It's spring and I think there are baby birds up there. Can they just be pulled out?

Not always. In many places nesting birds are legally protected, and that's why the species is identified before anything is done. Where the law or the species requires it, a wildlife specialist handles humane eviction.

Can I just burn a small fire to get it out?

No. It's cruel, and the dry nesting material stacked on the smoke shelf is exactly the kind of fuel that starts a chimney fire. Leave the fireplace alone until the flue has been cleared and inspected.

Do I need a permit in Yonkers for this?

Routine sweeping and inspection generally don't require one in New York. Permits are issued locally by the municipal building department, and structural masonry work such as rebuilding a chimney above the roofline typically does need one — call the local building department before that kind of work begins.

Is there a licence I should ask about?

New York doesn't issue a statewide chimney sweep or chimney inspection licence. Westchester County runs its own home improvement contractor licensing program, so verify current requirements with the county consumer affairs or licensing office for the address where the work is being done.

How do I stop this happening again?

A properly sized cap with mesh, fitted to a sound crown. If the crown is cracked or the mortar is open from freeze-thaw, that gets flagged during the inspection so you know what you're dealing with. Ask for the reasoning in writing.

Are you the company doing the work?

No. One Call Chimney is a referral and scheduling service that arranges chimney work with independent sweeps and masons across all fifty states. We are not the contractor and we do not perform the work.

Something living up there in Yonkers, NY

You hear scratching. Maybe flapping, maybe chirping, maybe a scrabbling sound behind the damper at dawn. Something has gone down your flue and is either living in there or stuck. Birds nest on the smoke shelf. Squirrels and raccoons climb in and sometimes can't climb back out. The noise usually comes from above the damper, which is why it sounds like it's inside the wall.

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This happens for one plain reason: the flue is open at the top. A chimney without a properly sized cap is a hollow, warm, sheltered shaft, and that's exactly what a nesting bird wants. Yonkers has a lot of century-old brick and masonry buildings, and many of those chimneys were built for oil or coal heat and converted later. Repeated freeze-thaw cycles through a New York winter crack crowns and open mortar joints, and wind and heavy rain off tropical storm remnants work on the same weak spots. An old crown with a missing or damaged cap is an open invitation, and spring nesting season is the peak.

While you wait — please don't

Do not light a fire.. Trying to burn or smoke an animal out is cruel, and burning dry nesting material is a common cause of chimney fires.
Stop using the fireplace until it's cleared.. A nest packed on the smoke shelf is a blockage, and a blocked flue can push smoke and combustion gases back into the room.
If anyone feels dizzy, sick or headachy, get outside and call 911.. Those can be signs of carbon monoxide, which you cannot see or smell, and it needs to be treated as an emergency.
Don't open the damper to look.. You may drop a frightened animal, nesting debris and droppings straight into your living room, and droppings can carry disease.
Don't reach in.. A cornered raccoon or squirrel will bite, and nesting birds are legally protected in many places, so removal has to be handled correctly.

What the technician does

The animal gets identified firstNothing is done until the technician knows what's in there. Birds, squirrels and raccoons all get handled differently, and so does an animal that's dead rather than living.
Removal or humane evictionWhere the species requires it, a wildlife specialist is brought in for humane eviction rather than simple removal. Protected nesting birds have to be dealt with legally.
Nesting material and debris outTwigs, leaves, droppings and whatever else has piled up on the smoke shelf come out. That material is flammable and it is the part that starts chimney fires.
The flue is swept and inspectedOnce it's empty the flue gets swept and inspected so you know the liner and the masonry are sound. Ask to see the camera footage if an inspection camera is used.
A properly sized cap with meshThe cap is what stops it happening again. It has to be sized to the flue and fitted with mesh, or the next nesting season starts the whole thing over.
The price comes before the workThe technician inspects the chimney and gives you the price first. You approve it before anything starts.

Why this happens in Yonkers, NY

Spring is when most of these calls come from Yonkers. Birds nest, the flue has sat unused since the end of the heating season, and the noise carries down an empty chimney into a quiet house. It's also the season when freeze-thaw damage from winter shows up — a cracked crown or a crumbling joint that let the cap loosen or let an animal in around the edge. Humidity here is high year-round, so an unused flue stays damp, and damp nesting material adds smell on top of everything else.

The housing stock matters too. Across Getty Square, Park Hill, Ludlow Park and the older streets of Nodine Hill, masonry chimneys are very common and many are old enough that the crown and cap have been repaired or replaced more than once. Out in Crestwood, Colonial Heights and Dunwoodie the mix includes postwar single-family homes, but masonry flues are still everywhere. In plenty of Yonkers homes the chimney is still an active venting flue for the heating system, not just decoration — so a blockage is not only a fireplace problem.

Questions people ask

It's spring and I think there are baby birds up there. Can they just be pulled out?: Not always. In many places nesting birds are legally protected, and that's why the species is identified before anything is done. Where the law or the species requires it, a wildlife specialist handles humane eviction.
Can I just burn a small fire to get it out?: No. It's cruel, and the dry nesting material stacked on the smoke shelf is exactly the kind of fuel that starts a chimney fire. Leave the fireplace alone until the flue has been cleared and inspected.
Do I need a permit in Yonkers for this?: Routine sweeping and inspection generally don't require one in New York. Permits are issued locally by the municipal building department, and structural masonry work such as rebuilding a chimney above the roofline typically does need one — call the local building department before that kind of work begins.
Is there a licence I should ask about?: New York doesn't issue a statewide chimney sweep or chimney inspection licence. Westchester County runs its own home improvement contractor licensing program, so verify current requirements with the county consumer affairs or licensing office for the address where the work is being done.
How do I stop this happening again?: A properly sized cap with mesh, fitted to a sound crown. If the crown is cracked or the mortar is open from freeze-thaw, that gets flagged during the inspection so you know what you're dealing with. Ask for the reasoning in writing.
Are you the company doing the work?: No. One Call Chimney is a referral and scheduling service that arranges chimney work with independent sweeps and masons across all fifty states. We are not the contractor and we do not perform the work.

One call

Call (866) 576-7943 and we'll arrange for a technician to come out, identify what's in the chimney and give you a free estimate. You see the price before any work starts, and nothing happens until you approve it.

Call now · (866) 576-7943

Something else in this area

One Call Chimney arranges the visit; the technician does the work and gives you the price.