Annoying Bird

I doubt it's a bird Stray Cat. I think you are hearing tree frogs, they often sound like birds during mating season - and it is mating season. Toads also can make bird like caws and whistles this time of year.

Ah. Stray kitty bothered by the itty bitty birds. Kind of poetic, if you ask me.

you may want to take a tip from allan sherman

The Bronx Bird Watcher
(Parody of "Titwillow" from Gilbert & Sullivan's "The Mikado or The Town Of Titipu")

On a branch of a tree sat a little tomtit,
Singing willow, tit willow, tit willow.
An uncomfortable place for a boidie to sit,
Singing willow, tit willow, tit willow.

So I said to him, "Boidie, why don't you go way?"
He said, "Thanks very much, but I'm planning to stay.
I'm gonna sit on that branch for the rest of the day,
Singing willow, tit willow, tit willow."

So I said to him, "Boidie, you look so distraught.
Singing willow, tit willow, tit willow.
You gonna be glad when you'll see what I brought.
A pillow, a pillow, a pillow."

I said, "Boidie, your pardon I humbly would beg.
Put this comfortable pillow right under your leg."
He said, "Leave me alone while I'm laying an egg.
Uh willow, tit willow, tit willow."

That night by the light of a matzoh ball moon,
Singing willow, tit willow, tit willow.
That boidie was singing the same catchy tune.
Willow, tit willow, tit willow.

And I came, and I took him right down from his branch,
And I brought him back home to mine split-level ranch,
And I said to my wife, "Here's a gift for you, Blanche.
He sings 'willow, tit willow, tit willow.'"

Next morning I got up and went to the shop,
Singing willow, tit willow, tit willow.
That tune was so catchy, it just wouldn't stop.
Willow willow willow titty willow willow willow titty willow willow willow willow.

That night I said, "Blanche, how's the bird?" She said, "Well,
The boid was delicious, it tasted just swell.
But as I fricaseed him, he gave out a yell:
'Oi willow, tit willow, tit willow.'"

Never heard a mockinbird sing before? They love to imitate sounds and , if you have a CD of a train whistle or a tropical bird, if you play it, the mockingbird will mimic the sound and youll have a new song added to his repertoire.

They are real pains in the asses .

Mockingbirds like to sing--and will sing all night long. If there is no moon, they will sing by the light of the street lamps.

I knew a mockingbird who could--and did--imitatee the "come here" whistle for every dog in the neighborhood.

I'm fairly sure Stray Cat is in the Northeast where we do not have mocking birds. She is hearing the sounds of tree frogs in love:

You can sample a pile of frog songs here ... I just can't imagine wanting this for a casual evening at home with friends.

As much as I love frogs and all ...

Northern mockingbirds are distributed throughout North America, including Canada and Mexico. In fact, sightings have been reported as far off the coast as Hawaii (where they were introduced). However, northern mockingbirds are most commonly found in the southern regions of the United States and are most often sighted in Texas and Southern Florida. They breed from northern California, eastern Nebraska, southern Ontario and Atlantic Canada southward to southern Mexico. (Rylander, 2002; Texas Parks and Wildlife Department, 2003; Wild Birds Forever, Date Unknown)



We have mockinbirds in Washington County Maine. All ya need is one to make your nights sleep a living hell. Anyway, frogs have a limited playlist while mockinbirds can even do Country Western.

Yes, I do live in the Northeast. Hmm...I suppose it could be a frog, like Green Witch suggested.

The thing is, this ....thing....can whistle just like other birds. It does a sound that's a lot like a bob white (one low short whistle, followed by a slightly longer, higher one). Then it will "tweet, tweet" like, say, a sparrow. Then it will make a sort of chortling sound. Then it does a "caw, caw" and you would swear you're listening to a crow.

Could a frog really make whistling and tweeting sounds like a bird?

If it's a frog, I wish it would find a partner already. If it's a mocking bird, I wish it would find someone else to mock!

I'm still thinking tree frog. It would be odd for a bird to hang out by your window for so long. Do you see a nest? or anything that looks like a bird? Can you get a look at it during early morning or dusk?

<chuckle> On noticing this thread title, I just hadda take a look; thought it might be directed at me

I go with the frog theory too. Here at Castle Timber, way up in the Northwoods, we are of course surrounded by forrest, and a significant landscape feature of the grounds immediately adjacent to the dwelling is a large, year-round pond, a central interest point in a tree-strewn front yard which encompasses a couple acres or so. For most of the year and all throughout the daylight hours, the sound of the pond's waterfall cascading over its rock-studded course and splashing into the pond is a constant, soothing delight, offering in summer a sense of cooling and in winter a sense of warmth.

However, from late spring through well into summer, the approach of evening brings with it the roar of legions of frogs, a cacaphonous symphony which all but overwhelms all other sounds, even to the point of requiring elevated voice to carry on conversation in near proximity to the pond, and to call for closing windows and turning up the AV system's volume to enjoy movies or music. We like it, though; its a large part of why the pond is there, and why it is where it is.

I've spent many moonlit--and street lit--nights listening to the Mockingbird.

The sound should taper off in the next couple weeks when territory has been established and babies have to be fed.

I took your advice, Greenwitch, and went out to look at the tree where I think the noise is coming from. I don't see any nests.

Now that I think of it, I've seen bird's nests in the neighborhood, especially in the late autumn, when all the leaves are off the trees. Then they're really visible.

The birds seem to prefer the bigger, sturdier trees in the neighborhood for their nests. The couple of trees right outside my place are smaller trees.

I guess it's probably a tree frog, after all. That's amazing! I never knew a frog could make those whistling, tweeting, cawing noises!

He must get lonely late at night. He's got to be doing every mating call in the book!

Man, if I could find a female frog, I'd put her up there in the tree for him -- especially if it would shut him up!

Let's hope he gets lucky soon!

Stray Cat--

Every bird has a territory and most male birds move around the boundaries of "their" territories singing to warn other birds away.

Even the proudest of papas wouldn't brag from his nest. He might attract predators.

Do you have a swamp or a stream or some sort of water nearby? If your problem is toads or frogs they are singing to attract a mate and they will need water in which to lay their eggs.

That sure sounds like the mockingbirds we have here. I can't feature a frog being that vocally gifted.

Jeezus, this is a no brainer. A mockinbird has the ability to sing all night if it likes. And, as Edgar says, it has a huge number of calls that frogs cant even dream of.
usually the sound will come from up high cause mockingbirds like the highest spots. We have one male that owns our house and he sports between he weather vanes.

Keep your eyes open in the day for a grey bird that everyso often will spread its wings in a two or three step fashion almost like semaphor . They do this as a territory marker.

Youll see the spring peepers and tree frogs all seem to repeat and repeat, while a mockinbird will tweet, chirp, buzz , click, and warble.
Your clue that the sound is loud and in the middle of the night and seems to be coming from one animal is a dead giveaway. I know that you nor'ners dont get mockinbirds as much as we in the banana belts but animals, due to reasons that get grad students to do MS theses, are i the processes of extending their ranges.

The rufous hummingbird, eg, is starting to develop a subspecies of itself that is slowly migrating to eastern Canada and is flying up and down the eastern flyewat. This is pissing off the ruby hummingbird no end. Weve seen 2 rufous in the last 3 years and the HArford County bird club has reported a number , so its official.

Now stop this frog stuff.

Noddy,

That's the only thing that doesn't make sense with the frog scenario. There is no water nearby.

Ok, it looks like we're back to the mockingbird!

Noddy wrote


Yep, there are street lamps around my neighborhood.

This is interesting. First I was convinced it was a mocking bird, then I was sold on the tree frog and now it's back to the mocking bird


It's going to take a good one to top Farmerman and Noddy, but who knows where I may be led next.