One reason why we shoot Jackdaws

[moondoggy]

I have just been doing some remedial brickwork on my house on a wall at the base of a flue.

Found this lot inside where a back boiler had been removed some years ago.

We had cowls fitted a few years ago, after I found Jackdaws nesting in one of the chimneys.

I couldn't believe the amount of stuff that came out of there.

The old place has enough trouble breathing without them choking it up.

The people who live opposite currently have some nesting in one of their chimneys.

 

 

[marsh man]

We had exactly the same problem , one of the cottages on the estate was a lovely little place stuck on the edge of the woods , the old couple used to go to Holland for 2/3 weeks each year , one year when they returned they lit there Parkray boiler and yes you have guised it , the room filled up with smoke , when we got there we removed the throat plate and put the rods up to see where the blockage was and straight away the little twigs started to drop down , this went on for a good 10 minutes or so and we ended up with a fertilizer bag full of small twigs , the ole dear didn't waste a thing and she ended up using the twigs to light there fires .

[Snoozer]

Quite surprising how big some of those sticks are.

[ClemFandango]

I don't know what you're complaining about, you won't have far to look for kindling. 

[spandit]

Clever how they manage to block a vertical shaft, though

[Walker570]

Yes, had same problem last year. Chimney sweep came and declared jackdaws nest. Two large barrow loads later and the chimney was clear.  We had not seen a jackdaw near the chimney and amazing how they got some of the sticks up there and then down the chimney  7 inch opening max.  Now keep a sharp eye open but have not had to shoot any on our property yet.   Sweep said he had done some chimneys with over eight foot of nest in them.

Edited April 18, 2018 by Walker570

[Blackpowder]

It is amazing how they keep dropping twigs into  chimneys until several lodge across and build up to be a complete blockage.

 

Blackpowder

[rimfire4969]

Had the same problem when we moved into our place years ago. I found it incredible how much stuff there was.

[rogcal]

When we started to renovate our old farmhouse 16 years ago we took barrow loads of ex Jackdaw nest away including a few skeletons of those you that didn't make it to the fledgling stage.

Three of the flues were blocked off leaving ventilation at the top and bottom and the remaining dummy flue plus the one we wished to use were left uncapped. We left the dummy flue untouched as it felt right for the colony of Jackdaws to still have one nesting site left available to them as they had been using the flues unhindered for decades.

The remaining flue was fitted with a flue liner for a solid fuel stove and not fitted with a bird guard as we thought the Jackdaws would find impossible to build a nest in it, not so it seems.

Each year we get a forewarning of attempted nest building in the flue liner when twigs start to fall into the stove from which I have removed the throat plate.  At this point I start a small fire which clears the debris and dissuades any more attempts at nest building.

The bonus of having the dummy flue next to the live flue with flue liner is when the fledglings first venture from the nest in the dummy flue for a stretch and look around and usually return to their nest to continue to be raised by their parents however, there's always one or two stupid birds that hop down the wrong "pot" and end up in the unlit stove and during their struggles to stop falling down the flue liner they do a wonderful job of clearing all the soot from the liner, so much so that in the last 16 years I've never had to have the flue liner swept.

After I remove these young "chimney sweeps" from the stove I put them in a large cage within view of the chimney pots where their parents will be able to see and call to them. After an hour or so I get hold of the young 'un and with as much energy I can muster I throw them aloft which at least gets them on the roof near the stack at which point the parents coax them back or take food to them.

We shall be moving soon and thankfully the new owners are bird lovers and have vowed to continue this tradition of chimney sweeping going.

Edited April 18, 2018 by rogcal