Has anybody ever seen a WILD Ring Necked Parakeet before? I saw one in London a few weeks ago.
Was I lucky to see them in the wild, or are they common around the UK?
Here is a picture. I apologise for the bad quality, but the lens was at about 300m, without a tripod and I was pointing straight up at a tree over my head!

I hav'nt seen a naturalised one but they used to turn up now and again in Plymouth but these were pure escapees i think. I think this is a good shot from an unusual angle so i like it. Its looking at you or at this moment in time its looking at me. You can make out the eye.
Yeah, that little yellow dot with a black spec in the middle. The bird was giving me 'evils' for about 3 minutes. We were having a staring contest!
Ha ha
Yeah, that little yellow dot with a black spec in the middle. The bird was giving me 'evils' for about 3 minutes. We were having a staring contest!
I've never seen a wild one, I will keep a lookout next time in London though!
And why do you hate them?
They are quite common now in parts of London and Surrey Jamie, they are in fact talking about having a cull because of the amount of these birds, and they are gradually pushing other species of small birds out, apparently they originated from escaping from a television studio where they were being used in a film and from then on have multiplied in numbers, residents in certain areas are also complaining of the noise they make, and the mess!
I think they are breath of fresh air to our skies, and cant see the problem, as the numbers of other species they are threatening has'nt been proved as such, so is it the same for, pidgeons, doves, starlings? or any other large flocking birds.