Macaw blimey!

8:05am Friday 4th April 2008

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A FLIXTON resident was pleasantly surprised to see a more exotic type of bird than usual coming to feed in her garden.

Carol Ager of Daresbury Avenue had to do a double when she saw a parrot eating bird food that was attached to her washing line.

She said: "We get quite an array of wild birds coming in the garden for food, but not usually parrots! It looks in good condition and is red with blue or dark purple flecks on its body. Someone told me they think it could be a Scarlet Macaw from the description."

Carol said she has seen the brightly-coloured bird on five or six occasions, the first time during the Easter Bank Holiday, but has no idea where the creature came from.

After Carol placed a comment about the sightings on community website www.urmston.net another resident responded and said: "My sister lives on Daresbury Avenue and the parrot is a regular in her garden feeding from the bird table."

Scarlet Macaw Facts: Scarlet Macaws are colorful parrots that originate from Central and South America Scarlet Macaws prefer undisturbed rainforest and eat fruits, nuts, flowers and nectar. They often eat unripe fruit and nuts that other animals avoid.

A pair of Scarlet Macaws raise one or two young each season in a tree cavity nest. The young birds often stay with their parents for up to two years.

The adult parrots will not rear another clutch until the young leave the nest. As a result, the number of macaws increases slowly.