WHEN she agreed to look after a lost cockatiel, Elaine Redhead did not realise she was also getting an early morning alarm call.

Every day Spikey wakes her at 4am with a rendition of Tchaikovsky's 1812 Overture.

Two weeks after taking him in, Mrs Redhead, 52, is now trying to find his real owner.

The bird lover, from Great Lumley, County Durham, has been looking after lost birds for the past two years.

So, she was not too surprised when the RSPCA asked her to take care of Spikey.

Mrs Redhead said: "Every morning at 4am, Spikey stands to attention and starts whistling the 1812 Overture.

"The first time it happened I really couldn't believe my ears, but now I'm getting quite used to it."

Spikey was picked up by animal collection officers from the RSPCA when he was seen in a tree at Englemann Way, Moorside, Sunderland.