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Aliens

Paul Boote

No Longer a Member
Independent, Lucy Osborne (no relation of Ozzy who doesn't have an 'e' ... can't even get the bird's original home territory (Indian Subcontinent and surrounds, NOT South America, Lucy) right ... Osborne ...hmm ... someone handing out non-job internships to the Girls here (clueless ones at that)...?



Alien parakeet's days could be numbered

Defra draws up secret plan to cull latest tropical arrival because of its disruptive nesting habits

By Lucy Osborne

Sunday, 24 April 2011

The Independent


parakeet_600242t.jpg

A parakeet in London's Richmond Park, which has a huge parakeet population


As tropical birds go, few look more like they belong in the jungle than the monk parakeet. It is noisy, and has iridescent green and blue plumage and an orange beak that looks like an offensive weapon. But, for all its exotic appearance, it has somehow found a way to settle down in the Home Counties.

It is the latest tropical bird to raise young in Britain, following the success of the ring-necked parakeet which now throngs south and west London. The South American bird, which can live as long as 30 years, has founded colonies in Wiltshire, Hertfordshire and London, and also been spotted in Cheshire and Devon.

But its place on our list of resident birds could be short-lived. The bird may be colourful, a good talker and popular as a pet, but when it goes into the wild, it can cause problems.

Despite being similar in appearance and behaviour to the UK's 4,300 ring-necked parakeets – both species are often spotted in parks and gardens eating out of bird feeders – it is monk parakeets' unusual nesting habits that make them the bigger threat. Unlike other parrots, they use sticks to build huge colony nests on the outside of trees or pylons that can reach the size of a small car. In the US, monk parakeets are reported to have caused costly and dangerous power shortages, fires, problems with electricity transmission and crop damage. In some states, ownership, let alone release, of the species has been banned.

No serious damage has so far been reported in the UK, but the birds' numbers – currently estimated to be about 100-150 – are expected to rise dramatically, given the ease with which they can survive in cities and a range of climates. So no sooner do bird lovers hear of the new addition to the country's fauna than they will be learning of its looming demise. Inquiries by The Independent on Sunday have revealed secret plans by the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra) to exterminate the bird, bringing to an end its short-lived residence in Britain.

Defra's culling policy was decided in December 2010, but Defra has yet to make it known to the public. A spokesperson said: "This invasive species has caused significant damage in other countries through nesting and feeding activity, and we are taking action now to prevent this happening in the UK."

The Royal Society for the Protection of Birds (RSPB) supports Defra's move. A spokesperson said: "These species aren't causing any major conservation problems in the UK at the moment, but they might in future."

According to Defra, the cull – which will involve shooting, trapping and nest removal – will be a lot cheaper and easier now than it would if the population were allowed to grow.

Not everyone is happy about the decision. A risk assessment of the species conducted by the organisation GB Non-Native Species Secretariat says the threat it poses is relatively minor, and that farmers have overstated the problems the birds cause. Kate Fowler, campaigns co-ordinator for Animal Aid, said: "This document accepts that there will be public opposition – so no wonder they have kept it quiet. If Defra wants to see an end to non-native species living in the UK, it should ban the importation and breeding of them for the pet trade. In the meantime, if it regards them as a problem, it should investigate non-lethal measures instead of rushing to kill."

These highly intelligent and sociable birds are sold across the country in pet shops and are chosen for their ability to develop large vocabularies. Although it is against the law to release parakeets, people continue to do so. And the birds are already resident in Belgium, Spain and Italy, so even if England's population were destroyed, the birds could well return.

Defra argues that non-native species cost the British economy £1.7bn every year. This figure is based on a Defra-sponsored report called The Economic Cost of Invasive Non-Native Species to Great Britain. However, according the report, the total cost of parakeets in Britain is only £10,000 each year – so far.

Defra refused to confirm if the culling process has begun.



They come over 'ere... Other visitors that have outstayed their welcome


Grey squirrel (Sciurus carolinensis)

Notorious usurpers of the smaller, native red squirrel, greys were introduced from the US at the start of the 20th century and have squeezed red squirrels out of most of the UK. According to the Forestry Commission, there are currently 2.5 million grey squirrels, compared with a native red population of only 140,000.


Red-eared terrapin (Trachemys scripta elegans)

These antisocial reptiles were rounded up and deported from London six years ago after terrorising ducks in a local park. They are exported from the US and bought as pets, and often released into the wild by irresponsible owners. It is thought that rising temperatures could increase their breeding potential in Britain.


American mink (Neovison vison)

Originally bred for their fur, large numbers of these voracious carnivores escaped and have now firmly established themselves in the UK. They are a major threat to native populations of water fowl, ground-nesting birds, small mammals and fish, all of which are lunch for a mink. They have been subject to culling in Scotland.


Muntjac deer (Muntiacus reevesi)

Introduced from south-east Asia as ornamental deer for aristocratic gardens, these irrepressible breeders quickly spread into the British countryside and woodland. They are now becoming more common in towns and cities. It has been claimed that they damage woodland areas by eating saplings.


Eagle owl (Bubo bubo)

A small number of these powerful predators, native in most of the Eurasian landmass, are known to breed in Britain. It is believed that the British breeding pairs were released or escaped from captive collections. Farmers fear they pose a threat to livestock.


Chinese mitten crab (Eriocheir sinensis)

First recorded in the River Thames in 1935, these troublesome freshwater crustaceans arrived in Britain in trade ships. Now firmly established along many of Britain's rivers, their burrowed homes weaken the structural integrity of riverbanks, threatening other semi-aquatic species.



What? No barbel...?
 
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What? No barbel...?

Why would it surprise you Paul? I understood that Barbel were indigenous to this island. More appropriate to suggest:-

What? no carp...?

Or

What? No rainbow trout... ?

:)
 
Being a very superior sort, Nigel, I only fish for barbel where they occur naturally and weren't stocked - primarily the Thames and its tribs [consider yourself winked at].

Carp? Taken as read. Total vermin and all those who fish for them.

Rainbow trite? Lovely creatures when they're at home and in those wild, foreign rivers where they can breed (particularly their Steelhead strain), but vermin again. As Edgar Broughton once yelled: "Out! Demons! Out".

"O.D.O.", too, to all those who fish for the above and get all "heritage" or "fish care" or "dray flay" soulful and sometimes very shirty about them (and this is far too lenient, in my opinion).
 
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I'm sure that back in the dim and distant times my education included the idea that the English Channel was once a tributary of the mighty Rhone, just like the Thames. Back then the Dorset Stour and the Hampshire Avon would surely been classed as tribs to this mighty river system? [wink returned with a tad of top spin]
 
Nigel, surely you mean the Rhine, the Rhone is way down south. The Stour and Avon flow south, barbel are only indigenous to east flowing rivers in England!
peter
 
I wish it to be known that I have caught Wessex barbel - first one, a Dorset Stour float-caught 4.5-pounder, when I was 12; second one, a Hants Avon 6-01, when I was 14 - but very quickly realised that they were inferior, indeed didn't even count as real barbel and were mere stockies;)
 
Nigel, surely you mean the Rhine, the Rhone is way down south. The Stour and Avon flow south, barbel are only indigenous to east flowing rivers in England!
peter

Apologies Peter, I did indeed mean the Rhine. My only excuse is that I posted that whilst sitting in a pub garden enjoying several pints of local ale in the glorious Spring sunshine.

I have obviously read many times that barbel are only indigenous to east flowing rivers in England but just because this is oft repeated doesn't mean it is necessarily correct. Take the Wandle, a tributary of the Thames which flows northwards. Are we to believe that barbel never naturally entered this tributary simply because it doesn't flow eastwards?

On a more theoretical level we are led to believe that barbel are naturally present in eastern flowing rivers as these were part of the Rhine system. The only problem with that is that the English Channel was also part of this system back then and rivers such as the Avon and Stour were tributaries of this system.

I'm obviously aware of the modern day history surrounding barbel stocking in the Stour and the migration of some of these fish into the Avon. Likewise I know about subsequent Avon stockings. I was actually having a bit of fun with Paul by questioning the logic behind the reason most people accept as to why barbel are indigenous to only rivers that flow eastwards.
 
Never mind all that barbel stuff, what i want to know is which species on Lucy's list do otters eat?
 
The Chairman on Monday

Subject: Heavy Pecking


Not to mention these:


BBC Radio, In Living Memory


Episode 3


Next on: Today, 23:30 on BBC Radio 4

http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b00td9pl


Synopsis

b00td9pl_303_170.jpg


In the mid 1990s investment companies sprung up offering huge returns on ostrich farming. The promise was that you could get 70 per cent or more and never get your feet muddy, or even have to see your ostriches. The birds would lay and endless supply of valuable eggs and the companies offered to buy them back.

Ostrich fever took hold, and birds changed hands at 10 times their true market value. It seemed too good to be true - and it was. The Department of Trade moved in and closed down the companies on the grounds that that they were running pyramid schemes. In the case of the biggest company, the Ostrich Farming Corporation, an investigation by the Serious Fraud Office revealed that the directors had also been siphoning off millions of pounds into offshore accounts, and three directors went to prison.

In this programme, Jolyon Jenkins tries to discover why so many apparently intelligent people fell for the ostrich scams. He also discovers what happened to the ostriches when the Ostrich Farming Corporation collapsed, and follows the fortunes of the two companies, each run by retired military officers, which were set up to try to carry on ostrich farming.



We must have about ten thousand of these still kicking around The Hamsters, having turned the Great Park into a pretty passable imitation of the Kalahari and with the only service they have given being multiply perforating the now only occasional poaching Flyfisher.

It was the 1990s, you see, and People of Quality with acres on their hands but lacking any appreciable cashflow had found that the time-honoured money-for-nothing ruse - being a member of Lloyd's syndicate - wasn't a no-risk meal ticket, that disasters happened and, when they did (and they were, frequently), One had to shell out - sell the family silver, if necessary. Ghastly.

So, in that Pre-Kevin Era (he turned my fortunes round, ya know) I went into Ostriches. Twenty thousand of them. Lost a packet. Didn't even make something to eat with "soldiers" at the breakfast table; awful omelettes, too.

We still have about ten thousand, Kevin told me a few weeks ago, gone feral and not exactly the company you would wish to keep on a rural stroll.

"Shall I get reeeed of them for you, Meester B1tchem? As I did the salmon and trout...?".

"No, lad, if they're keeping the Flyfishers and Weekenders off, then they're more than earning their keep. No longer Aliens, but now One of Us...".


As ever,

B.B.
 
Nigel, have a read through this, it may enlighten: http://www.qpg.geog.cam.ac.uk/research/projects/englishchannelformation/
It is an irrelevance which direction a tributary flows. Its all about the main riverine system; Thames goes eastward, so it has indigenous barbel and subsiquently all its tributaries can (could) be naturally populated. Swimming south to north on the Cherwell, north to south on the Wey. Even west to east as is the case with trib of a trib the Thames, the Blackwater.

Paul, you wrote: "Carp? Taken as read. Total vermin and all those who fish for them."
Am I to take it you're including yourself as "vermin" because I do remember you writing of a carp stalking exploit of yours on the Colne, can't recall its weight, thinking either 18lb or 24lb?? (just check your post records).

John, otters will eat mitten crabs and definitely do eat terrapins, I have seen the latter for myself. Reckon they might struggle to catch an adult muntjac though...
 
Paul, you wrote: "Carp? Taken as read. Total vermin and all those who fish for them."
Am I to take it you're including yourself as "vermin" because I do remember you writing of a carp stalking exploit of yours on the Colne, can't recall its weight, thinking either 18lb or 24lb?? (just check your post records).



The pitiful, literal-minded humourlessness of some chaps quite gives me hope for the future.
 
Thank you Colin. The map below is taken from your link.

1452531593_a255b2f533.jpg


As I was saying...

;)
 
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Nigel, maybe the barbel in south flowing rivers died out in the last ice age circa 12-14,000 years ago, same as occurred with rabbits; once indigenous, died out naturally, only to be re-introduced by humans some years later.

Get digging in the river bed to find a barbel fossil aged between 200 and 12,000 years, that'd prove definitively that barbel are a truly indigenous species of south flowing rivers.
 
Exactly when does an alien become a native? Is there a time scale?

I reckon the time scale depends on how much the species is embraced.....

Rabbits, re-introduced by the Celts 2500-3000 years ago, still classed as alien.

Carp, introduced 600-800 years ago, now officially accepted as native.

Also its really an opinion thing and in my opinion if didn't arrive anywhere under its own steam it is alien and always will be!
 
Colin, you do realise that my tongue is firmly wedged in my cheek on this thread? :D
 
Also its really an opinion thing and in my opinion if didn't arrive anywhere under its own steam it is alien and always will be!

Using that criteria makes barbel native to the Hampshire Avon. :D
 
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