Jackdaw nest in chimney

[Cloud]

We are having a wood burning stove installed at the end of June. It will need a new liner, so I've just tried to organise a sweep. But they wont do it. Well not until after 1st September, because of the possibility of nesting birds - we were told it was 'the law'.

So I have the wood burner, and scaffolding all lined up, but it's looking like I'll have to cancel, unless I can prove there are no nesting birds. September onwards is a busy time for the stove installer. It's unlikely we'll get a date before spring, then we're back to the same problem again! The stove people won't do it unless the chimney's been swept no more than a week before hand. An the sweep wont do it if there might be a nest.

The chimney was swept in Autumn and it did have a old Jackdaw nest in it, and in March they started dropping twigs down again, but I had the impression they gave up and nested in next doors pot. One jackdaw look the same as the next to me, so maybe there are two families up there. The fact that the twigs stopped coming might have meant the chimney was then full!

So, are they right, do I have to wait until 1st September, by law? (not that I would want to evict baby Jackdaws)

Ideally, how do I prove there is no nest in the pot without breaking my neck? It's a very steep roof and good hight of stack on top of that - hence the need for scaffolding. I though about a camera on a kite but we have electric pylons just a few metres away

[pelmetman]

Don't know about the law side but like you say it would be wrong to move the nest if they have young.

However, looking in my trusty bird book it says that Magpies have their young in April/May so I would have thought if there were young they would be leaving the nest soon anyway.

Once it is all done you want to get the installer to put a bird guard on so it doesn't happen again.

When we first moved here we kept getting starlings coming down the chimney in the lounge, with a cream carpet and pale furnishings you can imagine the mess. The bird guard soon put a stop to it.
Sue

[Cloud]

Looks like the bit about the law is correct
http://www.ecotreecare.co.uk/wildlife-conservation.htm

Once it is all done you want to get the installer to put a bird guard on so it doesn't happen again.

Yes, that's the plan. They're fitting a new pot and a cowl. So hopefully this won't be a problem again.

We've never had a chimney before, and I think we've been rather naive about all this. I just wish the sweep mentioned it when he swept the chimney in the autumn. And the stove people did seem to think it important to mention. We just assumed the birds would have been gone by June.