Chirp Wars

Chirping...Buzzing, crowing, hooting, ka-cooing, whistling, screeching, trilling, tooting, whoot-whoot- woooing, tweeting (not the on-line kind ;)) This cacophony of sound emanates from the yard, bursting through every open window of the house! 'Tis the mating calls and loud bird brawls that dominate the atmosphere in Todd's Backyard this time of year. You may think this a serene and peaceful environment, and perhaps it is for some, or most.

But, if one requires supreme concentration (like me, with my A.D.D.) or one who would appreciate a nap (like me, with my insomnia), you may get a little irritated with all the HOO HOO HOOpla! There are a few brash birds in particular that dominate that top the high decibel charts with their loud and abrupt conversation tactics.....

TODD'S BACKYARD TOP 3 AUDITORY AGITATORS:

#1. MR. PETER PECKER The sweet sing-song of the finch and gentle rustle of leaves will suddenly be drowned out by the raucous cackle of the WOODPECKER...or even worse, his pecking on the chimney or front door which will unleash the spontaneous outburst of barking and howling dogs, deceived into thinking we have guests!

#2 THE CARDINAL'S CLAN- Oh yes, he is strikingly gorgeous in his brilliant red suit, but his piecing screech is as loud as his appearance! When he's in love, watch out! And his screaming babies are just as bad...When they want to be fed it's worse than any child's tantrum. Witnessing the scene below, I believe , Mr. Cardinal is trying to teach his little screechling how to eat from the bird feeder.

#3 CAN-NOT-IGNORE ORIOLE- A summer resident, the orioles have just recently arrived along with their piercing call. In the spring, males compete for the ladies with a fervently fierce frequency! Even when they're not competing they still just want to make their presence known. Oh, oriole, we see you in all your brilliant yellow glory! So put a sock in it and shut the F*&# up!

Don't get me wrong, we love all the birds, and we are so lucky to live smack dab in the middle of a migration route! After all the migratory birds have traveled through, the ones that remain for the summer will soon be drowned out by the buzzing of the cicadas (locust-like bugs) when the heat starts to crank! So, sing birds, sing! And I will rejoice with you in this lovely pre-Summer Spring!

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