Parrots wreak havoc on church steeple
Thursday, December 25, 2008 at 10:47 
One Anglican parishioner suggested hiring a hawk to scare off the winged menaces Photo: Paul GroverA plague of parakeets have caused thousands of pounds worth of damage to a church - after pecking away at the wooden spire.
Congregation members revealed this week that the brightly-coloured vandals had started nesting in the 150-year-old spire of St John the Evangelist, Shirley, which has been blighted by hundreds of beak-sized holes.
Church spokesman Bernard Maguire, 67, said: "They showed up last winter, and have been pecking away ever since.
"We enjoyed them at first, they were quite pretty, but then we realised what they were up to and now the novelty has definitely worn off."
One Anglican parishioner suggested hiring a hawk to scare off the winged menaces, which are native to Asia.
"Parakeets have fairly pointy beaks", Mr Maguire said. "I don't think any hawk would fancy taking on this lot."
"When you go up into the spire you can see the daylight, they've made quite a mess."