Parakeet Cemetery

Image, right,  by Jonas Bengtsson

Are you looking for somewhere different to take your date this weekend?

Try a romantic excursion to Hither Green Cemetery at dusk and witness one of the largest parakeet roosting sites in all of London. Wow your partner with ornithological facts like:

-13 different parrot species have been recorded in the wild in Britain

-parakeets can live up to 34 years in captivity

-parakeets breed from late January and make nests inside tree cavities

(If your lovebird is impressed, then congratulations – you’re made for each other!)

The presence of parakeets in the UK is mythologically underpinned by Jimi Hendrix, hurricanes, and a 1950’s adventure movie starring Bogey and Hepburn which brought Africa to Shepperton Studios.

Gold kudos for curio-glamour, nil points for their damage to fruit crops and wild birds.

Image by Loz Pycock