One 'flue' down the chimney

[gwstang]

Twice I've had a duck fall down the chimney flue. Unfortunately didn't end well for either duck. Ended up putting a screened cap on the top.

A freakin' duck??? Just wow! :laughing: I can imagine what kind of noise a duck would make trapped in there.

 

[Wagtail]

We call them wood ducks but if they are the ones I am thinking of the correct name is maned geese. Yep, they are geese. The maned bit comes from the feathers on the back of their necks that stand up when they are cranky or chasing competitors.

We actually have 6 pairs that wander around our house and a couple of times they have bought their little babies to see us. Real cute.

G'day Alien. I checked both of my Field Guides (Simpson & Day for Aus and Dave Watts for Tassie) the first time I saw them = Chenonetta jubata Australian Wood Duck, a pale grey body with a chocolate-brown head.

I couldn't find "maned goose"... got another name for'em?

 

[dmccarty]

Good one. About 20 years ago, I kept having blue birds getting down the chimney into the wood heater during the spring. No heat needed at the time. They would make a heck of a noise too....

Interesting. Our chimney has "caught" a couple of blue birds too. I actually found a dead one in a hollow metal fence post. Danged bird must have flow down the open pipe and could not get out.

When the birds fly down our chimney they eventually slide down to the wood stove and plop in front of the stove door. I wait until the outside light gets a bit low, turn off the lights in the house and open the front doors. The front door is a French door so opening both doors makes a big space. The birds will fly to the light, so if you can make the room dark they will fly outside. Sometimes I turn on the porch light if the sun is down a bit.

The chimney seems to catch a bird every spring or so.

I keep saying I will make a screen for the chimney but it just does not seem to happen. The wifey mentioned putting up a screen to the chimney sweep but he did not seem to understand what she wanted. :confused3:

Later,
Dan

 

[gwstang]

On my old chimney, I just took a piece of chicken wire and trimmed it to fit around the opening. large enough not to interfere with the draw, but small enough to keep the birds at bay...I don't know about a duck though...lol.

That chimney got hit by the EF-4 tornado so I had to get another one.

 

[oosik]

I've had blackbirds/starlings "fall" down both my pellet stove chimney and my 3" sewer stack vent. The starling eventually got into the hearth of the stove and when I opened the door it flew around the living room a bit and finally found the open door to outside. The blackbird never made it out and six months later I noticed his bones in the first compartment of my septic tank. It must have been quite difficult for the starling to get into the pellet stove chimney - I've got a cap on it and the openings are only an inch or so. I don't know what caused the blackbird to end up at the bottom of the sewer stack vent - perhaps overcome by the sewer gas.

 

[Wagtail]

G'day MarkF48 & PILOON. Ducks. That's a fair size bird to fall down a flue.

Oh, and Aus has native wood ducks. I've had a mating pair wander around my property early in the morning.

I know I'm quoting myself but it seems that ducks are making a habit of flying down chimneys... not that I didn't believe you:

Golden firefighters save duck from chimney - The Denver Post

 

[stuckmotor]

Twice I've had a duck fall down the chimney flue. Unfortunately didn't end well for either duck. Ended up putting a screened cap on the top.

I've never seen a duck even roost in a tree. Do they sit on your chimney often?