There is a squirrel in my chimney

[Faryn Balyncd]

90. Here's what we did when an owl got stuck in our chimney.

He or she was there for several days, and would usually stay above the flue, but sometimes come down into the fireplace and look out through the glass door, and try to get out. But after several days it became apparent that he or she could not climb or fly out of the chimney.

So I built a cage out of wire, placed it in front of the chimney with the glass door opened. Then the owl then came down from the flue and ut of the chimney into the cage. I slid a board between the cage and the chimney to close the cage, took the owl outside and opened it. The owl flew off.

I later related the story to the former owner of the house, who told me that the reason they had placed the glass door in front of the chimney was because a few years earlier an owl had come down the chimney and into the house, and they had had a difficult time getting the owl safely outside, eventually throwing a blanket over it.

I think the walls of the chimney were too slick for the bird to climb out and too restrictive for it to fly straight up.