neighbors want us to remove bird feeders because of bird 'noise' (1 Viewer)

Hi Barbara,

It is unfortunate to hear about your 'noise' problem, but admirable that you are still trying to find a solution.

It certainly sounds like your neighbors are experiencing the dawn chorus. I doubt it has much to do with your feeders. Here in Pennsylvania, American Robins are by far the most numerous and loudest birds of the dawn chorus, and they very rarely visit feeders. Unfortunately I cannot help you in regards to scientific proofs to back this up.

Perhaps bird feeders increase the bird population, but I would think this would be the case more in autumn and winter. In spring, birds are setting up territories for breeding, and one yard/neighborhood can only hold a limited amount of breeding bird territories.

Their behaviour and attitude is just both incredible and unacceptable ..... and the problem is their's to solve not yours. Keep feeding the birds. They need to move....

Perhaps more constructively could I suggest you do not put any food in the feeders, and don't put out any other food for a few days, but don't say anything to your neighbours. Then after a few days send her a text asking how it has been. I suspect you will still get complaints because I suspect it is just the regular 'dawn chorus' they're hearing, not noise directly caused by your feeding activities. (Because certainly here in the UK there is virtually no noise from feeders) And hence nothing you can do about it, and your feeding activity will not be impacting the chorus noise level, so you can then resume. ....... and your neighbours can go fly a kite.

This is really not your problem in my opinion, and I'm afraid my response would have been much shorter and less polite.

Mick

I doubt this will be much help, and some (all?) of it has already been covered... but:

It doesn't matter what we say here, or what you read elsewhere online - nothing will convince your neighbours that it's not your fault. You've already anticipated some of their responses:

But still their reasoning will probably be that our feeders attract more birds, hence more singing. If our feeders were away, there wouldn't be as much birds and 'noise'.

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Your neighbours won't give up until they are 100% positive that they can't stop you - it just depends how determined they are, and what lengths they are prepared to go to. Legally, if you keep your garden clean and regularly disinfected, and don't leave food on the ground overnight (so not to encourage vermin), I doubt there's anything they can do (I've had threats of Anti Social Behaviour Orders - letters from the local Council - and letters from our local MP. They might get me in the end, but until that day comes I'll continue to feed the wildlife and make my moaning-animal-hating neighbour's life a living hell ).

I'd suggest you talk to other neighbours and see how they feel. People are often two-faced, and you might find there's more than you think complaining behind your back. But, in the end, if you can talk to your neighbours and reach an understanding, life will be much better all round. Me, I like a bit of conflict... and dislike my neighbours... we have absolutely nothing in common

Thanks everyone for thinking with me. The thing is I really value good relationships with my neighbors, and maybe this seems like they are bad people, but actually they have always been very nice to us. I have young kids myself, and would be desperate as well if they would constantly wake up. So I was (and am) really willing to work with them. I was just so so very disappointed after their last text, because that was just sent to give me a very bad feeling about even wanting to keep the feeders, and to me seemed like a proof they had already made their mind, just 1 day after we made an arrangement where I really made much compromises in my opinion.
I can imagine if you are absolutely convinced this is the solution, and the feeders are the cause, you are not very open to other suggestions. Although all reasonable arguments in my opinion do tell that is is something temporary, since a few weeks. But there is no point in trying to tell them that if they have made their mind, and they of course are desperate, I would be too if I would be deprived of my sleep for so many time already...

I don't know what else there is to do, and I feel a lot of negative energy this is causing, and I really don't need that.

I hung them up today, after I didn't do it for 2 days after their text. But I feel no pleasure at all anymore and I even feel stressed. I am a stay-at-home mom, so almost constantly at home, and I don't want to feel that kind of stress the whole time. I am thinking of sending them an email to tell them I will remove them for now, include some of the information I found on the internet about the dawn chorus, the territorial behavior, the robins being loud (I neer hear them during the day though, is that normal? there are a lot of them here!), and things like that, and suggest to them that we will talk again in a few weeks.

Sad but I don't think there is much else left if I don't want to feel this stress the whole time...

Thanks!

You could always tell them that you have taken advice from very experienced bird people.

I think Mick's suggestion about putting out no food at all for a few days (yet leaving the feeders in situ) and then asking your neighbour if they have noticed any difference in noise, is a good one. If they say that it is just as noisy, you can tell them it categorically isn't your feeding that has increased the noise as you haven't put any food out for a week (or however many days).

Try not to let their behaviour spoil your enjoyment of birds.

Barbara ST said:

I am thinking of sending them an email to tell them I will remove them for now, include some of the information I found on the internet about the dawn chorus, the territorial behavior, the robins being loud (I neer hear them during the day though, is that normal? there are a lot of them here!), and things like that, and suggest to them that we will talk again in a few weeks.

Sad but I don't think there is much else left if I don't want to feel this stress the whole time...

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I would also include a line that you feel they are unreasonable - they concern themselves with their desires, not caring that the feeding does give pleasure to their neighbour.

Your offer to hang them from noon was kind, but why did they demand this? Their kid sleeps till midday? Hanging the feeeders from 9.00 would be a good compromise in my book, but even when you have gone out of your way, there is no give from them. Selfish, end of story. Personally, I would leave the feeders, or at least one - these neighbours don't seem to care about you, why care about them? Plenty of other neighbours, don't need good relations with them all

You are a very thoughtful, considerate and well-intentioned individual Barbara ........ but you are being manipulated, and denied a pleasure that I am certain is not the cause of their problem.

Sad.

I hope once they realise the 'noise' continues without your feeders they make some move to apologise ..... but I am not optimistic.

When Rachel Carson wrote 'Silent Spring' she must have described a dream world for these neighbour folks. I always like to avoid being an unnecessary nuisance myself but it strikes me that people who are bothered by bird song are always going to be bothered by something, and real problem would undoubtedly kill them outright, so I wouldn't worry about them myself. I mean, assuming the feeders aren't drawing in 1000-strong flocks of starlings into your neighbourhood. And anyway, doesn't AC weather in DC start tomorrow?

i agree with KC Foggin about it being your yard. I just dont understand why people make a fuss about bird sounds. I have african Lovebirds on my backyard and their 'noise' make me feel sleepy midday on weekends when im home. Not only that, the resident sparrows are noisier throughout the day and me and my neighbors dont mind at all. Point is, its how people appreciate the presence of these creatures that influence their tolerance to them. Its probably their ignorance to the role of these birds in our ecosystem that make them see them as pests instead.

Barbara ST said:

What is this white noise machine and what kind of a fan do you mean? Can I just find it on amazon? would that block out all the 'noise'? (still feels odd to call all bird sounds 'noise' but well...)

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you can actually buy a sound machine. Mine has a dozen different sounds. I listen to pouring rain LOL, I didn't realize this thread was so old