Articles

A Common Problem With Vents

Damaged VentA common situation that CHWC deals with is birds that use exhaust vents for nesting and raising their young. This is a very common problem in newer communities that don’t have large established trees. Birds are able to gain entry into vents such as the dryer, or stove exhaust vents. These vents end up fully clogged with nesting material and airflow is totally blocked. CHWC recently helped a family in solving a problem of birds that had taken up residence in a dryer vent.

The homeowners first noticed a bit of debris hanging out the dryer vent, but never really gave it much thought, thinking the debris might just be dryer lint. However the efficiency of the dryer decreased and they began noticing birds coming and going from the vent. When urban wildlife control technicians from CHWC arrived and removed the louvers they found the vent totally clogged with grass and bits of paper and plastic. Enough nesting material was removed to fill a shopping bag. While carefully removing the debris the actual nest was found. birdsInVentThree newly hatched heads popped up wanting to be fed. Two more eggs were also found that were very close to hatching. These eggs and nestlings were removed and placed in one of our temporary nesting boxes along with some of the original nesting material. The rest of the debris was quickly removed, re-establishing air flow through the vent. One of our bird and squirrel proof vent covers was fabricated and installed over the vent. The temporary nesting box was hung from the vent cover and technicians quickly took down ladders and left the area, waiting close by to ensure the parents retuned. Within moments they returned, found the new nesting box containing their babies and eggs and immediately began fixing up the nest and feeding the babies. Although the parent birds were a little confused, all in all it was a very successful conclusion and the homeowners received a 10 year written guarantee against anything getting into the vent again. In a month or so, when the babies fledge, technicians will return to remove the temporary nesting box.

If you or someone you know is experiencing a problem such as birds nesting in a vent, or any other uninvited wild houseguest, CHWC is the only call you have to make for permanent humane solutions.

By Ken Cheek, CHWC