Rhiga

Oh no Andy, you clearly don't live close to someone with an aviary. The sound of blackbirds, great tits, robins and sparrows is a beautiful natural sound. The sound of a cockatiel or a number of budgies is incredibly irritating. To state that this is what birds do is correct but not in a confined space all day long. People who keep birds should keep them indoors if they have to keep them at all. I've got to the point after living two years next to neighbours with this hellish sound that I will soon be trespassing in their property and opening the cages in the hope that the local cats will have a feast. You have absolutely no idea.

Just come to this post and would like to explain from the point of view of a neighbour that is affected by bird noise. Accepting that chickens are not the noisiest of animals the frequency and tone of any creature that one is not used to can be a nuisance. I have a neighbour with an aviary of budgies, cockatiels and a parrot. On telling them that the incessant noise from their aviary affected enormously my enjoyment of my garden they said it would be ok in the winter when it got dark earlier! And please remember that just because some neighbours are not bothered by noise not all neighbours think alike. "Live and let live" one poster wrote but how is that possible if the pitch and constant noise of one person does not allow another person to live their life. I love the sound of our native birds, get up at 5am so am not awoken by the aviary but the sound of those caged animals during daylight hours annoys the hell out of me and stops me from going into my garden. Selfish people at the end of the day.