At this rate I'll never have to sweep my stovepipe again!

[PA. Woodsman]

About 6 weeks ago I posted on here how we had to rescue a bird from the wood stove pipe, a little finch I believe, little brown bird. Well, yesterday morning guess what? Yes, you guessed it, a bird-possibly the same one-back again, inside the pipe! This time I had to go to work, so I didn't have time to take the pipe apart, but I opened the damper and the little thing fell down and ended up in the stove, so I tried to get it into a plastic bag but it flew right past me, flew around the room, slammed into the glass screen door, 2 of the cats were jumping up at it, one knocked it down but I quickly chased them away, finally got the poor little thing and took him outside and said "it's alright...but please don't come back anymore!". It flew away no problem, and I HOPE that traumatic episode is enough to keep him from trying to come back again! There was black soot forced out of the sections of pipe so it actually helps me clean the pipe lol! But I also saw a piece of yellow grain like weed, almost looked like wheat so I hope it isn't trying to build a nest in the cap! The cap has a rim that looks like the ring around Saturn, and only about 2 inches above and below that ring, but this thing squeezes it's way through that. I'll have to check again for a bird's nest as I don't need that problem, and I guess put some chicken wire around the opening to keep it out? I don't want to fry the little thing!

Wow.....I hope it gives this bad habit up this time!

 

[pen]

That's something. Maybe buy or make a cap just for critter season, and switch back for burning season?

 

[Little Digger]

Get yourself a pellet rifle and have at it. The chances are it will continue to return and continue to build it's nest where ti doesn't belong. If you block it's access, it will curse you to high heaven. I had 3 this year. This was one of the persistent little cuss's. It would curse me something fierce, then fly up to the main power lines and sit, waiting for me to go back in the house. This all because I blocked it's access. Head shots are quickest and relatively painless. This one was about 23 yards.

It will continue to come back and make it's nest in a nice warm spot. Either shoot it or cook it. Or a permanent covering around the chimney cap since it will want a place to nest year round, but especially come spring.

 

[PA. Woodsman]

Well guess what? Last night around 9:40, something told me to go and flip the damper in the pipe, listen if you hear anything fall as I started to think maybe there is a nest or part of a nest in there, so I flipped the damper to the open position and heard something fall which I thought was perhaps the nest, but I kept hearing noises and looked in the stove and there was another bird! It looked bigger than the one the day before, but this one also got out and flew around the house until I could catch it and that was even with my wife there! I'm going to have to get up there and make sure no nest is up there or inside the pipe and have the cap closed off with chicken wire so the smoke still goes out but nothing can get it!

Pesty little things like Digger said!

 

[AmbDrvr253]

Once they have found a home they will tend to return no matter the traumatic experience.

 

[PA. Woodsman]

Once they have found a home they will tend to return no matter the traumatic experience.

I guess I am finding that out to be true! I'm thinking chicken wire should solve it though, no? Because the next "traumatic" experience will be their last one in this life if they get cooked!

 

[Little Digger]

I guess I am finding that out to be true! I'm thinking chicken wire should solve it though, no? Because the next "traumatic" experience will be their last one in this life if they get cooked!

If your going the chicken wire route, that may not solve the problem because these birds can easily slip between the wire. If nothing else try hardware cloth. Another option would be the wire lath for holding stucco or plaster. Some companies make add on kits to help remedy the problem of critters getting in the chimney which is basically a wire mesh.

 

[Fastdonzi]

I used chicken wire fastened with two Plastic zip ties... When I start burning the zip ties melt and the chicken wire falls off to be stored till next spring

 

[BlueRidgeMark]

An expanded steel mesh can be fitted in place and doesn't ever need to be messed with or removed, unless you are going to sweep the chimbley.

 

[Steaming Pile]

I used chicken wire fastened with two Plastic zip ties... When I start burning the zip ties melt and the chicken wire falls off to be stored till next spring

Genius!

 

[PA. Woodsman]

I was up on the roof yesterday checking to see if they were trying to build a nest but there isn't anything up there, and I keep checking to see if they are in the stovepipe again, but so far nothing. I'm hoping despite what some of you have said that the very traumatic episodes of having the cats batting them down to the floor and me screaming (mostly cursing!) may be enough to have them say "I'm not going back in there, no way!"

Time will tell

 

[brenndatomu]

I used chicken wire fastened with two Plastic zip ties... When I start burning the zip ties melt and the chicken wire falls off to be stored till next spring

Genius!

X2!

 

[Paulywalnut]

Give that bird a little brush and he can earn his keep until you light the stove.

 

[Donk4kyv]

Give that bird a little brush and he can earn his keep until you light the stove.

Sometimes I find chimney swifts inside the stove in the spring. Apparently they can't hang onto the slick surface of the stainless steel chimney, and slide all the way down, and then go into the stove where they can see daylight through the glass. I just catch and release them, if they haven't already died before I noticed they are there. This usually lasts for two or three weeks, just after burning season.

They seem more numerous some years than others. One spring, I must have removed a dozen birds before they moved on. When I cleaned the chimney that summer, I found that they had done most of the job for me. All the soot was piled at the bottom, and the wall of the chimney was clean as a whistle.

 

[billb3]

Very few birds build nests in the Fall.
More likely caching seed for the Winter (wasn't too long ago people cached for Winter too ) or enjoying that lukewarm updraft.

A screen with a small enough mesh targeting your trouble-maker sounds like a plan.

 

[Jeffm1]

Your cats know what to do...

 

[PA. Woodsman]

Well today I finally had a chimney sweep come out and put a new anti-bird cap on the stack instead of trying to put a screen on the old cap; it was pretty worn anyway, and I wasn't able to get up there and do it myself so I called him and he said even he and his helper had a tough time getting to the cap the way it was off a steep Cape Cod roof but they got it done. Last Saturday I got another bird out and when I took the section of pipe outside I poured it on the ground and there were two dead birds in it and I thought "this is nuts", so I called someone who has dealt with it more than I have. He also had no idea why all of a sudden after 26 years these birds would start to go inside it, but said he hasn't ever had a problem with it after he put this cap on, so hopefully that ends the birds and their shenanigans!