THE LEGENDS about parakeets
in londOn
in londOn
The population of feral ring — necked parakeets has grown from hundreds back in the 1980s to more than 30,000 according to the last count in 2012
Nowadays it’s very
common to see
parakeets across London
common to see
parakeets across London
Ask ten city — dwellers about how the green parakeets came to London and we’ll wager you get ten different stories.
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how did these feral parakeets—native to Africa and the Indian Subcontinent — come to rule London’s skies?
Jimi Hendrix, giddy with the high of having released his final studio album, Electric Ladyland, strolled into the streets of Mayfair
Jimy Hendrix’s album
Electric Ladyland
Electric Ladyland
Electric Lady Studios,
New York,1970
New York,1970
Jimy Hendrix
THe story
begun in 1968
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.
.
WAIT
Everyone knows that the first wild parakeets in London were spied much later than that. Remember the Great Storm of 1987 when a hurricane ripped through the British Isles?
GREAT STORM OF 1987
The storm blew through a house near Esher, caving in its windows and emptying the contents of the front room all over the lawn and into the road
People trying to survive
Destroyed fence after the storm
Flooded London
Tree disloged telephone boxes
WAIT
Crashed car. London 1987
WAIT
RED-CROWED PARROTS TO BE RELEASED BACK INTO THE WILD
Amidst all the confusion it took a couple of days before the family realised their prized pair of breeding parakeets had escaped. Once, the youngest thought he spied one of them in the local park — it wasn’t long before the local paper started reporting sightings of a small flock of parakeets
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BOTH OF THOSE ARE WRONG
The real history lies in the filming of The African Queen in 1951. The film’s stars, Humphrey Bogart and Katharine Hepburn were filming at Isleworth Studios
The director, John Huston wanted the film to look as realistic as possible so he ordered for a flock of parakeets to be brought on set, ready for their appearance on the silver screen
The wily birds, bored of waiting for their moment to shine took umbrage at what they saw as a failure to respect their precious time, escaped into the wilds, stealthily growing in number since
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Others say it was a burglary of George Michael’s home that did it — those that say it was a bust-up between Michael and Boy George disagree, but only on the means of escape — they’re also convinced the tale of London’s parakeets lies at Michael’s door
Boy George & George Michael
Ok, so what is the real story?
The truth appears to be a lot more boring than any of these urban legends would have you believe
Londoners’ affinity for keeping parakeets as pets stretches back hundreds of years. It was almost inevitable that some were going to escape into the wild
Recorded sightings of wild parakeets in London date back to 1893 when a pair were reported in Dulwich. They grew in frequency, to the point that today no-one would think to even report it – doing so akin to reporting seeing a pigeon on Trafalgar Square
Part of their success can be ascribed to London’s abundance of green spaces.Used to the much colder climes of regions like the lower parts of the Himalayas, London, with its relatively warm and wet winters is no challenge.
Recorded sightings of wild parakeets in London date back to 1893 when a pair were reported in Dulwich. They grew in frequency, to the point that today no-one would think to even report it – doing so akin to reporting seeing a pigeon on Trafalgar Square
Part of their success can be ascribed to London’s abundance of green spaces.Used to the much colder climes of regions like the lower parts of the Himalayas, London, with its relatively warm and wet winters is no challenge.
Where to Find Parakeets in London?
Parakeets have spread far and wide across London, although you’ll find large flocks in Kensington Gardens, Lewisham Crematorium, Esher Rugby Club,Greenwich Park,Hyde Park,Battersea Park and pretty much everywhere in Kingston Upon Thames.
Sources
https://en.wikipedia.org
www.londonxlondon.com
https://en.wikipedia.org
www.londonxlondon.com
Author
Kurkina Ksenia
Kurkina Ksenia
The site is a part of course
“Creative layout”
from Anya Melnik
“Creative layout”
from Anya Melnik
