There’s an extra splash of colour on Sheppey’s bird tables these days – as Martin Hawkins has discovered.

This Indian rose-ringed parakeet, also known as a ring-neck parrot, caused a bit of a flap when it became the latest flying visitor to Martin’s home at Norwood Manor, Eastchurch.

The exotic birds are now a common sight in many parts of the south east, particularly London, where it is estimated flocks of at least 50,000 are now flying free.

It is not certain why they have become so widespread over the past 20 years but bird experts have put forward three theories:

• The Bogart Theory – a flock escaped from Shepperton Studios while Humphrey Bogart was filming the 1951 film The African Queen;
• The Hendrix Theory – genius rock guitarist Jimi Hendrix allegedly freed a breeding pair from his girlfriend’s flat in Carnaby Street, London, in the 1960s;
• The Great Escape – many birds flew the roost when their aviaries were destroyed in the big storm of 1987.

The birds originally come from the Himalayas, India and Africa but are surprisingly hardy and have taken to living in Britain, with its recent mild winters.

They feed on nuts, berries, seeds, vegetables and fruit – particularly grapes and cherries, making them a farmer’s nightmare.

They nest in holes in trees. Pet parakeets can change hands from between £60 to £200.

Dr Jim Groombridge, of the Durrell Institute of Conservation and Ecologya is a reader in biodiversity conservation.

He is running a long term study into the parakeets, called ParrotNet, set up in 2014.

Previously, he told KentOnline: “Given the extent of this problem we expect our findings will be of interest to both policy-makers and the general public.

“It's possible these birds were originally pets that escaped or were deliberately released. They have thrived and set up breeding populations in places like Thanet.

“The issues they may cause include noise disturbance with impacts on native bird species, for example in Belgium they have been linked to declines in populations like nuthatches.

"Work is underway at the moment to measure their impact.

“They are fairly loud and quite gregarious and so quite dominant in the bird world with the potential to scare away other birds from breeding sites and nests.”

The birds are not the only invaders to set up home in the county. A number of invasive species have colonised different parts of the county.