Jackdaws nesting in chimney

[Marb67]

I love Jackdaws, especially their sound but unfortunately they are starting to take an interest in our chimney pot. We are currently using the open coal/log fire at night as still cold (and avoiding the central heating) There are no chicks in there yet but I see them taking straw and other bits, sometimes going off somewhere else with it. I have lit little cardboard fires to try to put them off in the day but still light a fire in the evening. Of course if there were any sign of chicks we wouldn't light anything but it seems at the moment they are sizing it up.

The question is, before we get a cowel, is there anything that will put them off ? I have clapped my hands a couple of times which has scared them off so hopefully they will get fed up. Its frustrating as next door have pots and no active fire so why don't they nest there ?

[Plot70]

Have a look at what they are doing when you have some burning paper in the grate. Some wild birds bathe in the fumes to get parasites off there feathers.
If they are using the fumes they will perch on the chimney with there wings spread out.
In the wild they stir up wood ant nests and use the defensive spray in the same way.

[mothhawk]

They like your chimney because it's warm, Marb. The lady I used to work for had an oil-fired aga which was on almost all year round, and the jackdaws dropped so many sticks down its brick chimney that it was totally blocked. The fumes seeped out into the house 'cos they couldn't get out up the chimney. A builder was called in and the sticks he removed - I kid you not - filled a wheelbarrow twice!
He put a cowl on, but within a few days we could hear sticks rattling down the chimney again, so the builder added chicken wire to totally prevent them.

The fumes choked us in the house, but never seemed to bother the jackdaws at all. Nothing will put them off if they are determined, so get your chimney protected as soon as possible.

[Marb67]

Too late as they are now nesting with it lit. Will have it swept when the chicks have flown. Surely they wont get through a cowel ? The pot was added last spring when we had the roof done. Before that it was a hole into the chimney and they have never nested there in the 23 years we have been here until now.

[mothhawk]

Cowls are better designed these days and most have mesh around as standard to keep out birds. Back in the day they were designed more for downdraft prevention than bird protection and although you wouldn't think a jackdaw could squeeze round and jump up to get in, this pair did.

[Nicos]

A couple of years ago our neighbours had a chimney fire caused by a jackdaw nest. It was the twigs dropping partway down which caught fire- which then spread.
It took two visits from the fire brigade to eventually put it out as in these old buildings the ceiling joists were actually built into the chimney breast and they were smouldering.

[Marb67]

Best thing is Have the chimney swept in a few weeks.

[rary]

They build a nest in a tower above the front door of our church every year, when talking to a young man at the door the bottom of a wine bottle dropped down between us, it was a thick base with a very sharp shard , if it had struck one of us it would have been quite a nasty accident, unbelievable how a bird managed to fly with something as heavy and no doubt it would have been the hen bird that dropped it out, didn't fit with the nest decor of course being two men it was a serious discussion