Blue tits in my boiler flue - What to do?

clarko74 · #1 (**permalink**) 20-08-2010, 07:22 PM

Hello all, I'm new to the forum and have a bit of a problem, there appear to be blue tits nesting in my boiler flue.

The boiler flue sticks out the side on the house (with the boiler being directly on the other side of the wall inside) and a couple of hours ago I noticed a blue tit disappear into it! After watching for a few minutes without seeing anything I popped inside and turned the hot tap on, this caused the boiler to fire up and the bird made a quick exit, so I shut it off again straight away. This has put me in a bit of a tricky situation as even though it's summer the boiler still has to be used for hot water but I worried that if I do I'll end up cooking any chicks in there. Not being an expert on birds I'd be grateful if anyone could answer the following:

Will blue tits be nesting at this time of year? I've done a bit of research which suggests that they usually nest in April/May but have also heard that some birds are nesting twice this year, is this the case?
If they are nesting in there what can I do about it? I realise that disturbing a nest is bad, but realistically I can't not use the boiler for the 4-5 weeks that they'll use it for.
Is it possible that they can nest in there while the boiler is in use? We run a bath at least once a day, which means that the boiler is on constantly for 10-15 mins, and at other times for washing up etc so they must have experienced this and have decided to stay.

Thanks in advance,

Adrian

Cowgirl · #2 (**permalink**) 20-08-2010, 07:37 PM

Hi there Adrian, welcome to WAB. I'm no expert but I'm sure someone willl be along soon to help you. Your bluetit may just have been investigating for insects, maybe you could fasten a bit of chicken wire or something across the flue to prevent entry? It seems a bit late to me for nesting, but what do I know?

SheffieldLass · #3 (**permalink**) 21-08-2010, 12:39 AM

I'd agree with Cowgirl. It is too late for them to be nesting in there. I suspect it just went in after some insects. And if you use it for water heating regularly they would have discovered this already if they were staying any time in there, i.e. for nesting or roosting. Though if your boiler is a condensing one producing clouds of steam they might be sauna fans

RKB · #4 (**permalink**) 21-08-2010, 08:44 AM

Blue Tits only nest once during April and May, so it will definitely not be nesting.

But it might be roosting in there. And it might try nesting in there next spring. It may have been sheltering from rain, or maybe looking for water from consensation droplets.

Have a look at the flue and see if there's any nesting material (moss, feathers, fluff), as it may have nested in there without you noticing. If so then remove it. You might want to put some small guage mesh over the end of the flue to prevent it entering again, just in case it fancies its chances next spring. For your own safety you don't want a blocked flue.

rossy · #5 (**permalink**) 21-08-2010, 09:06 AM

yes rkb is right, no way would they be nesting at this time of the year, blue tits are quite inquisitive, and will forage in odd places from time to time, more than likely looking for insects, rossy.

clarko74 · #6 (**permalink**) 23-08-2010, 12:15 PM

Thanks for the replies.

There are a few feathers and bits of fluff around the boiler cowl so it looks like it's been in there a few times, I was amazed it got through the tiny holes in the cowl, I'll definitely get some smaller mesh to stop it getting in there again and get the flue checked for any obstuctions.

Cheers,

Adrian