The New Neighbors are Extremely Noisy!
By Jeff Moffitt
@moffittjc (121586)
Gainesville, Florida
July 30, 2020 12:32pm CST
But first, let me clarify. Not human neighbors, but bird neighbors. It seems a pair of cardinals have moved into the neighborhood. From the best I can tell, they have made a nest (or at least are living) in a thick shrub behind my bedroom window.
What's great about their choice of home is that it's right next to my neighbor's bird feeder, so these two cardinals have pretty much claimed the feeder as their own personal buffet. Since the cardinals have moved in, I have not seen any other birds using the feeder. So I guess it belongs to the cardinals now.
Except the squirrels have something to say about that. Actually, they don't say anything, they just scoot up the pole of the bird feeder and chomp away at all the seed and nuts. It's the cardinals who have something to say about it.
Every time a squirrel helps itself to the abundant seeds in the bird feeder, the two cardinals go nuts, and sit there in the bush or on the ground under the bird feeder yelling at the squirrels. And of course, being right by my bedroom window, I hear all of it. Especially early in the morning when I'm trying to sleep. And it's driving me crazy!
I hope the cardinals and squirrels learn to get along and share the food in the bird feeder (there is plenty for everybody) so that those noisy birds will hush and allow me some peace and quiet. If not, I may have to capture them, box them up, and mail them to @CarolDM so they can live in her backyard.
Do you have any noisy neighbors?
39 people like this
39 responses
@moffittjc (121586)
• Gainesville, Florida
30 Jul 20
Right now their incessant chirping is annoying, but I'm sure that I'll get used to it in a few more days and probably won't even notice it anymore.
3 people like this
@moffittjc (121586)
• Gainesville, Florida
30 Jul 20
Oh I will be sure to take good care of them! I wouldn't want anything to happen to them when I mail them off to Carol.
1 person likes this
@ShyBear88 (59347)
• Sterling, Virginia
30 Jul 20
We have noisy animal neighbors too. I’d course we live next to the woods so some times we get all kind go animal. Right now we have raccoons that like to knock the trash over. I got tired of it so started to get up at 6:30am to put the trash out.
2 people like this
@ShyBear88 (59347)
• Sterling, Virginia
31 Jul 20
@moffittjc yep we get frogs some times. I’ve almost stepped on a few during the summer at night.
1 person likes this
@moffittjc (121586)
• Gainesville, Florida
30 Jul 20
Thankfully, I haven't seen raccoons around here, so at least that's one thing we don't have to contend with. But my house backs up to woods as well, so we do get a lot of noisy critters. After a good hard rain, it sometimes sounds like there are 10,000 frogs out back croaking away. And over the past two weeks, I've heard a very noisy pair of owls at night.
@moffittjc (121586)
• Gainesville, Florida
1 Aug 20
@ShyBear88 The worst is either when I come home at night, or leave early in the morning before the sun comes up, and there are frogs all over my front door or front walkway!
1 person likes this
@moffittjc (121586)
• Gainesville, Florida
31 Jul 20
Don't we all live in a jungle Dianne! Some made of concrete, some made of trees! haha
2 people like this
@moffittjc (121586)
• Gainesville, Florida
31 Jul 20
@DianneN Personally, I prefer the animals of the forest jungle more than I do the animals of the concrete jungle.
2 people like this
@moffittjc (121586)
• Gainesville, Florida
31 Jul 20
@nela13 I'm going to start charging them rent for building their nest in my bush.
2 people like this
@moffittjc (121586)
• Gainesville, Florida
31 Jul 20
I have a pair of cardinals I would be happy to mail to you, and then you could have some cardinals where you live! 
2 people like this
@nela13 (58669)
• Portugal
31 Jul 20
@moffittjc poor birds, they already have their nest near your home 
2 people like this
@moffittjc (121586)
• Gainesville, Florida
30 Jul 20
Isn't it kind of late for them to suddenly show up and nest I was wondering about that. It seems that they have appeared within the last week.
2 people like this
@CarolDM (203422)
• Nashville, Tennessee
30 Jul 20
@moffittjc Not really. Most of mine have left the yard but it they still have plenty of hot weather.
2 people like this
@moffittjc (121586)
• Gainesville, Florida
30 Jul 20
@CarolDM Where do they go when they leave your yard? Are they migratory birds? I don't recall seeing cardinals here on a year-round basis.
2 people like this
@kareng (59167)
• United States
4 Aug 20
We used to have a mockingbird that sat on a tree limb outside our bedroom window at our house in LA that started his song at around 5:30 am and didn't shut up until around 9 am. It was okay during the week when we had to get up and go to work but weekends was annoying! Good luck there buddy!
1 person likes this
@kareng (59167)
• United States
8 Aug 20
@moffittjc I never got used to the Mockingbird so if that is the case, kudos to you! However, I think their song is a bit different too. The mockingbird sounded like he/she was raising he!!
1 person likes this
@moffittjc (121586)
• Gainesville, Florida
10 Aug 20
@kareng I didn't hear the cardinals in the morning, but I heard them around lunchtime. It sounded like they were raising holy hell outside. I guess the squirrels must have gotten too close to their nest or something.
Also very interesting, yesterday afternoon, just before sunset, I heard two owls somewhere outside my backyard calling to each other. They were loud as all could be!
1 person likes this
@moffittjc (121586)
• Gainesville, Florida
5 Aug 20
I got lucky this morning. The cardinals didn't wake me. Either they were quiet, or I'm starting to get used to them.
1 person likes this
@LadyDuck (471541)
• Switzerland
31 Jul 20
@moffittjc The cuckoo birds has the exact sound of the cuckoo clock, when they start they go on and on for hours, they drive me crazy.
1 person likes this
@moffittjc (121586)
• Gainesville, Florida
31 Jul 20
I haven't quite gotten to the "hate" stage yet, but if these birds stay here for a while and continue making their annoying chirping every morning, then I will soon be at the "hate" level along with you.
1 person likes this
@moffittjc (121586)
• Gainesville, Florida
31 Jul 20
@LadyDuck Oh, that would drive me crazy too! I can handle a 5 or 10 second cuckoo on a clock, but not over and over for hours at a time!
1 person likes this
@simone10 (54187)
• Louisville, Kentucky
31 Jul 20
We have two sets of cardinals and whenever they land to check around for food, any other birds fly away. They don't make any noise except for the sweet little call the pair coo to each other. Now crows are another story. We have a lot of them, and they are huge, about the size of a small cat. Once one starts, they all chime in. Fortunately, they don't nest in the tree beside our apartment, so they don't wake me up.
1 person likes this
@simone10 (54187)
• Louisville, Kentucky
4 Aug 20
@moffittjc Are the squirrels and cardinals still fighting?
1 person likes this
@moffittjc (121586)
• Gainesville, Florida
31 Jul 20
Every now and then we'll get some crows, but since there are two hawks living here nearby, the crows stay away for the most part. But you're right, when one crow gets to making racket, they all do.
1 person likes this
@moffittjc (121586)
• Gainesville, Florida
5 Aug 20
@simone10 I wouldn't call it fighting. It's more like arguing. haha And yes, the male cardinal still yells at the squirrels when he sees them eating from his bird feeder.
1 person likes this
@moffittjc (121586)
• Gainesville, Florida
31 Jul 20
@CarolDM Excellent! Now I just need to find the right size box, poke some air holes in it, and ship those cardinals off to you to live their lives in peace!
2 people like this
@moffittjc (121586)
• Gainesville, Florida
27 Sep 20
I'm glad you still remembered our bet. I have been injury-free all year long! But the bet was that I would make it through October without suffering any injuries. So I still have a month to go. We have one paintball tournament in October, so my goal is to make it through that without getting hurt.
And by the way, what prize do I get if I win the bet?
1 person likes this
@moffittjc (121586)
• Gainesville, Florida
28 Sep 20
@cintol I will think of something to pick as a prize once I win the bet in a month!
1 person likes this
@cintol (11261)
• United States
27 Sep 20
@moffittjc Haha, well I am glad you have remained injury free lol. There is still one tournament to go but I have no doubt you will be ok.
Ya know, I don't think we ever discussed what the prize would be.
1 person likes this
@RubyHawk (99405)
• Atlanta, Georgia
1 Aug 20
The. Cardinals will never shut up and the squirrels will never stop stealing their food. My sister told me today that she found a remedy for robber squirrels. She greased the pole that holds up her bird feeder with shortening. Now the squirrels slide right off the pole.
1 person likes this
@moffittjc (121586)
• Gainesville, Florida
1 Aug 20
I thought about that this morning. My neighbor put up squirrel deterrents on her bird feeder, but the squirrels found ways around them, which involves them leaping from a tree about 5 feet away onto the pole. I watched them this morning, and then thought to myself that the ultimate way to stop them would be to grease the pole.
1 person likes this
@moffittjc (121586)
• Gainesville, Florida
3 Aug 20
@RubyHawk Does she have to re-grease it on a weekly basis, or every now and then?
1 person likes this
@RubyHawk (99405)
• Atlanta, Georgia
3 Aug 20
@moffittjc She says it works. But she said squirrels keep trying to climb up, they leave fur in the grease .
1 person likes this
@thelme55 (77082)
• Germany
1 Aug 20
Yes, I have sometimes noisy neighbors. We have trees across our apartment and I think some birds are nesting. I love the sounds of the birds chirping but not when I am going to sleep or early in the morning when they are so alive and noisy. We sleep with an open bedroom window so I have to get up and close the window when the birds are so loud.
1 person likes this
@moffittjc (121586)
• Gainesville, Florida
4 Aug 20
@thelme55 Thank you, it's been a busy, yet productive, Monday for me. I hope you had a nice Monday too.
1 person likes this
@moffittjc (121586)
• Gainesville, Florida
3 Aug 20
My bedroom window is closed and the bird outside is still loud, so I can imagine how much louder it must be for you with the windows open.
1 person likes this
@thelme55 (77082)
• Germany
3 Aug 20
@moffittjc Yes, it is indeed very loud with an open window. Have a nice Monday to you.
1 person likes this
@Hannihar (130218)
• Israel
31 Jul 20
@moffittjc
I guess they have not learned to play together. That is too bad that they make all that racket so you cannot sleep. I have a human neighbor that lives right above us and makes lots of noise whenever he sees fit. He is a miserable old coot.
1 person likes this
@moffittjc (121586)
• Gainesville, Florida
31 Jul 20
Upstairs neighbors are the worst. Years ago, when I lived in an apartment, I had an upstairs neighbor who I swear was dropping bowling balls on his floor (which would have been my ceiling) all day long. It drove me nuts. I also had another upstairs neighbor who thought it was acceptable to vacuum her carpet every night at 3:00am.
1 person likes this
@moffittjc (121586)
• Gainesville, Florida
3 Aug 20
@Hannihar I had a downstairs neighbor once, and girl who lived by herself. She was constantly slamming doors all day long. I'd sit there thinking, "you live by yourself. Why are you even opening and closing the doors inside your house?" I could never figure out why she was always slamming doors.
1 person likes this
@Hannihar (130218)
• Israel
2 Aug 20
@moffittjc
You have bad ones like me. I had a couple before this one and they were really bad, but, he is worse than them. He can get up and leave, but, he will. Sometimes I feel maybe he is dropping a bowling ball on the floor too. He loves to drag his furniture and loves to make noise whenever he wants to and slam doors.
1 person likes this
@much2say (55614)
• Los Angeles, California
1 Aug 20
@moffittjc I guess you have to wait for daylight savings to end 
.
.1 person likes this
@moffittjc (121586)
• Gainesville, Florida
1 Aug 20
@much2say Please don't tell me that....it's a long way off! lol
1 person likes this
@moffittjc (121586)
• Gainesville, Florida
31 Jul 20
If that alarm clock would just reset itself to about an hour later, I wouldn't mind so much! lol
1 person likes this
@Tina30219 (81931)
• Onaway, Michigan
4 Aug 20
Not really any noisy neighbors here we have it pretty good here.
1 person likes this
@moffittjc (121586)
• Gainesville, Florida
5 Aug 20
You're pretty lucky. For the most part, I haven't had any issues with human or animal neighbors, until these cardinals moved in. They weren't noisy this morning, so maybe I'm either getting used to them or they have learned to tolerate the squirrels.
@infatuatedbby (94914)
• United States
3 Sep 20
I hope they can get along and share!
I have a lot of birds here! I saw a road runner last time 
I have a lot of birds here! I saw a road runner last time 1 person likes this
@infatuatedbby (94914)
• United States
9 Sep 20
@moffittjc I've seen more wildlife here than where I previously lived. We also have the California Quail in our backyard often too. They just had a lot of babies, at least a dozen.
I saw an Opossum for the first time last month. It was gigantic 
I like nice and quiet too! Who doesn't? 
I like nice and quiet too! Who doesn't? 1 person likes this
@moffittjc (121586)
• Gainesville, Florida
13 Sep 20
@infatuatedbby Hey, I've been thinking about you lately with all the wildfires raging in your state. Are you okay where you live? Are there any threats of wildfires affecting your home and community? I worry about things like this! haha
1 person likes this
@moffittjc (121586)
• Gainesville, Florida
6 Sep 20
Oh cool, a roadrunner! I've never seen one in real life. But then again, they don't live in Florida! haha
I haven't seen the cardinals lately, so I think their eggs hatched and the babies finally grew big enough to fly off on their own. It's been nice and quiet here lately, which is just how I like. Of course, the squirrels are still everywhere around here, but thankfully they don't make much noise.
1 person likes this
@Tampa_girl7 (50256)
• United States
31 Jul 20
It gets quite loud in my yard at times. Sometimes it sounds like music when all of the critters are talking at one time.
Sometimes it sounds like music when all of the critters are talking at one time.1 person likes this
@Tampa_girl7 (50256)
• United States
31 Jul 20
@moffittjc I’ve been blessed that it hasn’t caused any sleep problems.
1 person likes this
@moffittjc (121586)
• Gainesville, Florida
31 Jul 20
@Tampa_girl7 Lucky for you! I haven't had any problems with the noise stopping me from sleeping, it's just waking me up much earlier in the morning than I care for.
@moffittjc (121586)
• Gainesville, Florida
31 Jul 20
Does it prevent you from falling asleep at night, or does it wake you up super early in the morning when you're trying to sleep in?
1 person likes this
@JESSY3236 (19949)
• United States
3 Aug 20
I do have some birds that are noisy. But I haven't been hearing them lately. But Lily has been noisy lately. She was meowing a lot on Saturday. She really wanted to go outside. I wasn't feeling good. I didn't want her to go outside.
1 person likes this
@moffittjc (121586)
• Gainesville, Florida
4 Aug 20
So you normally let her go outside?
1 person likes this
@moffittjc (121586)
• Gainesville, Florida
4 Aug 20
@JESSY3236 My cats never cared. If they wanted out, they wanted out. Didn't matter if it was raining or not.
1 person likes this
@JESSY3236 (19949)
• United States
4 Aug 20
@moffittjc yeah I do unless it's raining or wet outside like today. Usually if I let her out on a wet day, she won't spend but a few minutes outside and come back in.
1 person likes this
@LindaOHio (178701)
• United States
31 Jul 20
I love the sounds of birds. Squirrels usually take more than their share of seed. Most people try to keep them out of the bird feeders. Sorry the cardinals are keeping you awake. Have a great Friday!
1 person likes this
@moffittjc (121586)
• Gainesville, Florida
31 Jul 20
I would love the sound of the cardinals if they would wait about one extra hour before they started chirping away incessantly.
1 person likes this
@moffittjc (121586)
• Gainesville, Florida
2 Aug 20
@LindaOHio Apparently so. I don't mind getting up super early as long as I know to go to bed earlier! haha
1 person likes this
@LindaOHio (178701)
• United States
2 Aug 20
@moffittjc lol They want you to be up and at 'em!
1 person likes this
