Exotic birds spotted in Enfield (From Enfield Independent)

Exotic birds spotted in Enfield

10:00am Friday 28th December 2007

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THEY may be more at home in the Amazon rainforest or parts of Australia, but we can assure you that this picture of a pair of parakeets has not been doctored, and yes, that is Enfield Civic Centre in the background.

In fact wild parrots such as these parakeets are becoming more and more common in London.

For years they have lived in parts of Surrey but now they are becoming more familiar sites all over the London suburbs - and even in inner-city areas.

Indeed, estimates suggest that there may now be over 20,000 wild parrots living in and around the capital, with their numbers in England as a whole rising by as much as 30 per cent every year.

Susan Cambridge, who sent in this picture, said: "I was stunned to look out of my window (on Thursday morning) to see a flock of about a dozen parakeets settle in my neighbour's garden in Gentleman's Row.

"I grabbed my camera, by which time most had flown away, but a few remained.

"I had to take the pictures through the glass and had no time to set the shots up but I liked this strange juxtaposition of leafless trees and parakeets against the backdrop of a cold winter sky and the iconic hideousness of Enfield Civic Centre."

Some time ago the BBC carried-out a survey on wild parrot sightings in London.

The Corporation received hundreds of emails, including photographs, with hotspots such as west of London, Surrey and parts of Kent.

However there were also parrots reported in inner-London, including parks in Peckham, Brixton, Greenwich and Kensington.

Have you spotted any wild birds such as these parakeets in Enfield? If so, why not let us know via the comment facility on this story?

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