The bird calls originated between San Miguel and San Nicholas Residence Halls. Courtesy UCSB Housing and Residential Services

Residents of the neighboring San Miguel and San Nicolas dorms have received reports from resident assistants about students yelling “cacaw” at all hours of the day and night.

The bird calls originally started with one student communicating with his friends during the day, but now multiple students call to each other throughout the day and night.

A San Miguel resident assistant, who wished to remain anonymous, said it was “hard to pinpoint specific people,” but the RAs addressed the situation with their residents.

Describing the incident as a “chain reaction of random yelling,” the RA said residents from San Miguel were yelling out windows across to unknown San Nicolas residents. While around five students from his floor were stopped, the resident assistant speculates there must be at least 15 rooms involved.

With a majority of the yelling taking place as late as midnight, the perpetrators have drawn the ire of many students with early classes or jobs, prompting screaming matches between those yelling “cacaw” and those trying to get sleep.

Students in the dorms have yelled back pleas for quietude, various profanities and some resorted to threatening violence against the bird callers. Some students remain unbothered.

Carmiya Baskin, a first-year residing in San Miguel, said, “there are always people on the lawn talking,” and the bird calls have not really disturbed her.

Tiffany Wu, an RA in San Miguel, sent a text message to residents stating there had been “a lot of noise complaints lately. A lot of it is coming from outside the building … the RAs are currently working on investigating this issue.”

While she doesn’t know the total amount of noise complaints, she has received over 10 noise complaints from her floors alone.

Residence hall staff has identified and spoken to several students from San Nicolas, though no student was individually documented.

Though the bird calls have decreased in volume and frequency, they are still taking place. The RAs hope to put a stop to it by reminding students about quiet hours and keeping an eye out for more trouble.

Tamari Dzotsenidze

Tamari Dzotsenidze, Managing Editor, first started at the Daily Nexus her first quarter freshman year as an assistant news editor. When not in the dungeon under Storke tower, she likes to make weird art and go to the beach with her dog Duke.