By Andrew Walsh
awalsh@wbcowqel.com

Loud neighbors can be extremely irritating, but feathers can get even more ruffled than normal when the noise and squawks come from tropical macaws.

Just before last summer, New Washington became the home to several tropical macaws. The birds reside with their owner, Terry Stacklin, on East Mansfield Street in the village. After over a year of their residency, several of the neighbors have decided that the noise produced by these birds has surpassed what is acceptable. Talks have been held with Stacklin, and presentations have been made to the Village Council, but as of yet no solution has been found.

“I’ve put up with it for over a year. I’ve just had enough,” stated neighbor Darrell LaVenia, “It’s just too much.”

These birds, seeing as they are a tropical species, react well to sunshine and spend a great deal of time outside. They are contained, so there is no concern about them flying around the neighborhood, but they produce a great deal of noise which on certain days can last from sun up to sundown. Considering that they enjoy hot weather, and that summertime is their most prolific outdoor period, this can be quite a long time of avian aggravation.

LaVenia stated that the noise is so loud that he is forced to keep his windows closed, and even then he can hear them in his living room. He has actually switched the primary relaxation room in his house from the living room to the den, because the den provides greater noise insulation. LaVenia has been joined in opposition by married couple Roger Throckmorton and Suzanne Wuthrich who have stated that they cannot enjoy evenings on their porch due to the noise.

“When our friends come over they say ‘What is that?’,” Throckmorton said. “You’re on your porch and can’t have a conversation.”

The neighbors have approached Stacklin on two occasions to discuss the issue. LaVenia has gone both times, once with Throckmorton and once with Wuthrich. The first encounter was on the morning of June 29 (Wuthrich has them logged) and the second came on July 28. At both of these meetings the group presented their grievances and asked that the birds be quieted in the evening.

“In essence we let her know the birds are a problem,” Throckmorton said.

“All I want is the birds to be quiet after 5 (p.m.),” LaVenia said.

Throckmorton and Wuthrich are in agreement with this approach. Neither party expressed an interest in taking someone’s pet away, or a dislike of animals.

“We like animals,” Wuthrich was quick to add, but that does not change the fact that they have issue with the levels of noise first thing in the morning and all through the evening.

There is a general consensus that from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. the birds can have free reign, but from 5 p.m. to 9 a.m. they need to be kept under wraps.

Wuthrich said that her real breaking point came after her husband’s “widowmaker” heart attack in April of this year. Recovering from such an ordeal obviously requires rest and as spring turned into summer the birds began their noise making earlier and earlier. Wuthrich and Throckmorton do not have air conditioning, so when the weather is warm they sleep with the windows open. Wuthrich found herself waking at 6 am (without the use of an alarm clock for fear of waking Throckmorton) to close the windows before the birds began.

After the two meetings with Stacklin proved fruitless, the group began going to Council meetings to make their voices heard. Council has received them and listened to their complaints, and Police Chief Robertson has been assigned to speak to all of the neighbors to take a survey of the neighborhood. The onset of autumn has bought the community a little time, as the birds need to be kept inside when the temperature dips below 60 degrees, and Mayor Ben Lash is hoping to use this time to reach an agreement suitable to all involved.

Lash is planning to have a sit down with everyone involved, Throckmorton, Wuthrich, LaVenia, Stacklin, and any of the neighbors who have not come forward publicly, to reach an agreement pleasing to everyone. He feels this is the best way to reach a resolution, as any potential legislation would be tricky to draft and difficult to enforce. However, if such a meeting does not prove fruitful, some sort of action will be taken. At the last council meeting, Throckmorton offered up, strangely enough, an ordinance on the books in Crawford County, Michigan, that might provide some helpful insight should such action need to be taken here.

Despite all this, the situation has caused frustration.

“I think I’ve been a good neighbor,” LaVenia lamented.

Throckmorton and Wuthrich recalled that while expressing some of their concerns they stated that they thought they were being reasonable, to which Lash replied, “You are being reasonable.”

Luckily for those involved the cold weather has the birds inside for the time being, providing a chance to hold some negotiations without causing further consternation.

Terry Stacklin declined an opportunity to be interviewed for this article.