Found a dead owl in a flue last Wednesday

Got a call from a lady in Portland whose fireplace was smoking bad. Pulled the cap and the damper was stuck halfway open. Shined my light up and saw a big clump of nesting material. Dug it out with my gloved hand and there was a dead barn owl mixed in with the twigs. Has anyone else dealt with wildlife blocking a flue like that?

2 comments

2 Comments

richard_hall27d ago

I got a dead squirrel out of a flue last winter in Salem. That smell stayed in my truck for three days no matter what I did. Barn owls are less common to find in there since they usually stick to barns and old buildings, not chimneys. The nesting material probably blocked enough airflow that the bird got trapped and couldn't get back out. You probably want to double check the cap is secure and the damper closes all the way to stop it from happening again.

wrenstone27d ago

Damn. I used to think flues were just for smoke, not dead animals. That changed my mind real quick. Pulling out a rotting owl was not on my to-do list that day.