Chimney Swifts

We have a family of chimney swifts living in our (what else?) chimney. They adopted us last year. I called a chimney sweep company last fall and asked what we could do about it. I didn't want them killed, I just wanted to put a cap or something on top of our chimney to make sure they didn't come back this year. What I was mainly worried about was lighting the fire last winter and having the nests catch fire possibly causing the house to catch fire! The chimney guys came out & inspected the fireplace/chimney, and actually told us that birds aside, we shouldn't light another fire in the fireplace. We do not have a cap on the top of the chimney (obviously) and the rain washing down the sides had worn away the mortar in between the bricks inside the chimney. That meant the heat from the fires was not being vented out the top of the chimney, but into the walls and attic. SERIOUS fire hazard. The guy basically said that even one more fire could catch the house on fire. Umm... okay, no fire for us! So... how much does it cost to fix a problem like that?? about $4,000! Yikes! I'm sorry, I LOVE my fireplace - especially the ease of having a gas log, but we live in Houston - the South, basically the face of the sun! No fireplace in Houston is worth $4,000 - not for the, what - 3 times a year it's cold enough to use it? No thank you! So - we decided that we're going to remove the hearth, and use the brick from that to brick over the fireplace, leaving us with one brick wall in the living room.

AND - because there's no worry about a fire anymore, we left the top of the chimney open for the chimney swifts. I've actually learned a lot about them. For one, they're protected - it's illegal to kill or even just disturb their nests. The chimney people said that they'd have to wait until the family leaves to remove the debris from the next. It's a BIG fine if you're caught removing a nest. Also, once they find a nesting place, they come back every year for life, and then the babies come back every year too. So, unless we put a cap on top of the chimney, we're the hosts of families of chimney swifts. Which really, is fine with me. They're noisy little suckers, but honestly I like it. I've gotten used to their chirping. They're usually loudest at sunrise and sunset, that's when the parents leave & return with dinner so the kids are all worked up. And it's the babies who make the most noise. They'll stay with us for about 6 months, until the babies are old enough to fly away, and then they'll migrate where ever they go in the winter. But we'll see them again next spring and it starts all over again.

http://www.chimneyswifts.org/