Editor – I was astonished to read the article from Robbie Vermont in the July 25 edition of the NEWS.
While I can only plead guilty to the transgression of feeding invasive parrots, I wish to offer in my defense that the Indian ring-necked parrots came to my existing bird feeder.
I did not attempt to attract them.
Exactly how one prevents them from feeding along with the other more welcome species is, as I am sure Robbie can appreciate, very difficult.
Also read: Winged friends visit the community
I could try displaying an eviction notice, which would obviously have to be written in Assamese, Bengali, Hindi, and Punjabi, but I feel this would be fruitless, or nutty even.
I agree that they can be noisy, but far less so than the nearby N3 motorway.
At least the parrots stop at night.
If I am sounding rather negative on this front, please feel rest assured that if any of the other category two items mentioned by Robbie, ie watercress, Burmese pythons, peacocks, Nile Tilapia, and mussels, ever invade my garden, I will have the means to handle them.
For those who wish to be updated on my birds, I previously stated that up to 15 parrots were visiting our house.
Also read: Beautiful but invasive
This has increased considerably to around 20 to 25, along with my monthly expenditure on peanuts and sunflower seeds.
Since the surprise arrival of the blue ringneck, we have subsequently seen a white ringneck and a beautiful multi-coloured plum headed parrot.
Next month should be the start of breeding time and who knows how many additional mouths that will produce.
Bruce Watts.
Bedfordview.
