If you have a real chimney in your home, chances are you’ve probably heard the fluttering of wings up inside the structure many times before. Generally speaking, this is usually the sound of birds landing and flapping their wings as they stand on top of your chimney, as the sound travels down the void into your room.

However, what if the flapping becomes incessant? What if it’s quite obvious that a bird has found itself stuck within your chimney stack? What should you do?

First of all, it is crucial that you don’t leave the bird there. As it is trapped on your property and is, therefore, under your control, if you were to leave it there to suffer and pass away you would be committing an offence under the Animal Welfare Act 2006.

Below you can find more details about what to look for and how to help a bird that is stuck in your chimney.

Is It Nested In Your Chimney?

If you can hear – or better yet, see – a nest in your chimney occupied by a parent bird, then there’s not much you can really do about your temporary chimney visitor.

In the UK, the majority of our wild birds are protected by law, and moving their nest site is classed as illegal. This is because it would cause a great deal of stress for the animals, especially if their young have been moved to a different place without their knowledge.

It is only in circumstances which are a threat to the health of the public that a nest can be moved but, even then, this must be carried out by specialist handlers who know exactly what they’re doing.

Can You Reach The Bird At All?

Oftentimes, chimneys have a small ledge a short way up, so shine a light on the chimney to see if you can find the bird, as they tend to settle there to rest. If you think you can reach the bird and remove it from its location, then carefully proceed. Birds have delicate bones, so they can easily be hurt if not handled with the utmost care.

If you can’t reach the bird, simply open all of your windows and leave the room, making sure to pull back the curtains and stay silent. The bird will, hopefully, fly towards the air and light.

Birds can become incredibly stressed very easily and can even die from the anxiety they feel – this means that you should always try to avoid stressing it out and, consequently, should you be unable to reach it after a few tries, ask for professional help!

Coax The Bird With Food

If you’re absolutely positive that the animal in your chimney has simply fallen down and can’t make its way back up again and isn’t in fact nesting within your chimney, then there are ways in which you can attempt to remove the animal safely.

If you have an open chimney where the bird can escape from below, then you might want to try and coax the bird out rather than reach up and grab it. Leave a few scraps of food in your fireplace to try and tempt the bird to come down and eat and leave the room for a while with a window ajar for the bird to fly out of.

What to Do If The Bird is Hurt

If this doesn’t work and the bird is uninterested in the food that you have left for it, then it may be that it is injured. This may require you to remove the bird by handling it, or even make a hole in the wall to help them escape if your chimney is sealed at the bottom.

It’s always best to leave wildlife handling to a professional where possible, so we advise contacting your local wildlife rescue if you can to alert them to the animal. It is also worth noting that if you have a gas fire installed, you will need to contact a registered gas engineer to remove your fire to get the bird out.

What to Do Once You Get Hold of The Bird

If you must handle the bird yourself, arm yourself with a towel to cover the bird with as you gently reach in to pick it up. This will reduce the stress levels of the animal, as well as protect you from those sharp talons or beaks!

Make sure that you always keep the wings flat to the body and try to give some form of support to their feet so that they can’t flap around and damage themselves or you.

What to Do Once the Bird Is Out of The Chimney

Once the bird is in your possession, it is important to take them to a local wildlife rescue as soon as possible. Only they will be able to determine whether the bird is fit enough to be rereleased.

If you are transporting the bird to a rescue centre, you shouldn’t provide food and water for it – this is to avoid causing unnecessary stress to the bird. Never force feed water to a bird, as it is easy to drown them, and never offer them milk or alcohol.

If the bird is in shock or weak, you can provide it with a hot water bottle wrapped in a towel at one end of the box you’re transporting it in, either inside, underneath or next to. The bird needs to have enough space to escape the heat if it wished to do so. If it starts panting, remove the heat source at once.

If you are struggling with birds in your chimney and you’re worried about them damaging themselves or your fire, then there are chimney adaptations that you can look into, such as installing a chimney cowl which prevents birds from falling into the stack.

Summary of What to Do When a Bird Gets Stuck in Your Chimney

• Don’t leave it in your chimney – as it is trapped on your property, it is your responsibility.
• If there is a nest in your chimney, do not move it – contact specialist handlers.
• If you can reach the bird, carefully do so, but if you can’t, simply open all your windows and leave the room, staying silent. The bird may fly towards the air and light.
• You could coax the bird out by leaving food in your fireplace. Be make sure to have windows open in the room for the bird to fly out.
• If you believe the bird is injured and are unsure of what to do, contact your local wildlife rescue and alert them.
• If you have a sealed fireplace, you may need to make a hole to let the bird out.
• If you have been able to remove the bird yourself, make sure you cover the bird with a towel to reduce its stress levels and to protect you.
• Once the bird is in your possession, take them to your local wildlife rescue as soon as possible

At Real Flame, we care about our wildlife and hope this advice helps you to return the bird to safety.

If you have questions about how to safely remove a bird from your chimney or you don’t want to chance it, you can call these charities who will direct you to rescue centres that will help:

• RSPCA: 0300 1234 999(England and Wales)
• Scottish SPCA: 03000 999 999(Scotland)
• USPCA: 028 3025 1000(Northern Ireland)

According to the London Wildlife Protection, they always call the fire brigade as the fire service is obliged to remove anything that blocks the chimneys or ventilation systems. Alternatively, you can search the Help Wildlife website for your nearest rescue centre to remove a stuck bird from your chimney.

Here at Real Flame, we provide chimney sweeping and testing  as well as fireplace servicing and maintenance. It is important that you keep your chimney in good condition, swept and tested regularly to check for any problems such as obstructions and blockages.

You can get in touch with us for more information on our services and how we can help you keep your chimney in top condition. 

 

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