Lifestyle

Record numbers of exotic ring-necked parakeets have occupied our skies so much so that the British Trust for Ornithology has stated that our parrot population has skyrocketed from 1,500 in 1996 to over 20,000 this year.

75% of those can be found in the south-east living wild and causing havoc to owners of orchards and vineyards, racking up thousands of pounds in damages each year. The largest colony (7,000) found a home at a rugby club in Surrey until their tree homes were felled.

Numbers will continue to grow as they get to berries and seeds earlier than most other species, which causes concern for our native birds' future extinction.