Daphne Gallick, St. Columb's Cathedral Museum Curator, told the 'Journal' that the falcon had nested in the famous landmark prior to last year's restoration works.

"He was here for a long time - in the mornings we found the remains of pigeons round the front door. He obviously moved out or was evicted by restoration works and we haven't seen him since. Now he's moved to the Roman Catholic cathedral - he doesn't seem to mind about religion as long as he's up high," she quipped.

However, the new arrival at St. Eugene's is not as welcome as the city's traditional flock as his leftovers are getting stuck in the organ.

St. Eugene's administrator, Fr Michael Canny, said: "The birds' remains cause a blockage in the gutters and the water banks up and drops down into the pipes of the organ, flooding it."

Meanwhile, the city's pigeon racing fraternity have called for the protected bird to be removed to another location, claiming that its killing sprees are costing members thousands of pounds each year.