Ring necked parakeets in Glasgow?

[~T~]

Someone told me they had seen one in Kelvingrove Park at the weekend and after having a look at the Clydebirds site it seems there has been 2 sightings about 5 miles apart. Could this be the same bird? Do they travel quite far?

[Synn]

Not heard about them being there, but I have heard of them being further up the country, as far as Perth I think, so it is quite likely, but they may be escapees.

[RoyW]

5 miles is no distance at all for a Ring-necked Parakeet.
A flock of up to twelve in south Essex in late 2005 seemed to regularly move between the Ingrebourne Valley and Hutton, near Brentwood (about 12 miles or so). At the time Ring-necked Parakeets were still scarce in Essex so it is very unlikely that different birds were involved at both sites.
In more recent years they have frequently been seen 'commuting' from Kent - crossing the Thames at sites like Rainham, travelling north in the morning and south in the evening, presumably travelling to and from established communal roosts in Kent (the nearest large roost that I'm aware of being in Sidcup).

[~T~]

Ahh right it's probably the same one, a recent escapee I would think.