Letting a family of migratory birds, such as Chimney Swifts, inhabit chimneys may not be for everyone. But the good news is that it is very simple to prevent this with bird proof chimney caps. The only tricky part is you will have to install the cap while the birds are living down south.

When a chimney professional comes over to install a chimney cap, have them check for an active nest of birds. If one is found, reschedule the installation for after the Chimney Swifts (or other birds) have migrated back to their native land.

It is illegal for a chimney sweep to remove a bird’s nest or eggs (for migratory birds). Once the fowls have left and your chimney has been cleaned, the chimney cap may be installed and you will no longer be troubled by birds in your chimney. Another bonus is that caps like our round chimney caps provide many other beneficial features, including preventing falling leaves, rain water and other harmful creatures or things from falling into your chimney.

Birds have trouble balancing on horizontal tree limbs (or anything horizontal for that matter). Chimney Swifts are accustomed to the vertical and textured walls of a chimney and the insides of a hollowed out tree. Bird’s legs and feet are designed for the lifestyle of holding onto the ridges of the walls. The nests they build jut out from the chimney walls and are held together by the bird’s glue-like saliva.

To survive, the Chimney Swift catches and eats up to one third of its weight every day in insects during fight.  In the summer months, they migrate to the North and when the weather turns chilly, the birds head back down to South America to avoid the cold. Moving to a different type of habitat allows the birds more options on where to nest.

These days, with more and more homes being built without chimneys and homes with chimneys installing chimney caps or metal flue liners, it is once again becoming difficult for Chimney Swifts to find a nesting place. Many bird lovers actually construct special towers designed to house the visiting Chimney Swifts as they migrate into the area looking for places to nest.

Property owners with chimneys can find easy to build Chimney Swift Towers online and construct them near enough to the home to enjoy watching the birds, but far enough away that they will not create any problems. If the chimney is capped, they will look for the next best thing and find the tower.

Now, this absolutely is not a chimney swift, but take a look at this video to find out what exactly happens when a bird flies down a person’s chimney.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LBbpPsJ7U6E

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LBbpPsJ7U6E

To order bird proof chimney caps or other fireplace and chimney products, visit Fireside Chimney Supply online at http://www.firesidechimneysupply.com.