# How to get a bird out of a fireplace (need answer fast) **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [May 15, 2015, 12:27am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-to-get-a-bird-out-of-a-fireplace-need-answer-fast/720079 "2015-05-15T00:27:47Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![engineer\_comp\_geek](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/engineer_comp_geek/32/504_2.png) [@engineer\_comp\_geek](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/engineer_comp_geek)\ **Post date:** [May 15, 2015, 12:27am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-to-get-a-bird-out-of-a-fireplace-need-answer-fast/720079/1 "2015-05-15T00:27:47Z")
Birds have decided to nest on top of our chimney. We must have left the damper open after our last fire this winter, as one of the birds has somehow fallen or squeezed through the slot and is now inside the fireplace, and apparently can’t get out the way it came in. Meanwhile, our four cats and our puppy are all sitting on the other side of the fireplace’s glass door, eagerly awaiting for someone to open the door so that they can get to the bird. How do I get the bird out without letting it escape into the inside of our house? Any ideas/suggestions/advice? ---
**Author:** ![Trinopus](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/2bfe46/32.png) [@Trinopus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Trinopus)\ **Post date:** [May 15, 2015, 12:31am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-to-get-a-bird-out-of-a-fireplace-need-answer-fast/720079/2 "2015-05-15T00:31:08Z")
When this happened to us, my pa put on a big heavy glove (because the bird was an owl!) and reached up and pulled it out. You’ll probably have to do this by hand. As gently as possible. ---
**Author:** ![engineer\_comp\_geek](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/engineer_comp_geek/32/504_2.png) [@engineer\_comp\_geek](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/engineer_comp_geek)\ **Post date:** [May 15, 2015, 12:39am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-to-get-a-bird-out-of-a-fireplace-need-answer-fast/720079/3 "2015-05-15T00:39:39Z")
It’s not caught in the damper. It’s flapping around inside the fireplace. I don’t think I’m going to be able to grab it. I picture the bird zipping past me, then flapping madly through the house with four cats and a dog chasing it back and forth. ETA: By the way, this is a rancher house. I can shut the pets in one of the bedrooms and close all of the doors, but the bird will still have the kitchen, dining, room, living room, entrance hallway, and the hallway leading back to the bedrooms to fly through. I picture steering the bird towards one of the windows or the front door being rather difficult in that situation. ---
**Author:** ![Sattua](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/sattua/32/11906_2.png) [@Sattua](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sattua)\ **Post date:** [May 15, 2015, 12:39am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-to-get-a-bird-out-of-a-fireplace-need-answer-fast/720079/4 "2015-05-15T00:39:59Z")
What Trinopus said. Have somebody stand behind you, holding a blanket around you and the fireplace opening as a (non-foolproof) insurance policy. You will get dirty. My husband did it while wearing nothing but gloves, skivvies, and a headlamp. Unfortunately, he then had to go outside to let the bird go. Wearing gloves, skivvies, and a headlamp. ---
**Author:** ![Leaffan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/leaffan/32/299_2.png) [@Leaffan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Leaffan)\ **Post date:** [May 15, 2015, 12:53am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-to-get-a-bird-out-of-a-fireplace-need-answer-fast/720079/5 "2015-05-15T00:53:25Z")
This happened to me twice. The first time in the upstairs fireplace, and the second time in the wood stove in the basement. (It’s a bungalow. Do you call them bungalows in the US?) The first time I wore oven mitts, quickly opened the doors and grabbed the little bugger. It was a starling, or grackle, and it freaked me the hell out carrying that thing, but the patio doors to the deck are only 15 feet away and I managed to throw it out to freedom. The second time I opened the basement windows, opened the wood stove door, left the basement and closed the door at the top of the stairs. It flew around for a while and was trying to live in the basement I guess, but after a few hours it managed to find a window and escape. Good luck! ---
**Author:** ![TriPolar](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tripolar/32/3008_2.png) [@TriPolar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TriPolar)\ **Post date:** [May 15, 2015, 12:59am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-to-get-a-bird-out-of-a-fireplace-need-answer-fast/720079/6 "2015-05-15T00:59:23Z")
Get a sheet or something and hang it over the fireplace so you have some room to work after you open the door. If you can’t grab it then put a pot or wastebasket of something like that upside down over the bird or trap it against the wall. Slide a piece of cardboard under the container to hold the bird in. Then take it outside. I’ve had to do this before. ---
**Author:** ![doorhinge](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/a5b964/32.png) [@doorhinge](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/doorhinge)\ **Post date:** [May 15, 2015, 1:11am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-to-get-a-bird-out-of-a-fireplace-need-answer-fast/720079/7 "2015-05-15T01:11:56Z")
> [@engineer\_comp\_geek](#): > > Birds have decided to nest on top of our chimney. We must have left the damper open after our last fire this winter, as one of the birds has somehow fallen or squeezed through the slot and is now inside the fireplace, and apparently can’t get out the way it came in. Meanwhile, our four cats and our puppy are all sitting on the other side of the fireplace’s glass door, eagerly awaiting for someone to open the door so that they can get to the bird. > > How do I get the bird out without letting it escape into the inside of our house? Any ideas/suggestions/advice? Put the four cats and puppy in another room and close the door. Close all bedroom, basement, and closet doors. Open your windows and any door leading to the outside. Ready? Open the fireplace door, and get out of the way. The bird will find it’s own way out. ---
**Author:** ![Leaffan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/leaffan/32/299_2.png) [@Leaffan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Leaffan)\ **Post date:** [May 15, 2015, 1:18am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-to-get-a-bird-out-of-a-fireplace-need-answer-fast/720079/8 "2015-05-15T01:18:16Z")
> [@doorhinge](#): > > Put the four cats and puppy in another room and close the door. > > Close all bedroom, basement, and closet doors. > > Open your windows and any door leading to the outside. > > Ready? Open the fireplace door, and get out of the way. The bird will find it’s own way out. Maybe. If you can make the outside lighter than the inside. It worked for me in the basement, eventually. Let’s face it though, the bird could be covered with a lot of soot and having it flutter around the house landing on things might not be a good idea. ---
**Author:** ![engineer\_comp\_geek](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/engineer_comp_geek/32/504_2.png) [@engineer\_comp\_geek](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/engineer_comp_geek)\ **Post date:** [May 15, 2015, 1:26am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-to-get-a-bird-out-of-a-fireplace-need-answer-fast/720079/9 "2015-05-15T01:26:09Z")
Update: Bird is out. I locked the pets in the bedrooms, put on gloves, and tried to grab the bird, but a predicted, missed. Then Mrs. Geek and I chased it back and forth through the living room with brooms, while four cats scratched at the doors and the puppy barked. It seemed to want to fly anywhere except out. Three times it went towards the open front door, landed on the door frame, then flew back into the living room when I tried to get it to go through the door. Finally it landed on a picture hanging on the wall and I just grabbed it, took it outside, and released it. The fireplace damper is now closed, by the way. ---
**Author:** ![TriPolar](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tripolar/32/3008_2.png) [@TriPolar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TriPolar)\ **Post date:** [May 15, 2015, 1:28am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-to-get-a-bird-out-of-a-fireplace-need-answer-fast/720079/10 "2015-05-15T01:28:50Z")
Good work. At least you didn’t have to resort to a tennis racket. ---
**Author:** ![Trinopus](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/2bfe46/32.png) [@Trinopus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Trinopus)\ **Post date:** [May 15, 2015, 1:45am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-to-get-a-bird-out-of-a-fireplace-need-answer-fast/720079/11 "2015-05-15T01:45:23Z")
> [@Sattua](#): > > . . . Unfortunately, he then had to go outside to let the bird go. Wearing gloves, skivvies, and a headlamp. > [@engineer\_comp\_geek](#): > > . . . I locked the pets in the bedrooms, put on gloves, and tried to grab the bird, but a predicted, missed. Then Mrs. Geek and I chased it back and forth through the living room with brooms, while four cats scratched at the doors and the puppy barked. It seemed to want to fly anywhere except out. Three times it went towards the open front door, landed on the door frame, then flew back into the living room when I tried to get it to go through the door. . . . Please forgive me for laughing! Both of these mental images are delightfully funny! I’m glad you succeeded in getting the durn fool li’l birdie to safety. ---
**Author:** ![Leaffan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/leaffan/32/299_2.png) [@Leaffan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Leaffan)\ **Post date:** [May 15, 2015, 1:54am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-to-get-a-bird-out-of-a-fireplace-need-answer-fast/720079/12 "2015-05-15T01:54:21Z")
What kind of bird was it, incidentally? ---
**Author:** ![purplehearingaid](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/7bcc69/32.png) [@purplehearingaid](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/purplehearingaid)\ **Post date:** [May 15, 2015, 2:08am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-to-get-a-bird-out-of-a-fireplace-need-answer-fast/720079/13 "2015-05-15T02:08:15Z")
> [@Trinopus](#): > > Please forgive me for laughing! Both of these mental images are delightfully funny! > > I’m glad you succeeded in getting the durn fool li’l birdie to safety. I have to agree with you this made me LOL too. ---
**Author:** ![engineer\_comp\_geek](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/engineer_comp_geek/32/504_2.png) [@engineer\_comp\_geek](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/engineer_comp_geek)\ **Post date:** [May 15, 2015, 2:16am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-to-get-a-bird-out-of-a-fireplace-need-answer-fast/720079/14 "2015-05-15T02:16:41Z")
> [@Leaffan](#): > > What kind of bird was it, incidentally? Uh, a little one? I have no clue. I took a quick pic of it with my tablet. It’s not the best pic in the world. [http://home.comcast.net/~sokosfamily/bird.jpg](http://home.comcast.net/~sokosfamily/bird.jpg) ---
**Author:** ![Spiderman](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/spiderman/32/230_2.png) [@Spiderman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Spiderman)\ **Post date:** [May 15, 2015, 2:18am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-to-get-a-bird-out-of-a-fireplace-need-answer-fast/720079/15 "2015-05-15T02:18:58Z")
> [@engineer\_comp\_geek](#): > > I picture the bird zipping past me, then flapping madly through the house with four cats and a dog chasing it back and forth. C’mon, you know the rules around here - [del]pics[/del] video or it didn’t happen. > [@Leaffan](#): > > What kind of bird was it, incidentally? It was in the fireplace for a while; I’m guessing it was a blackbird. :rolleyes: ---
**Author:** ![engineer\_comp\_geek](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/engineer_comp_geek/32/504_2.png) [@engineer\_comp\_geek](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/engineer_comp_geek)\ **Post date:** [May 15, 2015, 2:22am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-to-get-a-bird-out-of-a-fireplace-need-answer-fast/720079/16 "2015-05-15T02:22:25Z")
> [@Spiderman](#): > > C’mon, you know the rules around here - [del]pics[/del] video or it didn’t happen. I really wish we would have had a third person handy to take a video from my tablet. Probably would have been a youtube instant classic. ---
**Author:** ![Leaffan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/leaffan/32/299_2.png) [@Leaffan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Leaffan)\ **Post date:** [May 15, 2015, 3:50am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-to-get-a-bird-out-of-a-fireplace-need-answer-fast/720079/17 "2015-05-15T03:50:48Z")
I’m guessing nuthatch or chickadee then. My dad was a bird enthusiast, and although I found it weird growing up I suddenly became one myself when I bought this house. I can’t imagine not knowing the various bird species around here. I’m too curious to not know! ---
**Author:** ![Siam\_Sam](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/d78d45/32.png) [@Siam\_Sam](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Siam_Sam)\ **Post date:** [May 15, 2015, 3:59am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-to-get-a-bird-out-of-a-fireplace-need-answer-fast/720079/18 "2015-05-15T03:59:21Z")
I’m glad the bird is out. This may sound like a facetious answer, but it’s really not. Did you look in the Yellow Pages or Google for a chimney sweep? There are still some around, and they might be handy if this sort of thing ever happens again. ---
**Author:** ![Section\_Maker\_Jupe](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/section_maker_jupe/32/1424_2.png) [@Section\_Maker\_Jupe](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Section_Maker_Jupe)\ **Post date:** [May 15, 2015, 4:08am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-to-get-a-bird-out-of-a-fireplace-need-answer-fast/720079/19 "2015-05-15T04:08:43Z")
Nice that it worked out.🙂 Probably a newly fledged youngster rather than an adult? Fledglings tend to be pretty spastic when they first leave the nest, not much wing strength or steering abilities. ---
**Author:** ![beowulff](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/beowulff/32/542_2.png) [@beowulff](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/beowulff)\ **Post date:** [May 15, 2015, 4:09am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-to-get-a-bird-out-of-a-fireplace-need-answer-fast/720079/20 "2015-05-15T04:09:51Z")
You should check your chimney - if it doesn’t have screens on the top, you can get things way worse than birds in your house (raccoons, anyone?). [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-to-get-a-bird-out-of-a-fireplace-need-answer-fast/720079.md?page=2)