Any Ideas

[weecalf]

A house that I pass quite often had crows building in the chimney ,so they put one of those steel things on the pot to stop them .Since that the pair of crows have been about they put and bringing pieces of sticks to drop down the chimney .Is this normal or are these crows making some sorta statement like Nobody stops us .

[Old_Geezer]

I would guess that they are probably too daft to realise they can't build a nest in that place any more. Crows are supposed to be reasonably intelligent but I guess instinct isn't always easy to overcome with intelligence.

[wildwood]

By the time the birds are ready to actually build a nest, they will already be mentally 'locked' into the procreation mode. It will take some time for them to realise that the nest is not going to eventuate, and they'll come into another breeding cycle with their eye on some other suitable nesting place.
The building in a chimney method seems to me to be a bad place to nest as it takes quite some time for the first stick dropped down to 'grip' the sides and stick. Then another etc.

Hormones do funny things to animals.

[Chipchopper]

I think its more likely that they are a bit confused or nonplussed my the installment of the chimney cowl, rather than making a protest.

Highly intelligent birds though.