Dear Parrots magazine,
This thing ‘indigenous’
It was in the December 2010 issue of this magazine that I read with great interest about a definition of ‘indigenous’ and its relevance to the feral Ringnecks. It appears the arguments are continuing with regards to these Ringnecks and how some people are calling for a cull to protect our ‘natural’ wild bird life.
There seems to be a large number of the UK population who love to see these parakeets flying freely and being fed on the many birdfeeders we hang up in our gardens. The problem, of course, is if farmers’ crops get damaged by flocks of marauding birds, as in Australia with the cockatoos. However, I have not heard of this happening in the UK, but as numbers increase, if they do, this may become a problem. We will have to see, but with the many problems in the world today, it gives great pleasure to see such wonderful sights like the Ringnecks. I just hope they do not become a problem as they clearly give many people a great deal of ‘watching’ pleasure.Andrew Millington - London