Expert: Roger Lederer - 6/1/2009

Question
QUESTION: I have had chirping baby birds in oven vent nest for at least 2 weeks now.  (nest building began one month ago)  Have been waiting for them to depart to clean and cover vent. However, new nesting material going in.  Have my guest not left yet or new family moving in?

ANSWER: I suspect the young birds will leave any day now - two weeks is a long time in the nest. But if they are trapped there, they might be able to leave the nest until they can fly, and that would mean they will be there another week until they can.

---------- FOLLOW-UP ----------

QUESTION: Actually, I did see young birds flying from the nest and returning back to the vent last weekend.  No chirping this week.  I was thinking maybe they had left and a new nesting pair may be moving in because of the busy activity today bringing in new straw matter.  If you still believe the original family is there can I look into vent without causing problems for the baby birds?  If a new nest is being made I would like to interrupt the process before any new eggs arrive and fix the opening as painters are coming this week to paint this messy area.  Thanks for you response.  I do not know much about birds and want to be kind to their needs.  Advice and opinion much appreciated.

Answer
Well, I can't give you an exact answer because you don't tell me what kinds of girds they are. I think you can look into the nest without causing problems - only frequent disturbance will cause them any problems. If there are no eggs in the nest, you can remove it. Of course, the best thing is to leave things alone, but of course they are nesting in a very inconvenient place. Thanks for your concern