There was yet another "birding" episode on the Bayou, today. Well, it was sort of IN the Little Bayou House! Our "screechers" took up residence in the chimney as they usually do. These are the chimney swifts that so many folks despise but I simply adore. The poor creatures are being put out of house and home due to folks not wishing to share their (for the summer months) unused chimneys with critters. You hear all sorts of strange tales from folks about how you can catch everything from head lice to leprosy from the birds. Sorry...none of that is true, folks. The birds actually help prevent diseases by catching a lot of mosquitoes that carry some pretty deadly things at times. Think about this the next time your chimney is screeching with baby swifts. Two parent birds and their offspring can eat up to 12,000 flying insects every day! Yes! 12.000!!! That is a lot of insects that would be annoying if left to bother us. Now consider that several families of swifts can reside in one chimney! That is even more insects! The chimney swifts catch flying insects while they, themselves, are in flight. A lot of those flying insects are things like mosquitoes, gnats, deer flies, horse flies, house flies and, the worst pest of all, termites! Now, having some baby birds in the chimney does not sound so bad, does it?? If it does to you, then plan on calling an exterminator to rid your place of pests or douse yourself with insect repellent.
I knew there were several nests of swifts in the chimney...how could I not? I knew the little ones were to take flight soon by the fluttering and the strong calls emanating from the fireplace. The wait was on until at least one of the little ones would decide to take a shortcut to the outside. Instead of flying up the chimney, occasionally one or more of the little ones come down into the house. No problem. I simply pick them up as they are so docile (almost tame!) and carry them outside. The little birds succeed in getting someone to help them escape the confines of the dark chimney! This is only done if the birds are flight capable. If not, each little one is carefully put back up on the smoke shelf of the fireplace (yes, we have the old-style brick fireplace).
The little one,today, was fully ready to take flight. It allowed me to pick it up, tote it outside and even get a photo! The little tyke sat on my open palm for about a minute before the parent birds came into sight and our little rascal took to the skies! All's well that ends well. Tonight, the swifts will return to the chimney to rest but will be at work again at daybreak. I love these birds!
Maybe I should accept the fact that the Little Bayou House will never, ever be critter-free. I am not talking vermin here nor am I referring to the dog or cat. (Vermin have to go...pets have to stay.) Perhaps I should just start thinking of the extra critters as pets and let them stay. At least, they help somewhat with the vermin! Lately, it is every couple of days that yet another bird comes to visit...inside the house!
I was sitting in the rocking chair consoling the old dog after a particularly bad fall, when I heard a fluttering sound behind me. I knew that sound well since this is the fifth time in as many weeks that a chimney swift decided not to fly UP the chimney. It came down and into the house. Not that I mind as I love these little birds. They are so docile and sweet. Unlike other birds that are hand-caught, the swifts never try to struggle or peck. They literally let you pick them up and hold them openhanded. The birds ride on my hand until outside where I then have to "convince" them to fly away. I am not sure just what the fascination of my hand is but they sure seem to be convinced that it is a safe place to stay. I am the "bird whisperer"!
It has been brought to my attention by several well-meaning folks that I should close off the chimney so the birds cannot nest there. I call hogwash on this idea! Personally, I like the birds in the chimney. I like the rustling, the fluttering and even the high pitched screeching. It all fits well with the Little Bayou House. Plus, it reminds me of the old farm place. We always had the chimney swifts in both fireplaces and had birds in the house occasionally. Sometimes, Mom would be embarrassed by the racket the birds would make if we had "company" other than extended family members. That was rare, though, so the birds were allowed to stay. The same here except I am not embarrassed by the birds. If someone does not like it, they can go...the birds stay. It all boils down to the fact that I do, indeed, like critters more than I do most humans. So, the loud-mouthed, sooty birds with prickly tails are accepted as "part of the family" and I will continue to tote them outside when necessary.
As soon as I awoke this morning, I knew it was going to be a special day. I had no idea what was to be different but something was, for sure! At 5am while I was sipping that first mug of coffee, I heard a strange sound. Hmm? Wonder what that was? Since I was the only one awake in the Little Bayou House, the noise sounded loud...really loud. It was sort of a "sandy, fluttering sound". Maybe gritty was a better word but still fluttery with a slight grinding. I eased my way to the dining room and waited. Yep, the noise came from there and I knew exactly what was causing it. The sound came from near the fireplace. It came as no surprise that I found a small, black bird clinging to the old stove. "Well, now! What have we here? Are you lost?" The little bird allowed me to lift if from its perch. I gently held my little ward and unscrewed the cover to the fireplace. "Ok, little one. Off you go! Head on back up that chimney!" As soon as I lifted my hand inside the fireplace, the tiny bird fluttered up the chimney to be greeted by its family. It was free and so happy to be reunited!
All day, I felt good about helping my little friend. The screecher (as my niece, Kammie, has labeled the bird.) was none other than a chimney swift. Each year, dozens of the birds nest in the old brick chimney. They do well but, every now and again, one youngster cannot hold its place and it tumbles to the bottom of the fireplace. Once there, it worms its way through the old wood stove and into the house. No problem. I just pick them up and, depending on the size of the bird, either open the fireplace and replace the bird or take it outside where it can take flight. It happens a couple of times every year.
This evening, I was still feeling pretty good about the incident when Son came to tell me that there was a bird in the house. He and I headed back to the dining room where, once again, a chimney swift was clinging to the wood stove. Son started unscrewing the cover while I picked up the bird. These are such gentle birds. They do not struggle to get away nor do they fight. The birds sit calmly in my hand until it is time to leave. This one did not want to leave. I held my hand up in the fireplace but the bird clung to my fingers. "Nope, it is dark in there. I want to stay with you." I tried to ease it onto the side wall where it could cling to the bricks. "Nope. I like your hand." So, the next step was to take the bird outside where it could fly free. "I really like you! I want to be your friend!" Oh, come on, little one! FLY! It took a good five minutes before the bird even thought about leaving my hand once we were outside. It just sat in my palm like a happy camper.
I have a feeling our escapade with Thursday being Bird Day is going to extend over into the weekend. We will have to be extra vigilant while Ms. Nycto, the Bayou Princess Cat, is in the house, however! And that made me smile...I keep hearing how wildlife rescue groups admonish folks for letting their cats outside but, obviously, those well-meaning folks never have wild birds as visitors INSIDE their houses. I do!
Several years ago, my niece, Kammie, described some of the critters of the Bayou as "Screechers". This was a slip of the tongue as she meant to say "scary creatures" but combined the two words. I liked this better than scary creatures so it became the name of a certain bunch of creatures. In the fireplace each summer, a growing number of chimney swifts make their nests. Once the eggs hatch, the tiny birds start to make noises as the parent birds fly in to feed them. All birds do the same only with the chimney swifts being confined in what, more or less, is a giant tunnel, the noise is loud. Most folks would have immediately called an exterminator to rid the chimney of the birds but then complained of the bugs around the Bayou. I rather like the birds, their penchant for biting insects and even their noisy screeching. I love the Screechers of the Bayou!
For the past several days, I kept telling Son that it sounded like one of the Screechers had fallen to the bottom of the fireplace. To me, it sounded as if the bird was in the firebox and not the chimney. I feared that the parent birds would overlook this little one and not feed it. Still, the bird did not seem to be weakening so, perhaps, my fears were for naught. Then, this morning, it sounded as if the bird was fluttering inside the house! SON!!!
He and I (armed with flashlights) started searching the dining room. My first thought was that the bird was inside the antique parlor stove. This old cast iron stove is vented up through the chimney. While I took off the burner plate on top, Son took off the protective grating on the front of the stove and set it to the side. Nope, no bird inside the parlor stove! Where was that thing?? Son reached down to pick up the grate to replace it when a frantic fluttering again took place. The tiny bird had been clinging to the grating when he had removed it! Now, the bird was on the loose inside the house!
After about five minutes of (gentle) bird-chasing, the little tyke settled down near the newel post. I reached down, picked up the bird and consoled it. The bird sat calmly in my hand. Son took a photo of it but refused to use the flash. "It has been living in the dark all of its life. The light will harm its eyes." he told me. So, the photo was dark, the bird was put back in the fireplace and all was good. As soon as I held my hand behind the stove board that covers the fireplace front, the little bird flew up the chimney to be with his siblings. Probably by tomorrow, the birds will have all flown up the chimney and out the top. This little one probably would have been ok on his own outside but it was best to let him be with the others for his first flight. Happy flying, Little Screecher! Come back to see us now!
A few months back, I had to rescue a Chimney Swift that decided to take a detour through the house instead of exiting via the chimney. This happened three times in a week and each time the bird remained calm as I toted it back outside. The last time, I scolded the bird and told it to fly up the chimney like a normal swift. Well, that rascal has decided to come back and haunt me! For the fourth time this season, my fireplace sounds like it is inhabited by possessed entities! It is bad enough to have the baby birds yelling for food during the daytime but Chimney Swifts also hunt at night when there is a bright moon. Lately, the baby birds screech all night! Loudly!
A sweet niece had proclaimed that she thought the Bayou was haunted by Screechers. When I questioned her choice of words, she said that she meant to say "scary creatures" but it came out as screechers. So, now I have real-life Screechers living in my fireplace. If Kammie came to visit now, she might be startled to hear the birds that so aptly fit her description.
Folks ask why I do not cover the chimney or call a pest control business to rid the chimney of the birds. Why should I? Other than their yelling, I have no problem sharing the place with the critters. They do a lot of good, in their own way. These birds can devour more bugs than any other bird. They catch all while on the wing so flying insects do not stand a chance. With all of the recent rains in the area, mosquitoes abound so any help I can get is welcome. Having the birds nest in the chimney is a small price to pay for their service. If folks do not like to hear my Screechers then they can just go home. I like them!
Three times in the past month, I have had a visitor in the Little Bayou House. At daybreak, when I wander into the kitchen, I can hear a fluttering in the laundry room. Mark found my friend the first time and called to me. "You have a friend visiting!" Then again a few weeks later and now today, the same friend makes its way to the laundry room at daybreak. The fluttering alerts me to her presence and I immediately go to greet her. My friend is a chimney swift.
The tiny bird nested in the chimney like every other year but this time, she seems to think it is far easier to go down the chimney to the firebox, through the cover and into the laundry room to be let out the back door than to fly back up the full height of the chimney. Her little ones have fallen from their nest and are at home in the firebox. Their chittering calls can be heard throughout the house starting at dawn and then quieting at dusk. Mama Swift obviously sneaks out early to pay us a call. She flutters against the window until I pick her up. Then she sits quietly in my hand until I carry her outside and into the middle of the yard. I talk with her a bit before she decides go about her business of catching insects. This morning, I was able to open my hand and observe her beauty. The tiny bird made no struggle to escape but waited for a minute or so before happily going on her way.
Chimney Swifts nest in "old time brick chimneys". With the newer metal chimneys being more prevalent nowadays, the birds have lost most of their nesting sites. The habit of most folks of capping their chimneys during the breeding season has also taken a toll on the poor birds. The lack of nesting sites has caused a great decline in the bird population which saddens me. These little birds eat so many flying insects that losing them will be something we all feel. Having the swifts nest in our chimney is something that I actually look forward to each summer. Their high pitched chittering brings back memories of the old farmhouse with its two chimneys. Both fireplaces would house the swifts and occasionally, then like now, a bird would come into the house. Usually, Mom would just draw the curtains, turn off the lights and open the door. The bird would fly out on its own eventually. My interacting with the bird in the Little Bayou House brightens the day. The bird is none the worse for wear and I get to observe her up close. She is indeed a beauty!
For the past couple of weeks, the fireplace in the Little Bayou House has sounded haunted. Well, in a way it is. It is haunted by a nest of baby Chimney Swifts. At first the twittering could barely be heard. When Mama or Papa Swift came swooping down in the chimney, a few little peeps let me know that the hungry mouths were open and receiving nourishment. After just a couple of days, their voices grew stronger. The birds were rapidly growing and by this time had already outgrown the tiny nest which was plastered to the inside wall of the chimney. Since seeing inside the upper part of the chimney is rather difficult, the progress of the little ones had to be purely a guess but they were definitely getting stronger. By the end of the first week, Son compared the chirping to a wagon with four squeaky wheels. I closed my eyes and could definitely see the resemblance. Yep, the birds were squeaking!
Soon there came the fluttering of wings along with the more intense calls for food. The drumming of the wings on the side of the chimney came echoing down to the fireplace. The beats were like a few bongo drums being pounded by some beatnik! The squeaky wheel effect changed with the coming days and soon could be described better as screeching....and the birds dropped lower into the fireplace. Poor parent birds had a long flight down that two story chimney and I had to endure the loud screeches of the little ones...even well into the night.
This morning, I removed the cover of the fireplace and discovered one little bird had perished and another was clinging about a foot from the floor of the fireplace. Others were higher up and continued screeching while I photographed the lower one. After replacing the cover, I heard the little one fluttering up higher to be with its siblings.
While folks who visit the Little Bayou House are a little taken aback by the screeching fireplace, I sort of enjoy it. I can understand the sudden screeching from the "haunted" fireplace being a bit unnerving to those who are unaware of the birds' presence, but the chirping reminds me of being back on the farm. As a kid, I recall both fireplaces in the old farmhouse having birds each summer. Mom and Pop never worried about the birds nor did they try to dissuade them from nesting there. "Those birds eat a lot of bugs." was a phrase that I remember Pop telling visitors. Yep, they do.
It is a little known fact that Chimney Swifts cannot roost like other birds. They spend their entire waking hours in flight and can only cling on a vertical surface. When resting, the birds prefer the dark, coolness of chimneys and other such areas. Even their nests are plastered to the vertical surface of chimneys and are held in place by the birds's glue-like saliva.
It is a sad state of affairs for the birds with not too many "old fashioned" chimneys about the place. The modern chimneys have caps which inhibit the birds from entering so their nesting sites are dwindling. Swifts used to nest in cliff caves, dead trees, outhouses, silos and any other tall, dark places but even those are fast becoming things of the past. With their nesting sites becoming scarce, the population of Chimney Swifts is plummeting. This is a sad thing for any species but for one that is so beneficial to all of us, it is particularly disturbing. I did find instructions on making Chimney Swift Towers and will encourage Son to build a couple out of scrap lumber. Maybe I can interest Darling Daughter to erect a few on their property as well. It cannot hurt and may be a boon to the birds. I think a new project is in the works! I have to save the Little Screechers!
