Peeping from the chimney, wwyd?

[FatOldBag]

More a wwyd. Every year pigeons nest in our chimney. Bloody peeping and cheaping wakes us up at 4/5am. We always say it's too late to do anything now the chicks are here but we'll sort it out next year. Today I hear fucking peeping in the chimney. Like a chick or small bird. Isn't it far too early for chicks? And as they've only just started moving in today wibu to sweep the chimney? Wwyd?

Crikey, I clicked on the thread thinking it was neighbour trouble

We have this. I thought our chimney was covered too.

Bugger. I wouldn't disturb chicks even though I'm tempted to ring their adorable necks at 4am. We have 2 cats, only one likes catching things, and he won't go up the chimney (again - he had a go once but didn't like the bath much afterwards, he's white and fluffy as fuck, took ages to get the soot out).

Oh well, at least it's not a chimney voyeur, haha, things could always be worse I suppose although at least the fucker would be quiet. I'll pencil in a chimney sweep/cover installation for next January.

YANBU, as demonstrated by what I found in the fireplace of my 1st house...

Is that a pidge on top of a pile of coal dust?!

Yes.

Definitely get a cowl for your chimney in the Autumn, there are several types which can do the job. I used to have a terrible problem with jackdaws in the chimney.

They are rubbish nest builders and basically just drop twigs down the chimney until enough of them have jammed to make a nest (I have seen an entire chimney completely filled with twigs by jackdaws once). Mine were not that industrious and would just plop on top of their pile of twigs which inevitably sooner or later gave way. Cue very cross (and large) jackdaw flying hysterically round the room getting soot and shit on all the furniture.

Have you seen the beaks and claws on those things? they are scary at close quarters. I just used to open the window and leave them to it.

It happened several times until I got a chimney cowl. Bit of a false start when the first one - a ceramic disc with holes in the side, appropriately called a beehive cowl, was mistaken by a swarm of wild bees as their new home, but once it had been replaced by a wire one with a spinning disc in the middle, I've had no more problems.