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Message: <blockquote data-quote="Jan-Paul Charteris" data-source="post: 1376093" data-attributes="member: 71800">I lived and worked in Hampstead for several years and they did increase rather rapidly in numbers from about 1999/2000 when I started looking. I remember speaking to Bill Oddie about the first probable breeding record around that time. For about a year or two after I could usually rely on one or two flying over the viaduct pond to roost from Kenwood every day at dusk. By the time I left Hampstead in 2006 there were flocks everywhere around Kenwood and the Model Boating Pond especially (the latter being the area where the Alpine Swift usually was). Best bet is to stand on the hill behind the Model Boat Pond and flocks of up to 20 easily seen in trees or flying over almost continuously, otherwise walk around Kenwood in the woodland (for example the area behind the Concert Ponds directly below Kenwood House) and they should be easy enough, with Jackdaws, Stock Doves etc in the wood and Mandarin on the Concert Pond or nearby ponds. Used to see the parakeets flying over South End Road near the Royal Free Hospital most evenings too, so I don't know if the roost somewhere west or SW of the Heath. Not sure what total population was but there did seem to be many small flocks everywhere and frequently flocks in double figures up to about 20 plus all the smaller flocks.Can't be more up to date than this, but I can't imagine they would have decreased <img src="data:image/gif;base64,R0lGODlhAQABAIAAAAAAAP///yH5BAEAAAAALAAAAAABAAEAAAIBRAA7" class="smilie smilie--sprite smilie--sprite1" alt=":)" title="Smile    :)" loading="lazy" data-shortname=":)" />Cheers, Jan</blockquote>

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