Dear Bird Folks,

There are a flock of crows that wake me up at 5:30 every morning. What can I do about making them shut up so I can get some sleep?
– Todd, Wellfleet

Oh Todd:

Give me a break. Are you so fragile that a couple of calling crows are upsetting you? Like the call of the loon, the lone wolf and the car alarm, the call of the common crow is one of the unique sounds of the American landscape. Crows call for many reasons, sometimes to drive away a predator like an owl or a hawk, sometimes to be social with each other, or sometimes just to annoy the late sleepers in Wellfleet.

So what can you do about it? You could try going to bed earlier, that way when the crows wake you at 5:30 a.m. you could get up and actually get something done with your life. You could shut all of your windows, buy an air conditioner, and annoy your neighbors with the sounds of your AC. Or you could do what I do, enjoy the sounds of the early morning crows and be thankful it’s not a car alarm.