Hummingbirds?

I swear I just saw a hummingbird in our garden. I’ve never seen one before and it was too quick for me to take a photo. Is this likely, or do I need to lay off the turps?

On walks down the Ribbon Park, I have seen many interesting bird species and a few humming birds.

So looks like your consumption levels are ok - although my prefs would be g@t.for the summer.

I’ve never heard of hummingbirds in London - wonder if what has been seen is the hummingbird hawk moth which looks uncannily like a bird but is a type of moth which definitely does visit the UK.

Not a hummingbird, no.

oops - is this my should have gone to Specsavers moment ?

Should have gone to Google, maybe.

It’s all Attenboroughs’s fault.

Can never take a walk in a park but I hear his mellifluous tone in my head.

Never mind - I have never encountered gorillas either it would seem.

I’ve seen bears. But usually around Vauxhall and parts of Soho.

Gorillas- Maybe keep off those g&ts while out walking. In all seriousness though I would be excited to see a hummingbird hawk moth locally. There is a butterfly conservation website that asks you to record sightings. Meanwhile we are seeing bats in the garden these warm evenings and looking forward to stag beetle season soon to come.

Following a tip on here from @Rebecca_Headd - I have installed a bat detector on my phone - haven’t had the chance to use it yet.

It definitely wasn’t a hummingbird hawk moth. I’ve seen those before. It was a different colour for a start.

Could be goldcrest as they can hover like hummingbirds for a time.

I was about to suggest the same thing. I flatly refuse to believe humming birds are in London. If it was a small fast bird, it could’ve been a wren…

When we travel to Minnesota in the summer, which we do frequently, we spend a lot of time around hummingbirds. They are just amazing to watch, and many people have a hummingbird feeder hanging somewhere around their homes. It’s filled with just a mixture of sugar and water, and the ensuing fights between birds are a joy to behold!

indeed. Humming Birds are a New World species.

As are parakeets.

I thought those parakeets came from Africa, but happy to be corrected.

ETA: probably Asia: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rose-ringed_parakeet