The pretty boys of Manchester

A parakeet and a pigeon face off Photo: Steve DolanIf you go bird-watching in the parks of South Manchester, you might get a surprise, as sharing the branches with the grey pigeons, black crows and brown sparrows are a glorious green flock of ring-necked parakeets.

Interestingly, despite the species originating in India, the flock are far from being outsiders, having made Alexandra Park, Birchfields Park and Platt Fields Park their permanent home in the recent years.

In the past, the company, which is thought to number around nine birds, has nested around the other parks and open spaces of the area too – including Chorlton Park, where park manager Steve Dolan began photographing them.

Steve is a keen wildlife photographer and says he’s known about the parakeets for a few years.

He admits they can be difficult to photograph, but says as they have naturalised, they have become easier and, although they "are a bit wary, when they are moving around and investigating, you can get quite close."

As a result, he’s captured them sharing bird tables with pigeons, enjoying the sunflowers on the local allotments and checking out South Manchester’s nest boxes – and never showing any real fear of anyone or anything else in their proximity.

"They're not particularly frightened of people or other birds – they seem to be able to hold their own against magpies and crows, but then they're mainly in groups – you never usually see an individual bird."

A parakeet checks out a nest box Photo Steve DolanSteve says the birds’ plumage makes them quite easy to spot, especially in winter, but that it’s not their feathers that first alert you to their presence.

"You hear them first before you see them because they’re quite noisy birds."

So next time you’re out in the park, keep your ears and eyes open and you might just catch a glimpse of one of Manchester’s more colourful natives.