Something fowl has been happening in the league of extra-ordinary chimney sweeps, because we've two consultancies in a row, with the cats watching facinated as the latest birdy ends up inside the combustion heater, looking out, fluttering about.
This is the third since summer started - and as the last one spent a good 24 hours in there and had me trying to figure just how to get it out before it died in there and got us out -- they've shaken loose a load of soot -- some of which they take out with them. I've released two blackbird... which came in as starlings.
The interesting part, of course, is catching them, without them going soot-bomber all over the house. The second one - a smallish bird who barely spent ten minutes in the fascinating environs of our chimney - was quite easy for anyone who has ever wriggled crays out of a tight hole - it moved back into the far corner of the baffles when I tried get hold of it. Its grateful attempts at pecking and scratching made me SO glad it wasn't a Rosella. It did escape at the doorway, but a quick flick saw it gone with nothing more than a reproachful glance from the cats. The other - larger one - who was still fiesty after a long stay in durance chimney, made a dash for the fire-door as I reached for him, but I pinioned him with a forearm and let him fly off with soot-able messages for his nearest and dearest.
Now maybe what we need is a bigger chimney for the turkeys.
A recent bit on the TV showed a crab boat, and the captain proudly showed off his way of cooking crabs. He grabbed one by the legs, and held it over the exhaust pipe from the diesel for a while. Then he pulled it out, cut off and peeled the blackened shell, and offered the TV people fresh crab, which they declared delicious. So a turkey in the chimney might be possible. But I'd be cautious about the emu :-)
ReplyDeleteYeah, I was going to say, screen over the chimney for the summer, but if it can aid in catching dinner, maybe it should be enlarged to turkey size instead.
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