 50-plus years now and there are no obvious and significant impacts to UK wildlife reported so far. Many feel they have found their own niche here. And they are a second favourite [prey] for our London peregrines.'

At the beginning of 2021, media reports sparked controversy by suggesting new hunting licences could allow the ring-necked parakeets to be killed to protect native species. A Defra spokesperson clarified that 'while ring-necked parakeets are one species which could be considered for control under general licences, this should not be taken as implying that Defra is planning a cull'.

Whether we should be celebrating our resident ring-necked parakeet population is still up for debate. Some people love the bright birds, while others are concerned by their competitive habits. Ultimately, we're responsible for introducing the parakeets, and for helping them to thrive.

The little group then flew off and I turned to walk back to the car park.  Ahead of me another Parakeet called and flew towards me, settling at the top of a tree.  The surprise was it was blue!

This was a recent escape, it has a red ring on the leg and the fact that it is blue means it was a result of selective breeding in captivity.

It does add a little more exotica to a rather dull day and month so far.

So I have finally photographed these parakeets in this country and had some great views.  It was then a case of where do I go next>