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Birds chirping at 1am ???

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  • 15-03-2012 2:43am
    #1
    calex71
    Closed Accounts Posts: 13,126 ✭✭✭✭


    Actually nearly 2am now, only heard it as it took my head phones off and being milder the last few nights the window in my room has been open. Very tuneful chirping, maybe street lights confusing them?

    Heard them aswell last night. There are trees all along our road they nest in though it is an urban area so figured they would be used to street lighting :confused:

    Not a nature / bird person but have to say it's actually quite relaxing going to sleep hearing it , reminds me of my times living away form ireland or hearing crickets in the night in some places :)


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    #2
    MrJoeSoap
    Registered Users Posts: 15,117 ✭✭✭✭MrJoeSoap


    calex71 wrote: »
    Actually nearly 2am now, only heard it as it took my head phones off and being milder the last few nights the window in my room has been open. Very tuneful chirping, maybe street lights confusing them?

    Heard them aswell last night. There are trees all along our road they nest in though it is an urban area so figured they would be used to street lighting :confused:

    Not a nature / bird person but have to say it's actually quite relaxing going to sleep hearing it , reminds me of my times living away form ireland or hearing crickets in the night in some places :)

    It's something I've noticed in my area over the past two or three months also, a bit disconcerting to hear. But not necessarily a terrible noise to hear at the same time I guess.


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    #3
    Fuzzy Clam
    Closed Accounts Posts: 3,293 ✭✭✭Fuzzy Clam


    calex71 wrote: »
    Actually nearly 2am now, only heard it as it took my head phones off and being milder the last few nights the window in my room has been open. Very tuneful chirping, maybe street lights confusing them?

    Heard them aswell last night. There are trees all along our road they nest in though it is an urban area so figured they would be used to street lighting :confused:

    Not a nature / bird person but have to say it's actually quite relaxing going to sleep hearing it , reminds me of my times living away form ireland or hearing crickets in the night in some places :)

    Not unusual at all. Some birds do this normally. I have no street lights and regularly hear birds during the night, even last night.


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    #4
    Allyall
    Registered Users Posts: 10,381 ✭✭✭✭Allyall


    I watched a TV show/documentary a while back, i think it was the one on BBC with John Craven, and they were talking about it.

    Lots of theories as to why the birds have started chirping so late at night in more recent years.

    One theory was construction/shrinking suburbs/traffic - basically noise, suggesting that the birds couldn't hear their own song over the racket that we make, causing them to chirp later at night, also, some areas are so well luminated, it is possible some birds get confused about what time it is, thinking it's dawn.

    They also went into some birds mimmicking some mobile phone ringtones increasing.

    There were a few theories, that one is the one that stuck with me, or i found most plausible. Can't remember the name of that show..


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    #5
    recedite
    Closed Accounts Posts: 13,993 ✭✭✭✭recedite


    Most songbirds can't/won't fly in the dark, so it would be a mistake to advertise their location to predators when they have no means to escape.
    Maybe there is enough residual light around these days for them to feel able to flee to the next tree.
    I was watching a pigeon during last winter in a Dart station, walking around the floodlit train platform and feeding away. This was a few hours after dark, so I thought it a bit strange. Maybe bird behaviours are adapting to artificial light.


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    #6
    calex71
    Closed Accounts Posts: 13,126 ✭✭✭✭calex71


    recedite wrote: »
    Most songbirds can't/won't fly in the dark, so it would be a mistake to advertise their location to predators when they have no means to escape.
    Maybe there is enough residual light around these days for them to feel able to flee to the next tree.
    I was watching a pigeon during last winter in a Dart station, walking around the floodlit train platform and feeding away. This was a few hours after dark, so I thought it a bit strange. Maybe bird behaviours are adapting to artificial light.

    We live on a suburban street, but.......... we also have a couple of foxes who prowl / out right saunter down the road after dark to mooch the bins, hope they can't get the birds as you say they are advertising their position :eek:


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