WILD parakeets have been nesting on Walney according to wildlife experts who have spotted the distinctive birds.

South Walney Nature Reserve has reported a number of sightings of green parakeets on Walney and in Barrow.

Staff at the reserve said they had received reports of half a dozen feral birds across Barrow over the last year.

Last Thursday Liam Langley captured a photograph of one ring-necked parakeet on Walney.

Mr Langley said he believed the bird roosts either further up the island or in Barrow and it has been visiting gardens on Walney regularly during the spring.

South Walney Nature Reserve responded on Twitter: "There is an increasing population of feral birds in Manchester and we have had reports of half a dozen in Barrow over the past year."

Feral parakeets are believed to have bred from birds which have escaped from captivity.

The British parakeet population is mostly concentrated in suburban areas of London and the Home Counties of South-East England, and for this reason the birds are sometimes known as "Kingston parakeets" or "Twickenham parakeets".

The parakeets, which breed rapidly, have since spread beyond these areas, and flocks have been sighted in other parts of Britain. The Royal Society for the Protection of Birds (RSPB) estimates that there are around 8,600 breeding pairs in Britain.