Birds Nest | Mid Wales Chimney Sweep

Birds Nest Removal

SUSPECT A BIRD NEST PROBLEM?
Nesting season is typically mid March until August.
Signs to look out for:
If you start to find twigs and other debris in your fire grate then there is a strong possibility that nesting activity is taking place.
Take a few minutes to keep a watch on your chimney pot. You

will see the birds flying back and forth dropping or pushing

material into the chimney pot.
If you normally hear pigeons cooing or traffic noise and then

it stops and all is silent there may be an obstruction in the flue.
A fly infestation is often a sign of a collapsed nest or a dead

bird in the chimney.

WHAT TO DO
Do NOT try to light a fire and “burn the nest out”. You run a great risk of setting the chimney on fire which could be lethal.

Call me. I will assess the problem and advise the best course of action.

Please note:

It is an offence under the Wildlife and Countryside Act to destroy or remove a nest while it is in use, typically this is March to August. Consequently where a nest removal is required it would be best to be complete it between September and February.

NEST REMOVAL

This is a very physical and time consuming job. CCTV is employed to establish the location and state of the nest. Using a specialist tool the nest twigs are broken and all material is then extracted to the bottom of the flue for removal. The upper layer often forms a solid dung/twig/grass ball which is incredibly hard to break. The flue is swept completely through and out the top of the pot. CCTV is then employed to survey the flue to ensure that all of the nest material has been removed, re-sweeping until it has. Finally a smoke evacuation test is undertaken and appropriate paperwork completed.

PROBLEMS ASSOCIATED WITH NESTING

Quite often as the nesting season progresses the twigs dry out and shrink. As they do the weight from above, the mud and the chicks can cause the nest to slip down the chimney. It only has to fall a short way before the birds cannot get enough lift to fly out. They die in the chimney. A summer progresses nature and the flies do their business and quite often there is an over powering smell and or a plague of flies in the room at the bottom of the chimney. The fly infestation normally lasts about 3 – 7 days.

HOW A NEST DEVELOPS

The way they build the nest is by dropping or pushing twigs down the chimney. If the chimney is small enough they will bend the twig in the middle as they push it down the flue. When they release it, it either wedges in place or catches further down the chimney, or falls to the bottom of the flue. Another twig is added and so on. Twigs keep being added until it is high enough to finish off. In some cases it may start at the fire grate of throat (area just above the fire). As the pile of twigs is constructed all sorts of material is added to the twig in load. Flattened cigarette packs, paper, plastic bags, take away trays and so on. As the nest reaches the top of the flue other material such as horse manure, moss, grass, hair and fur and other softer material is put in place where the eggs will be laid. This upper layer often forms a solid dung/twig/grass ball which is incredibly hard to break.

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