4 ms·

I love this, love the writing, and share the joy of watching hummingbirds and swallows, but.... Hard disagree on the mockingbirds. Fuck those guys. A long ti

I love this, love the writing, and share the joy of watching hummingbirds and swallows, but.... Hard disagree on the mockingbirds. Fuck those guys. A long time ago, I had one singing less than a block away all night, every night, for the whole summer. Loud enough to be heard with the windows closed. I either didn't try earplugs (this was a long time ago), or maybe they just didn't work for me. It woke me up and kept me awake for long periods due to the unpredictability of its song. By the end of the season I was seriously considering getting a bb or pellet gun and shooting the thing. Not to kill it, just to get it to shut the hell up. I still can't hear one today without getting vague twinges of anger over all the lost sleep. Fuck those guys.

moultano 2y ago
Huh. Here they only sing in the morning. Are you sure it was a mockingbird? I've heard people have that reaction to whippoorwills and other nightjars that sing loudly and repetitively all night.
- yareally 2y ago
  They will sing at night if they're "frustrated" and haven't found a mate. I've seen song sparrows do this as well, but it was near a well lit area, so that may had some influence. https://www.allaboutbirds.org/news/what-can-i-do-about-a-bird-that-sings-all-night-long-outside-my-window/ https://www.allaboutbirds.org/news/what-can-i-do-about-a-bir...
  - try_the_bass 2y ago
    I honestly figured it was something like that. How else could he afford to spend so much energy all night?
- try_the_bass 2y ago
  100% positive it was a mockingbird. Huge variety in calls, including a handful that sounded vaguely like sirens and car alarms and such
  - quesera 2y ago
    When I first moved to the city, I had a mockingbird in a small copse of trees right outside my bedroom window, open to the summer heat. He imitated car alarms all night. I envisioned him as a punk rock kid who liked to replay our human obnoxiousness back at us to see how we liked it. I had a great deal of appreciation for that bird.
    - try_the_bass 2y ago
      You and I had a very similar experience, and walked away with opposite conclusions. I find that pretty funny!
I_dream_of_Gen1 2y ago
[dead]

moultano 2y ago

Huh. Here they only sing in the morning. Are you sure it was a mockingbird? I've heard people have that reaction to whippoorwills and other nightjars that sing loudly and repetitively all night.

yareally 2y ago
They will sing at night if they're "frustrated" and haven't found a mate. I've seen song sparrows do this as well, but it was near a well lit area, so that may had some influence. https://www.allaboutbirds.org/news/what-can-i-do-about-a-bird-that-sings-all-night-long-outside-my-window/ https://www.allaboutbirds.org/news/what-can-i-do-about-a-bir...
- try_the_bass 2y ago
  I honestly figured it was something like that. How else could he afford to spend so much energy all night?
try_the_bass 2y ago
100% positive it was a mockingbird. Huge variety in calls, including a handful that sounded vaguely like sirens and car alarms and such
- quesera 2y ago
  When I first moved to the city, I had a mockingbird in a small copse of trees right outside my bedroom window, open to the summer heat. He imitated car alarms all night. I envisioned him as a punk rock kid who liked to replay our human obnoxiousness back at us to see how we liked it. I had a great deal of appreciation for that bird.
  - try_the_bass 2y ago
    You and I had a very similar experience, and walked away with opposite conclusions. I find that pretty funny!

I_dream_of_Gen1 2y ago

[dead]