Gulls are arriving

[syd-gal]

Last few weeks I've seen and heard gulls flying around in the evening before roosting time. And yesterday I saw a few at Sainsbury's car park in Bell Green, competing with the crows and starlings for food. So it looks as if they have discovered sunny Sydenham!!!

[Parker1970]

It's when the vultures move in you have to worry.

I have a resident Sparrowhawk killing pigeons daily outside by kitchen window, plucking them, then eating them... does that count as a vulture?

[alywin]

I thought we'd been living in Sydenham-on-Sea for months already?

[syd-gal]

Those parakeets are horribly noisy. Thankfully they don't roost anywhere near me but I just see them every evening for about 2 weeks in June when they come for a fruiting (cherry?) tree. I also thought they were exotic 10+ years ago, but not any more as they are so noisy.

[mosy]

Shouldn't we (Sydenamites) be glad that at least some birds inhabit? Or even still migrate seasonally? Maybe not vultures though I can't remember when I last saw a sparrow and blue tits used to be seen (can't say in any great number) but Stepford-style trimming of trees/shrubs can't help for birds, bees and butterflies.

I should probably go and live in the rural countryside and fight for hedgerows.

[alywin]

Those parakeets are horribly noisy. Thankfully they don't roost anywhere near me but I just see them every evening for about 2 weeks in June when they come for a fruiting (cherry?) tree. I also thought they were exotic 10+ years ago, but not any more as they are so noisy.

I spotted a couple of parakeets when I was walking along Venner Road yesterday. If they're the "parrots" Rod refers to, they're a good distance from Mayow Park!

[Zsazsa]

I may be in the minority but I would far rather hear birds, be they sparrows, gulls or parakeets going about their business than the sirens and quad bikes that often fill the air in sunny Sydders. We make a bit effort to put food out for the birds in our garden and are rewarded with visits from wood peckers, green and spotted, goldfinches a pair of dunnocks and even the occasional nuthatch. to horribly mis-quote "feed them and they will come".

[alywin]

I spotted a couple of parakeets when I was walking along Venner Road yesterday. If they're the "parrots" Rod refers to, they're a good distance from Mayow Park!

... And they were squawking in the trees down at the junction of Newlands Park and Lennard Road when I went to catch a bus earlier.

[syd-gal]

The parakeets were squawking this evening in trees near me, thankfully only for about 15 mins. Don't know where the roost, but it's probably quite far away, thank goodness.
I don't think they migrate, they have adapted to UK winters.

[syd-gal]

Agree with Zsazsa about feeding the birds. See mostly green woodpeckers and jays, wood pigeons and a few magpies.
Those horrible quad bikes have been out quite a lot lately, maybe making the most of the weather before it gets too bad.

[alywin]

I spotted a couple of parakeets when I was walking along Venner Road yesterday. If they're the "parrots" Rod refers to, they're a good distance from Mayow Park!

... And they were squawking in the trees down at the junction of Newlands Park and Lennard Road when I went to catch a bus earlier.

And today it seems that they've crossed the railway line (back?) into Penge.

[simono]

We feed the birds and have a huge varierty, gold finches, starlings, woodpeckers, collared doves, wood pigeon, blue and great tits, blackbirds, robins, magpies, jays and dunnocks plus visits from the paraquuets. Not bad in an inner city pocket hankerchief garden. It is so important to encorage bio diversity and it is not just about feeding but also feeding the right things and providing the shelter for the small birds to hide before coming down. Also encoraging insects and flowers for them to feed on.
If we all did this Sydenham would be a much better place.