Parakeets in Kent?!
The Indian rose-ringed
parakeet is the most northerly nesting parakeet you will find in the wild and
in some areas of Kent, this colourful bird is proving a problem. In terms of
pest control, what is the stance?
Providing an extra splash of colour to bird
tables in Sheppey, Kent, the Indian rose-ringed
parakeet is causing a bit of a flap. Exotic in appearance, you would think that
as a nation of animal and bird lovers, we would welcome this pretty bird.
But there’s a problem. With 50,000 plus of
these parakeets flying free, they are causing problems by devouring food crops.
How they came to be in the south of Britain
remains slightly mysterious with three theories put forward to explain their
mass appearance in the wild. One is that they fled the filming of The African
Queen, the hit Humphrey Bogart film, at Shepperton Studios in 1951.
The other is that Jimmy Hendrix freed a
breeding pair in London in the 1960s and then
there is the theory of the Great Storm of 1987 decimated an aviary and
released them into the wild.
Problematic
Parakeets
Parakeets have strong beaks and when they
enter loft spaces, they strip exposed beams and rafter. They are also a clever
bird, finding their way in through air vents and the like.
With global warming contributing to our
ever-increasing warm environment, the parakeets are in no hurry to leave. And
this means that they can be problematic;
·
Damage to buildings – they chip away at
the wood with their strong beaks, causing
hundreds if not thousands of pounds worth of damage.
·
A growing population – with an estimated 50,000 in the wild, this number looks
sets to increase with weather that they see as favourable.
·
Crops and gardens – gardeners and
farmers alike have noticed damaged caused by feeding parakeets.
·
Aggressive to other birds – there is a slowly growing body of research that suggests
the ring-necked parakeet as it is sometimes known is aggressive too and
responsible for the decline in some of our native birds.
·
Noisy – these birds are very noisy,
especially when they are nesting on or around your property.
The Pest Control
Solution
In 2010, Natural England classified this
ringed-neck parakeet as an agricultural and horticultural pest. This, however, does not give carte blanche for people
to start killing or trapping these birds.
A pest they may be, but they enjoy the
legal protection afforded to wild birds in the UK. In other words, it is
illegal to kill or to interfere with them except in exceptional circumstances.
We provide bird control solutions for all
bird species, including the parakeet that has taken up residence in Kent. No
matter who or why they became a common sight in our county, they cause a
problem from time to time.
As well as parakeets, we can also help
minimise the roosting of other birds on or around your property, including
seagulls and pigeons.
