THE PARAKEETS OF SOUTH LONDON

It may seem strange to glance out of your window on a mid December day and find your apple tree visited by four hungry feral rose ringed parakeets, but not to those living in South London. 

Nobody knows how many of these there are but it is estimated that there are as many as up to 50,000 in the Capital.  Urban myth has it that a few escaped from Ealing studios during the filming of The African Queen in 1952 and that their numbers have steadily increased since then.

A TOAD COMES A CALLING

Wednesday night brought a strange visiter as this toad was found crawling around in the courtyard outside the front door.  Mid March is when toads emerge from hibernation and migrate to breeding ponds and I think this confused toad was attracted by the sound of water running from the pipes into the drains.  I couldn't resist getting a few photographs before releasing back into the garden.  Toads live up to 10-12 years in the wild (but up 20-40 years in captivity) and are useful garden friends as they live on a diet of slugs and snails.

We've seen quite a few toads around here as when we were laying the patio last summer we had to check under the sandstone slabs before concreting them in as they liked to bury themselves beneath them.

In China, toads and frogs are considered lucky and are said to attract wealth... and maybe warts.