Keep a' Knocking but you can't come in!

For the past three mornings I've been woken up at a ridiculously early hour by a banging on the window.  The first time it happen I really didn't know what was going on, and jumped out of bed to find out who or what was the cause of the commotion.

You can imagine my surprise to find Mr and Mrs Herring Gull, perched on the ridge of our dining room roof, the male looking intently into the window and hammering for all he was worth. Whether this was nosiness or the window was acting as a mirror I don't know. Yesterday the alarm call came at 4.51 am. This morning I was not so inconvenienced. I still had the ear plugs that failed to get me a nights sleep on the plane back from LA and this time they were far more successful..I don't know where this pair is thinking of nesting, but they seem to have something of this ilk on their minds as they spent yesterday afternoon doing what comes naturally on next doors roof. I was a little surprised, as when I've observed other species of birds mating the act is usually over almost before it started, but this chap had a lot more stamina and did his species proud. I am not too happy that they might try and nest on out chimney as they do seem to cause problems when they nest on houses, perhaps a gentle pointer towards the cliffs might induce them to move to more natural surroundings.