Bird in my basement?

oldhouseguy · 10-24-2011, 07:10 PM

Ok, so... I kept hearing this noise today like a tapping on my windows.

My dogs were going crazy, I thought it was a relentless squirrel outside.

Finally, I opened the door to go outside and a bird was sitting in my back entry way, it flew past me and into the basement. I did not get to the outside door yet, so it was closed. Which means the bird was in my basement.

Windows are sealed. The furnace and water heater vent to the chimney, as I look waaaay up there, that seems to be capped.

Does anyone have any idea how a full size starling could get in my basement? Are there some other routes I am not thinking of?

It had not been in there too long, I don't think. Certainly had enough energy for me to have to chase it around with a fishing net for a couple hours.

What a day.

Ron6519 · 10-24-2011, 10:08 PM

What "seems to be capped", might not be.
Vent from dryer or bathment bath might also be where it got in.

oldhouseguy · 10-24-2011, 10:26 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Ron6519

What "seems to be capped", might not be.
Vent from dryer or bathment bath might also be where it got in.

I was thinking that maybe the cap on the vent duct might be ajar, or pushed in... where he could squeeze in. I will certainly get up there and take a look. Are birds known to do this? If I were a bird, that would seem to be a long, long pipe with nothing on the other end. I don't know why I would choose that. But, alas, I am not a bird, so maybe they think differently, if at all.

I thought about and looked at the dryer vent, it has a flapper inside it that shuts it when dryer isn't on...but I think he would end up stuck in there if he came in that way. The dryer vent line was still connected to the dryer.

Hell, I think he would even end up in the dryer taking that route.

Ron6519 · 10-24-2011, 10:38 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by oldhouseguy

I was thinking that maybe the cap on the vent duct might be ajar, or pushed in... where he could squeeze in. I will certainly get up there and take a look. Are birds known to do this? If I were a bird, that would seem to be a long, long pipe with nothing on the other end. I don't know why I would choose that. But, alas, I am not a bird, so maybe they think differently, if at all.

I thought about and looked at the dryer vent, it has a flapper inside it that shuts it when dryer isn't on...but I think he would end up stuck in there if he came in that way. The dryer vent line was still connected to the dryer.

Hell, I think he would even end up in the dryer taking that route.

The dryer and bath vents could have holes in them.
Birds come down the chimney all the time. When I was dating my wife(to be), back in the '70's, I removed 2 birds from the basement over time.