Help! Mockingbird Singing At Night
All Night Long - What Can I Do?

Without a doubt, losing sleep because a Mockingbird is singing at night is no fun.

Chasing the bird away may work for a short while, but is unlikely to work permanently.

The male mockingbird has established his territory and there is little you can do to change his mind.

Plastic Owls, hawks, and snakes will be of little help to stop the singing at night. Lethal action against the bird is illegal.

Let's quickly review the law regarding birds.

All birds are protected by federal laws under the "Migratory Bird Act of 1918," as well as by state laws. It is illegal to destroy, relocate or possess birds, their nests or their eggs. The only exceptions are non-native species: House Sparrow, European Starling, and Pigeon. Trained and licensed wildlife rehabilitators, who have passed a federal and/or state-administered test, are permitted to care for injured or orphaned wildlife.

As a light sleeper myself, I can understand the frustration one feels when mockingbirds sing at night. The answer to this problem is to change our own behavior and not the birds.

Unmated males are the most likely birds to be doing the "night singing". Once mated, the singing will usually stop as they begin the process of nest building and raising young. (Which takes the song out of a lot of males hearts.)

Steps You Can Take

• First and foremost, close all windows including storm windows.
• Use a fan to help drown out the mockingbirds singing.
• Purchase soft foam earplugs
• Use your CD player, purchase relaxation cds, sounds of rain, rivers flowing, or pleasant music.
• Move your sleeping quarters to another room in your house.

As irritating as it is to miss out on sleep due to a Mockingbird singing at night, Consider for a moment our own actions. We run our factories 24 hours a day, Planes fly in the skies, we run chainsaws, lawnmowers, and a whole host of noise making toys both day and night.

We do these things, some out of need, and others, just because they bring us joy. Thankfully the birds don't have an inclination to pull out a shotgun and blast us into oblivion in order to get a nights sleep.

Finding an acceptable noise to drown out the singing is about the only thing we can do until a mate is found.

Remember, he is trying to attract a mate, his song is a courting song. If we stop to consider... we may remember what kind of nuisance we once were, when we went a-courting.

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