London Travel Answers

Very likely, although as I haven't been to Wandsworth Common for years I can't say for sure. But they are certainly to be seen these days in many London parks, including Richmond Park which is not that far from Wandsworth. We get them in the local parks in my own home suburb of Ealing, and also in the trees in our streets and gardens. Each year there seem to be more of them!

Thanxs for the swift answer.
I've read in an article about wild parakeets in UK, that some people regard these new immigrants as a kind of pest and as a danger for the sparrows

I've seen them in Kensington Gardens and I think they are the same kind of parakeets as we have here in Germany. I don't know if they've made it up to Berlin yet, but here in Heidelberg, Mannheim, Schwetzingen they've become very common. When I am at Heidelberg train station early in the morning, I can see them leaving their "sleeping" tree, it seems there are hundreds of them.

Danson Park (just off the A20 near Bexleyheath).Had a picnic there year before last and there were flocks of parakeets around the trees,

Heidelberg, Mannheim, Schwetzingen are warmer than Berlin, this could be why we only have exotic birds in our homes...

I've not seen any yet, but my daughter (who visits London much more regularly) has: I don't think the parakeets are regarded as being an unusual sight any more. You've just been unlucky!

Imported birds, like imported plants, can indeed be a real danger to native species. There has been talk about culling the London parakeets (I believe the Herefordshire ones were culled in 2011).

In the UK have some strange colonies of non-indigenous creatures: coypu in Norfolk (they have been culled and are extinct, I think), wallabies (more than one colony in places quite far away form each other), black squirrels in Hertfordshire, mink, ruddy duck (which are causing a real problem, as they interbreed), thousands of Chinese water deer and, especially, muntjac deer (which are now widespread all over England) and more.....

Some of what we now consider 'native' UK species were originally imports, centuries ago: rabbits, hares, pheasants, the edible dormouse. There is probably no simple answer as to whether to cull or not, so maybe you'll be lucky on your next trip to London? :-)

I live in Acton and there are numerous parakeets that I see every day. Richmond Park is another good place to see them.

I grew up at Wandsworth Common. Yes! they are there... they used to occasionally come and sit on my garden fence!... but you are not going to see them flying about and between trees. I would not suggest a special trip there as you will probably go away disappointed!

Thank you all very much for your answers!
When I'll be in Lodon in end of March I will go to Richmond Park.
Hopefully I can see some parakeets.
As to the other invasive species mentioned by leics:
We have them here in Berlin/Brandenburg too; esp. mink and raccoon dog are threatening our birds. Though thousands of these new predators were killed, they still are around.

If you go to Richmond Park I think the best area to see the parakeets is in the treesclose to the Sheen Gate. Have a look at these photos flickr.com/photos/johnaalex/...

Thank you very much for this hint, I will do exactly as you told me