I have just rediscovered these pictures taken on a hot August day in Hyde Park in London. It's very unusual for me to take street photos (or park photos) but these seem to illustrate how a park can allow people that precious contact with nature - especially a great variety of birds - which is usually harder to find in the city. I left London a long time ago and didn't know about the ring-necked parakeets that now live there. Although the origins of their arrival as wild birds in London is hard to pin down - a likely theory points to the great storm of 1987 which wrecked many aviaries and set the parakeets free. It was a moment of shocked delight for me when I walked into a clearing in the park and saw all the visitors interacting with these exotic birds. Apparently, there are about 8,600 breeding pairs now living in London parks.
Jun 06, 2021
PAINTING IN LOCKDOWN 2020
Nov 04, 2019
FALLING FOR ORANGE