Parakeets destroying windmill that survived Blitz

Parakeets destroying precious windmill A windmill that withstood the Blitz and the worst of the English weather for 150 years is being destroyed – by parakeets. The grade II listed building has suffered £50,000 of damage courtesy of 12 rose-ringed parakeets, which are using its sails to sharpen their beaks. (link via metro.co.uk) The famous windmill is located in the London Borough of Croydon: Croydon's only windmill, Shirley Windmill is in Postmill Close, off the Upper Shirley Road, Shirley, Croydon, Surrey, UK. Built in the mid 1850's to replace an earlier post mill which was destroyed by fire in 1854, it worked until 1892 when it was abandoned. The mill is opened on the first Sunday of each month from June until October, between 1pm and 5pm. (link via geograph.org.uk) Ring-necked parakeets in the UK The ring-necked, or rose-ringed, parakeet is the UK's most abundant naturalised parrot - it became established in the wild in the 1970s after captive birds escaped or were released. (link via RSPB.org.uk)