Trapped

This squint picture is because I was holding the bird in a towel with one hand and trying to take a photo with the other ! 

It was the second young starling to come down our dining room chimney this morning- fortunately it then got trapped behind the glass door of the log burner which is why I heard it scratching. They are easy to catch as they always fly to the window when I release them and I grab them with a towel - Mrs AMK stays well away but opens the door once I shout. They then  fly off making a great indignant din when I release them out the front door.

We have wire netting round the chimney pots yet 3 of these birds came down this chimney just before our holiday and I got in touch with the roofer to see if he could check it . I wouldn’t dream of going up a roof that is three storeys high ! He messaged me in Aus to say he had been and all looked fine with the netting and I paid his bill when I got home .

All is obviously not fine - I just hope he checked the correct chimney as it is usually his nephew C who comes. I sent him this picture of the starling and he has promised me he will speak to C tomorrow ! 

It is a problem every year at this time as the noisy young birds congregate in large numbers on the chimney stack - this is the first one where I have noticed the colour starting to develop in the breast feathers.