Our Knocker-upper

In the days before alarm clocks Knocker-uppers were employed to wake people up for their work by using tools like long sticks, soft hammers, rattles, or pea shooters to tap on windows or doors. These individuals would make rounds before dawn, ensuring their clients were roused in time for their shifts in the mill or factory.
We have our very own Knocker-upper in the form of a herring gull who regularly hammers on our bedroom window with its beak at the crack of dawn! Who knows why?