Noisy Bird Stories Get People Going

A few months ago, some noisy birds in my neighborhood were singing out of sync. They had their days and nights mixed up, so I supposed, and were keeping my family awake at night. I wrote an “Other Views” column about our annoyance, thinking as most people do who have specialized problems, that we were unique in our suffering. What a mistake!

Bird stories poured in from all over Corona del Mar--actually as far away as Newport Beach. Everywhere I went people commiserated. Trips to the grocery store even got interesting. I learned to tell at a glance when the person coming down the aisle wanted to give his or her own testimonial.

One woman has just about convinced me that “my” birds were originally “her” birds, and furthermore, at her house they had the poor taste to disturb the sleep of a visitor from abroad--Ireland, I think.

Another person encountered a different kind of nocturnal disturbance, in itself an intriguing tale. Evidently it was a warm night, so his windows were open. He was awakened by the sounds of several people arguing, then one threatening another, finally the sounds of scuffling and a muffled scream.

Laughter, Applause

Just as the listener’s heart rate hit top speed, there was laughter followed by applause. A phone call unraveled the mystery. It turned out that his neighbor’s little theater group was having a late rehearsal.

The best story I’ve heard so far, however, happened just recently right around the corner. The disturbance wasn’t singers or actors, just a dog. Barking dogs aren’t interesting. They’re irritating, which is exactly why my next-door neighbor got out of bed. Barking dogs have become one of his pet peeves.

After waiting impatiently for the dog to quit, my neighbor, whom I’ll call Mr. Jones to preserve his privacy, decided to wander around the neighborhood to locate the source. Aside from noisy birds and more dogs than we need, it’s a nice, peaceful neighborhood even at night, so Mr. Jones strolled slowly along in the moonlight until he came to a house around the corner. There in the yard he could see a big white dog yapping soulfully at the moon. Now, just as Mr. Jones arrived at the gate, the woman of the house, an attractive single lady, had come out to quiet the animal. Mr. Jones is a big man, so standing at the gate he was an imposing figure. Here’s how this true story was related from there:

Seeing a man looming in the dark a mere 50 feet away, the woman screamed, “Don’t come any closer!”

“It’s all right,” he said. “It’s only me, Bill Jones.”

“It is not all right,” she said. “I don’t have any clothes on!”

“Oh, yes it is,” laughed our near-sighted neighbor. “I don’t have my glasses on!”

By noon the next day, the story had passed around the street and everyone shared a good laugh. I’m tempted to reveal Mr. Jones’ real name. It would certainly make his trips to the market more interesting. At any rate, whether noisy birds or barking dogs, it’s amazing what brings people together.