Bird Stuck in your Chimney?

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If you have an open fire with a fairly old chimney you will probably notice crumbly bits of mortar falling down the chimney if there is a bird trapped in the chimney along with the possible noise from the flapping of its wings. You may also hear a scratching sound on and off as the birds try's to climb out. 

If you have a stove or log burner you can sometimes see the bird stuck above the baffle plate, or hear scratching from inside the burner.  Sometimes, you just don’t know – there is no noise and there is no dust and the bird will dehydrate and eventually die. Once it dies, you’ll often notice a bad smell and soon afterwards an abundance of flies.

 How long will a trapped bird in a chimney survive normally? 

3-5 days, sometimes pigeons and wood pigeons can survive for 1-2 weeks

How do I get the bird out of my chimney? It depends, if its above the baffle we can drop it and remove the bird, if its in the chimney or stuck on a ledge we can pop the brush up slowly and hope the birds sits on it and can exit via the chimney pot. Sometimes we need to break into the chimney breast to remove the bird. 

The Wildlife & Countryside Act 1981 & Protection of Birds Act 1954

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The Wildlife and Countryside Act 1981 is the primary legislation which protects animals, plants, and certain habitats in the UK. All birds, their nests and eggs are protected by law and the penalties for deliberately destroying active nests are now quite severe. The maximum penalty that can be imposed for an offence under the Wildlife and Countryside Act - in respect of a single bird, nest or egg - is a fine of up to £5,000, and/or six months imprisonment. 

The bird nesting season runs from 1st March until 31st August. 

The most common bird found in a chimney is Jackdaws from April to July.They tend to drop different materials and twigs down the chimney to make a nest. If you find cloth, hairs, twigs and other strange items in the fireplace then its likely to be an nest. 

All types of birds can build nests in chimneys but the Jackdas are the most common culprit. There are about 1 million + pairs of jackdaws in the UK at present. Jackdaws are easy to spot they have a black plumage, alongside a grey nape and white iris, they can looks similar to crows. 

A bird’s nest must be removed from below, via the fireplace, often a messy task. 

There is often a huge amount of nesting material that may have built up over the years. Sometimes, the entire chimney stack is full of it! The safety risks involved are immense if you don’t know what you are doing. If any blockage is left behind then it could easily catch fire.

Also consider if your home insurance policy/company will be satisfied. A certificate issue to say its clear and safe to use should suffice.

How do you bird proof a chimney? Once clear, the best way is to fit a chimney cowl/cap guard 

Needs a birds nest removed from a chimney in Wirral? Get in touch