Posie's Blog. Tales of island life on a hebridean hill farm

Posie's Blog. Tales of island life on a hebridean hill farm

Friday 4 May 2012

An eviction notice has been served....


The latest addition to the farmhouse kitchen has been playing up and involved the Happy Farmer serving an eviction order.
The Happy Farmer's attention was drawn to our new lodgers when the kitchen began to have the faint smell of oil fumes. The game was a bogey when we overheard the lodgers merrily chirruping and tweeting away, the happy sounds echoing down the flu of the Aga and into the kitchen. Prompt action was called for as the Happy Farmer diagnosed the problem as uninvited lodgers 'nest building' in the chimney.
He immediately got to work, sweeping out the chimney with rods from behind the oven upwards. Much to his frustration those brushes and rods would not go right through. The lodgers departed, and the Happy Farmer had no choice but to scale the farmhouse walls and go up onto the roof, a past time which has become second nature to him with all of his various building projects.
The Happy Farmer removed one huge nest made of sheep's wool, twigs, plastic and all sorts of other odds and ends. These fantastic 'eco' birds had done a fabulous recycling job, the nest consisted of various bits of debris. Thankfully the birds were still at the 'construction phase' of nesting so there were no eggs inside.
Satisfied the eviction had been successfully carried out the Happy Farmer once again lit the Aga and was a tad disgruntled when fumes began bellowing out of the ovens like never before.  The whole house was 'gassed' out. More roof top clambering and chimney sweeping, and another huge nest was dislodged from further down the pipe.
Finally the Aga was re- lit, and going like a dream once more. 
Next morning the lodgers had returned, merrily chirruping away as they commenced the re- build. A very disgruntled and frustrated farmer went back on the roof with chicken wire in hand only to find those birds had been extremely busy and there was another completed nest in situ.
Nesting has now resumed, but not in the chimney....the Cuckoo has arrived and appears to have moved onto the farm too....
Until next time.... 

7 comments:

Fennie said...

Ho Ho! You don't say what birds they were. Jackdaws perhaps, who troubled us too each spring when we lived in our former house. Each spring they would drop twigs down the chimney of the central heating boiler until it finally gave up the ghost. Then we had to wait until the chicks were fledged. I never learned how a young bird (still less an adult) managed to leap about two feet up and through a chimney pot to get out, but they did. When they had gone I used to pour old sump oil down the chimney and then throw down old newspapers and then light everything so that the nests were consumed. One I used too much oil and we thought the house was on fire. Then the next spring the jackdaws would return. Somehow I never thought of chicken wire over the top of the chimney.

Elizabethd said...

Very determined birds!

Molly said...

Posie we used to have that problem too. Ours were rooks who were in their element throwing twigs and sheep's wool down the chimney every February. We had to put wire grids over the tops of the chimneys to stop them the little varmints.

Frances said...

How clever and persistent these birdies are/were in claiming their chosen nesting place.

I guess it is a bit of a compliment to you all, even if you would prefer their seeking another site. Wonder if birds have some sort of housing network?

xo

Pondside said...

Oh dear - what a time your Farmer had! We've had birds in the chimney but never a nest (knocking madly on wood here!)

Cathy at PotterJotter said...

Eeek! We have an Aga and the exact same kettle as you only in Grey (they didn't have the orange!), but we've never had this trouble, which is a good job as nobody here would be going up the side of the house to sort it! You do have some adventures! xCathy

Funkymonkey said...

It sounds as though the local wildlife needs as much attention as the farm animals. I'd freak out if we had birds or a nest in the chimney.

Tracey