The Birds Are Back In Town

Put out a thread on here about effective headphones. I would be interested in that too.

I'm lucky that I now live in social housing, as the Landlord deals effectively with neighbour noise. The only think you could do would be contact your local council if the noise is related to recording equipment, as they can confiscate these items [I did this in Oxford with a late night/early morning student party - I heard the students arguing furiously but the council man removed their record player]. Sadly, they don't deal with noisy kids [pity! I expect other of your neighbours might like these kids removed into council care!!].

I've tried various different kinds of headphones and ear loops and don't find any that work for me.

Obviously you can't dictate what machinery others use, but I can't move yet, but when I do it will be to somewhere quieter. What I do find unacceptable are my neighbours who seem to live outside, frequently have loud music playing, often two or three houses have different music playing, one has a child who goes nto a screeming meltdown at least once a day and often two or three times a day, I do feel sorry for her parents, but her mum just laughs at her which makes her worse. It's not just in the garden that I can hear them, but inside the house with the doors and windows shut, so yes I do fear the noise and look forward to summer with dread, especially the summer holidays as there will be no let up.

Obviously the military has to practice, but that dosen't make it pleasant to live under a flight path.

I guess useful things can be overwhelming too... all in a day for us autistic folk.

The issue is when you have a few people who have no thought for others. Where I live although there is noise at times, it can be peaceful in our garden. My example is my neighbours who let their dogs out into the garden to bark for half an hour at a time, including after I have gone to bed. They also bark at everyone passing by.. In contrast the previous neighbours had a dog, but they had control. When they moved in they stripped the whole house, including ceilings, for over 12 hours a day. Now they seem to use a lot of loud tools on and off.

Where I live now there are rarely late parties unlike my previous home. I suppose the issue is that some others don't understand how difficult this is for others.

TheCatWoman said:

I never knew they had so many and different types of aircraft there! I'm not sure what fighter jets can do to help look for a child, but at least they went and tried to find her.

So they are useful?

'Noise' is very subjective and hearing has a broad spectrum. There are plenty of options for headphones these days. Does anyone live in fear because of noise? If so, the only answer is to move - but there are very few places totally free of noise, especially if you want facilities. This is sad, true, but a fact.

You can't dictate to others what kind of machinery they use for gardening. Military aircraft must practice, in case of war  - which is increasingly likely. I like to think of 'what might be' because it keeps me grateful for where I live and what I have. After a horrendous early life, I am grateful for the relative peace of where I livel

Homebird said:

Brooms are my preference

Especially on the 31st October.

I don't like power tools and add to that jet washers. I think they should become less with water shortages, as they are not essential. Brooms are my preference.

I hate stealth jets, they make the air groan, hurcs of Fat Alberts as they were known as were alright.

Tractors thundering past your house at the crack of sparrow fart isn't so much fun, they're so huge now.

I find power tools a distressing noise, especially chain saws.

Whilst I'm glad I don't live in a country aflicted by war, I don't think the comparisson is really fair, we can always find someone worse off than ourselves if we look hard enough, but nobody should have to live in fear or be so effected by other peoples noises that they end up staying inside nearly all summer or having PTSD triggered.

I enjoy stealth jets zooming over, hurricanes, air ambulances and police helicopters. I was born in an industrial city and never heard such sounds as a child. I also love flocks of corvids chattering away as much as individual birds in a garden. Tractors, power tools and mowers remind me of summer, so I don't mind the noise they make. At least it's better than poor Ukrainians having to listen to drones and bombs. I count myself very lucky indeed. 

You're lucky, it's interesting living near an RAF base, you can be sitting in the garden and all of a sudden an Apache helicoptor appear over a hill and you suddenly feel as though your an extra in a remake of Apocalypse Now. 

It does get a bit concerning though when the mobile and interenet signal drop out and theres loads of planes going over, it makes you wonder whats going on? It could be anything from WW3 to a missing child, when April Jones went missing some years ago the base emptied out, I never knew they had so many and different types of aircraft there! I'm not sure what fighter jets can do to help look for a child, but at least they went and tried to find her.

All of this years baby starlings have lovely new plumage and look magniicent in the bath!

They closed our nearby base a few years back so I recall what you describe but no longer experience it.

Glad you are getting more starlings. I think they are lovely. They sometimes use our bird bath and I love to see their iridescence.

Jays are beautiful, we're lucky enough to have a lot near us. We had a family of 4 lined up on our railings earlier in the year

On days when we're right under the take off and landing flight path it feels as though the sky will rip and as they're low I can feel it creep up my spine and sometimes can't help but to throw myself to the ground, especially on low flying fortnight.

We have a chap who flies a microlight around on sunny weekends and my instant response is to get a giant rolled up newspaper and swat him. Luckily we've not had drones, they'd probably make me want to swat them too.

Late last week we had the police helicopter hovering overhead for two nights, at one point the whole house was vibrating.

We've got more and more starlings appearing, I love the way they squabble until the robin comes along and sorts them out.

I love the sound of the geese as they fly over and I often wave to them! I do miss the swifts screaming past. I saw a pair of grey heron fly quietly over me the other day.

When I visit my friends' allotment, I visit their neighbours' runner ducks and their chatter always brightens my day. 

The RAF fast jets fly over our village several times daily and, after almost 20 years here, I have come to find them reassuring, much as I believe in peace.

Garden power tools (especially chainsaws and leaf blowers) and people playing with drones are what I find noisy and irritating these days.

A jay in your garden! That is really very excited! Very envious! 

What a wonderful experience, I've only ever seen them in woodlands! (And like you, it can be years between sightings). What a great treat, I hope it returns!

I was looking out of the window towards my garden and pleased to see a Blackbird. Then I realized there was also a jay which gradually got closer as it looked for food. It sat on the pot the magpie often chooses turning over the soil. It is at least a couple of years since I saw one out there. 

This reminded me of something totally disconnected but really funny. I used to belong to the RSPB and received their magazine, 'Birds'. A new young postman where I lived in Buckinghamshire  clearly misconstrued what this magazine was about, because the envelope in one issue arrived torn open then glued back in an amateurish way. It made me smile to think of his disappointment! 

I've never seen a chough except on TV. They look amazing. I'm also curious about this blackbird with white feathers on its head - like streaks.