Baby bird trapped in my fireplace! NEW ADVICE!

[kt_luvs_kitties]

Ok. So I thought it would be a great idea to get rid of the old bread I had left over from a week or so. My cats love to see the birds through the windows, and so do I. Now I feel so bad.

I put it out early this morning, and by lunch time I heard what sounded like a bird falling. It was quiet so I thought nothing of it. I got home about 7, and the cats were circleing the fireplace, and the poor thing is screaming its head off.

I called Animal control, but they are closed. It transferred me to the sheriffs dept. They said I had to wait until morning and call AC back, since it is not an emergency.

What can I do? I have no idea how it got in there unless their is a hole in the screen (it is closed in for that reason)...

Does anyone know anything I can do until morning? Can it live there being so hot ( it was VERY HOT today, as well as tomorrow).

I dont have a ladder and its dark out. To make things worse my father is having major surgery in the morning. HELP!

[Twisterdog]

I used to get birds in my fireplace ALL the time. They would perch on the top of the chimney and fall in, I guess. I put wire around the chimney, and problem solved.

This is what I would do to get them out: if they are flying adult birds, I would put the dogs out, of course. Then I would close the drapes or blinds and turn all the light off in the house. I would open the front door, so that the house was dark, and only the open doorway was lighted. When I opened the door the bird would almost always just fly out the door. One or two got confused and ended up in the house somewhere, I just threw a towel over it and put it outside. A baby bird should be even easier, if it's not flying really well.

[kt_luvs_kitties]

This may sound crazy, but how do I open the fireplace up? I feel so bad

[Maya & Inka's mommy]

This happene here years ago too! A pigeon got trapped in our chimney! I called the fire brigade, and they came and freed the bird!! It's leg was broken, so it stayed in our garden 1 week; then I flew away

[Twisterdog]

This may sound crazy, but how do I open the fireplace up? I feel so bad

I don't really understand where the bird is. Is it stuck up in the chimney itself?

When the birds used to fall down my chimney, they would fall ALL the way down, and they would be in the actually fireplace itself, like where you put the logs in. My fireplace has glass and metal doors that close, so I would just open the doors, like I was going to build a fire, and the bird could fly out.

[kt_luvs_kitties]

I figured it out at I dunno, 4 or 5 in the morning? Mine has a Pull thing, inside, and you have to open the vent to let whatever fall into the fire pit. It does have glass doors as well.

But by time I finally figured this part out, I was covered in soot that was up in the shaft of the fireplace. I pulled down the lever, and it opened, but appearently, the bird was so scared, it found its way out I felt all around and looked inside with a flashlight, but no bird!

After all that, I was just glad it got out and did not die. Poor bird. Getting that hole in the screen fixed, and NO MORE bread for the birdies! BUT the bird bath can stay, they love it too much to take away

[kt_luvs_kitties]

Wanted to add: It is not completely open once the lever opens. It has sides on the inside, where a bird could stand, without coming through. I hope this makes sense