What To Do If You Have Suffolk County Chimney Swifts In Your Chimney?

Suffolk County chimney swifts are small birds. An adult barely 2 inches and weighing an ounce. They have 1 brood a year and about 4 to 5 eggs a clutch with the eggs having an incubation period of up to 14 days. Being insect eaters(bees, flies, moths, beetles),they spend most time in the air coming down to roost or feed their young who spend 14 to 18 days in the nest. Their nests are usually half-cup shaped structures of twigs and glued to the chimneys with saliva. chimney swifts have no special impact on people ,it's in consideration that in numbers the nests can reduce the drafting efficiency of a flue while fire is burning in the fireplace .Nevertheless ,the young one's “chitter “sound can be termed raspy to some people fueling the need to keep them away.



1. Chimney capping.
• With the urge to keep New York chimney swifts off your chimney at its peak, chimney capping can come in handy.
• The birds leave their nests in fall. Hence hiring a professional sweep to remove the nesting's and later installing a cap is the way to go.
• It's important to note that the birds are protected under the Migratory bird Treaty Act of 1918 and therefore any action of intimidation is a violation of the Act and is punishable by law.

2. Tolerate them
• The Suffolk County birds pose no health or physical harm to humans and putting aside the odds, man can coexist with the birds without either crossing another's path.

3. Physical removal.
• If the New York birds are a bother and you are impatient enough to wait till fall when the birds leave, physical extrusion is worth a shot.
• The catch is you will have to get a permit from the relevant authorities such as the fish and wildlife conservatory service to prevent your actions being regarded a violation of the Migratory bird Treaty Act under which they are protected.

4. Muffle the noise
• It may be disconcerting to hear the chirping of the Suffolk County birds from inside the chimney.
• If the chirping from chimney is too loud ,homeowners can temporarily pack the bottom of the flue with insulating materials to muffle the noise

Visit our Suffolk County wildlife removal home page to learn more about us.