Kingston upon Thames, Surrey, England - why do parakeets pick blossom and then drop it?

The same thing happens every Spring. Immediately the blossom comes out on this tree, the parakeets fly in from a colony - a few miles away at Esher Rubgy Club - and pick the blossom. And then they drop it on the ground. But why?!

Category:

Travel & Events

Tags:

• England
• Kingston
• Surbiton
• wild
• parakeets
• parrots
• Esher
• Rugby
• Club
• blossom
• petals
• tree
• pick
• drop
• question
• why?
• travelingcompanions
• Travelling
• Companions
• wildlife

[curry756]

is this a cherry tree? They are doing the same in my cherry tree now. This is so weird!

They obviously have their reasons?!?

[travelingcompanions]

Good to hear from you, curry756 - and I like your swimming cat! If my tree is a cherry tree, it's a non-fruiting one. But it's always the first to blossom and so it's now well past its best. The parakeets come from a colony near Esher Rugby Club - some domesticated ones escaped years ago, and now there are hundreds of them them, travelling miles, shrieking and frightening the other birds! My best theory is still that it's too cold to preen themselves so they preen these trees instead.

[NicolaRedwooddforest]

That is so funny. You have parakeets living in England in the wild? Do they survive the cold winter? So cute how they enjoy the trees with flowers.

[travelingcompanions]

Hello again, NIcola! Some parakeetsescaped from human imprisonment, many years ago, and set up what is now a very large and wild colony in trees around a local rugby club. They are very healthy and whizz around frightening the native birds with their bright colours, fast flight and loud shrieks! It's never really, really cold in the South of England, because we are an island and so this, and the Gulf Stream, help keep the weather relatively warm and changeable.

[NicolaRedwooddforest]

@travelingcompanions That is so nice.

[travelingcompanions]

A friend of mine suggested that the parakeets are kind of Spring preening the tree because, in England, its too cold to preen themselves.

[NicolaRedwooddforest]

@travelingcompanions Oh, that's so cute. The birds want to make themselves look good for the mates. They are so lovely looking already. Leys, take care. Nicola

[travelingcompanions]

Preening is when you smarten yourself up to look good. Birds do it by smoothing their feathers and plucking out the loose or rebellious ones! So they are more likely to do this in the Spring, as it is the breeding season.