Nature Friday Local Woods in North London

Fridays are my Nature Days and I just love them.

It is the me time, the time that I can be completely free and de-stress from the hum drum of life in the office.

As part of my spiritual journey it is really important to be grounded and spending time with Nature is a wonderful and enjoyable way to do this.  I have always had a great love and respect for nature, wildlife and the outdoors and now it is even more important to me.

I am currently exploring local woods and outdoor spaces near my home in North London and I keep being amazed at what I find.

I knew of the existence of Parakeets in some parts of London and I have seen one or two at a distance in Richmond park but I had no idea that they were so close to home.

A few weeks ago I discovered Coldfall Woods, a beautiful wood a short bus ride from where I live.  Of course I knew of the very famous Highgate Woods which is larger, noisier and more crowded.  I visited Highgate Woods a few weeks ago.

Cold Fall Wood is smaller but it has an incredible feel to it and the energy there is so powerful. You feel like you have been transported out of London, away from the hustle and bustle.  It almost feels like the air is purer and that you are hundreds of miles away.

My neighbour mentioned to me that there were Parakeets in the wood which surprised me as I had been there the week before and hadn't seen or heard any.

I went for another visit to search for the Parakeets.  I asked a man walking his dog where the Parakeets were and he almost looked at me as if I was crazy and said he had been walking his dog there for years and had never seen or heard Parakeets !!!

I carried on my walk to find them, my Canon DSLR in tow and a rough idea where they were.  I was told by Nikki, my neighbour that I would be more likely to hear them before seeing them.  Low and behold the foreign sound of Parrots squawking could be heard in the distance.  It almost felt like I was in a far away Rain Forest.  So not the sound or sights for East Finchley !

According to the RSPB website these are believed to be Ring Necked Parakeets and they actually originate from the foothills of the Himalayas, so they don't need it to be that warm to live comfortably and that is why they are thriving here in the UK.

I found a bit of information on the RSPB website about them.

The UK's only naturalised parrot it is large, long-tailed and green with a red beak and a pink and black ring around its face and neck.  In flight it has pointed wings, a long tail and very steady, direct flight.  Often found in flocks, numbering hundreds at a roost site, it can be very noisy.

Below are some of my photos taken with my Canon EOS 400D using a ES-F 55-250mm Lens.

I am still learning how to use the camera, my first DSLR so not all perfect shots but I am still very happy with them.  They are so very well camouflaged in the green leaves of the trees, it was a small miracle that I managed to get any shots of them.

Some of these photos have been taken by my friend Natalie who usually joins me on the Friday Nature Days.