Pesky parakeets are the latest hold-up in the way-behind-schedule renovation of the Binnenhof in The Hague. The building complex is home to the Dutch Parliament and numbers of government ministries.
The parakeets have been gnawing on facades and on the cables of electric cranes, creating a safety hazard for operators. In particular, they have been chewing on paint and putty at windows and on roof finishings.
The local council has now hired a falconer to deal with the problem; the falcon will be sent into the air over the area from now until mid-March in hopes that its presence will scare the parakeets away from the area.
The renovation work has been going on for years, and has been delayed by budgets, design changes and unexpected construction issues.
The ring-necked parakeets are not a native species, but colonies of escaped pets have proliferated, leading to a population of around 30,000.
Photo: Tisha Mukherjee/Wikimedia Commons
