Warm welcome for frosty flying friend

Male Ring-necked parakeetFor one family the icy cold snap has brought a special feathered visitor seeking a homely refuge from the big freeze to their back garden. Housewife Mandy Wright (42) and her family have been looking after a ring-necked parakeet since New Year's Day after the beautiful bird first flew into the garden of their home in Wisteria Road, Yaxley, near Peterborough.

The parakeet - which is the only parrot that in the wild in the UK - was first spotted by Mandy's nine-year-old son Lewis, who saw it from his bedroom window.

Since then, Polly - as she has been named by Lewis and Mandy's three-year-old daughter Ruby - has been a regular feature in their garden, appearing everyday for a morning meal of apples and bird feed.

Mandy said: "My little boy was looking out of his window and said 'there's a green bird on our bird table' so we all looked out and saw it was a parrot.

"We couldn't believe it. We spoke to our neighbour because we thought it might be his, but it wasn't.

"Polly seems to come here everyday at about 10.30am and stay for about an hour or so.

"She's really friendly and we can go right up to her and she doesn't fly off, which is really useful for feeding her.

"She doesn't have any markings on her, so it doesn't look like she belongs to anyone. But she seems happy and healthy."

Their care is a simple gesture from an animal-loving family - who also have a guinea pig and a rabbit - but those meals could be the difference between life or death for the bird at this cold time of year.

A spokesman for the The Royal Society for the Protection of Birds (RSPB) said: "Birds are finding it hard at this time of the year because of the ground frost and snow.

"Gardens are playing more and more of an important part in helping to feed such birds.

"They also know a good thing when they see one, so that will be why the bird is regularly coming back.

"We would definitely encourage people to go out and feed their garden birds at this time of year."

For more information about the RSPB and advice about what to feed the birds in the garden, visit www.rspb.org.uk.

FACTFILE: ring-necked parakeets

Although originally from Africa and southern Asia, ring-necked parakeets first began breeding in the UK in the 1970s.

They can be found mostly in south-eastern England, from Kent and heading north up to Cambridgeshire. However, they are also known to have bred in Sheffield and have been seen in Leeds.

There are now thought to be about 5,000 breeding pairs in the UK.

In flight, parakeets have pointed wings, a long tail and a very steady, direct flight.

They are often found in flocks, numbering hundreds at a roost site, where it can be very noisy.

Their diet consists of seeds, berries, fruits, flowers and bird seeds.