I've seen 3 cockatoos in my garden this weekend

[metagirl]

Is this normal? I live in London.

[shaneystar2]

I used to see lots of them when we lived in London ..they escape captivity and then breed and manage to live quite well in our climate..
The RSPB reckons that there is now a population of several thousand wild ring necked parakeets living in and about London. A flock estimated at about 850 are living near Heathrow Airport, and smaller numbers of two other tropical species � Alexandrine and Monk parakeets � are also living in the south of England albeit in smaller numbers.

[WendyS]

Were they cockatoos, or the green parakeets which are now flying around everywhere on the outskirts of London? If the latter, they are on the increase as they seem to have adapted to life in the wild in recent years and are increasing very successfully in number.
These parakeets have a very distinctive loud cry if ever you hear them flying overhead. They tend to fly higher than most of our other native birds.

[eyeshade]

I was in a friends garden one summer afternoon in Reigate, Surrey, when we saw about 15 green necked para's. It was lovely, they were all chattering and getting excited. My friend said she often saw them around her garden, that must have been at least 15 years ago now.