Help - I can hear a wood pigeon in the chimney but need to light a fire!

[Matchingcollarandcuffs]

I can hear the coo cooing, it’s a 3 bed mid terrace, does that mean the bird is in the chimney? Or just on the roof near it?? Don’t want to cook it obv but our boiler has been conking out and we might need to light a fire

It doesn’t necessarily mean it’s in the chimney we have an anti bird cowl on ours and they sit on it cooing down so it echoes. But you should always get your chimney swept before lighting the first fire of the season anyway, if they’ve nested in there it could cause a fire.

Go out and look up to the roof and see if you can see it. If not, have a listen at the fireplace.

If it's stuck, the Fire Brigade may be an option. If it's stuck, don't light the fire, because the smoke and fumes won't be able to escape properly and you'll risk Carbon Monoxide poisoning.

Roast pigeon perhaps?

Don't make a complete, proper fire. Just do something smokey to see if that, err. smokes it out.
Do you know that pigeons nest all year round?

Our sweep said as we light a fire so rarely we can get away with ever other year but yes we need it swept.

It's hard to see the top of the chimney but I know I always see the brush come out when it's swept!

I'll see if the sweep can come out soon - I can now hear the bird in the tree outside so it may have been just cooing loudly hear the chimney

We do our own, the brushes aren’t very expensive. But you need to check the brush head size if it’s a wood burner though.

Mmm, smoked pigeon. You get a warm fire and dinner as well - win-win

senua · Today 08:37

Don't make a complete, proper fire. Just do something smokey to see if that, err. smokes it out.

If it's stuck, it won't be able to get out, although they sometimes fall down into the house. We had a blackbird do that once. Poor little sod, it was filthy, so I gave it a bit of a clean and it didn't even struggle.

But please! Don't light it it until you're sure it's not in your chimney - it could be lethal.

We can sometimes hear birds in our chimney even though it's lit everyday atm. Light a few strips of paper and send the smoke up. It should be enough to make them move without harming them.
I would consider getting a cowl put on your chimney to stop them nesting and getting it swept every year regardless of how many fires you have.

Light a very small fire, this will chase it out if it is in there, but it probably isn't.

If it doesn't chase it out the pigeon is probably injured and it will die in there anyway.

If it doesn't chase it out the pigeon is probably injured and it will die in there anyway.

If it dies in there, IT WILL BLOCK THE CHIMNEY. The chimney has one purpose, to get the smoke and fumes out. Blocked chimneys are potentially deadly.

Have you ever had a look up a conventional chimeny? A pigeon would not block it.

Yes, I've taken a few fireplaces out. A wood pigeon would definitely restrict the flow, we had a bird in the chimney when I was 7 and all the smoke came back into the room.

It’s far more likely to be perched on the top and the sound travelling down. I would light it without a second thought.
A pigeon stuck in a chimney doesn’t coo peacefully, it flaps.