Ring-necked parakeets spotted in Brickfields in Worcester

Several parakeets were spotted playing in trees in Brickfields last week as Worcestershire Wildlife Trust revealed there may be a confirmed breeding pair in Worcester.

Resident Chris Jones spotted several parakeets in his garden, which he had never seen before in Brickfields. 

He said he initially thought the first parakeet was one his neighbour had lost, but he soon saw several flying in the sky and chirping in the trees.

"To go from seeing one to three or four is really strange - when I found out my neighbour had lost one, I thought it was theirs.

"I have never seen them before here, and I only noticed when I heard them chipping. I thought I had never heard that sound before.

"It is really nice to see them around.

"They sometimes get bothered by the seagulls chasing them, but now the worst of the weather has gone, I can imagine they may start nesting."

Worcestershire Wildlife Trust said there have only been small numbers of ring-necked parakeets spotted in Worcester over the past few years, but they believe a breeding pair has now been confirmed,

It added that it was unaware of a recent big increase in the number of birds.

Ring-necked parakeets are often found in the South East of England, particularly around south and west London.

They can be occasionally found elsewhere in the UK, but this is usually as an escapee from captivity. 

The Worcestershire Wildlife Trust website reads: " The ring-necked parakeet is a medium-sized, green parrot, the UK's only naturalised parrot, and the most northerly breeding parrot in the world.

"Ring-necked parakeets are initially from Africa and southern Asia and were kept as pets in the UK.

"They escaped into the wild, however, and have become naturalised in the south-east especially, aided by warmer winters.

"They nest in holes in trees in gardens and parkland and are often found in noisy, roosting flocks of hundreds of birds.

"They eat nuts, seeds, berries and fruits."