If you’ve ever chimney swifts in flight, you know these birds are spectacularly fast and graceful fliers. They have to be because they forage on the wing, capturing enough tiny biting insects each day to equal one third of their body weight! Their feet are not designed for perching the way other birds perch. Instead, they’re more like grappling hooks, enabling them to grip vertical surfaces like the insides of large hollowed out old trees, tree … [Read more...]
How to Get Rid of Birds
Many people spend a ton of time and money trying to attract birds for the sheer enjoyment of watching and listening to them. Nonetheless, there are times when, for one reason or another, someone is looking for a way to get rid of birds. Round up the usual suspects—European starlings, house sparrows, crows, chimney swifts, and pigeons—not because they are “bad birds” but simply because there are circumstances that sometimes place us in conflict. … [Read more...]
Bird in Chimney? Could be Migrating Chimney Swifts
You may not think of yourself as a landlord, but if you have an uncapped chimney, you may have chimney swifts as temporary boarders—either nesting in your chimney in spring or summer, or roosting there in late summer to early fall on their way to Peru, where they spend the winter. If humans had not cut down nearly all the large trees they prefer to nest in, chimney swifts would not have had to adapt to using chimneys. Still, you may find their … [Read more...]
Bird in House? Get Her Out Safely
How’d you wind up with a bird in house? And, what’s the fastest way to get her back out before she gets hurt? First, don’t panic. You’ll be able to get her safely back outside with the steps explained below. Afterward, see if the tips on ways to make a repeat situation less likely might be relevant for your home. What to do about a wild bird in your house… A bird will naturally fly toward light when trying to get out of an enclosed area, so … [Read more...]
Think You Have Animals in Your Chimney?
Wondering what that scratching or chattering you hear coming from your chimney is? It’s good you noticed, because sometimes animals in a chimney are in distress—having fallen inside by accident, they may be trapped. Sometimes, though, an animal chooses to enter your chimney, hoping to escape cold weather or looking for a safe place to raise young. If the chattering just began, wildlife babies may just now be getting to a size where their voices … [Read more...]
Chattering Chimney Swifts
Chimney swifts are amazing birds, capable of nabbing their insect prey and gathering twigs for nest building while in flight, and able to cling to vertical surfaces for long periods with super strong feet. In addition to being attractive and social birds, they help us out by consuming mosquitoes, gnats, termites, and biting flies. But if they’re nesting or roosting in your chimney, you’re in for a rare treat!!! Yes, they can be noisy, … [Read more...]