This happened to a friend of mine but it was their house. You have to tell the landlord because you need a bird proof cover. i also had a bird trapped in my hood vent in a basement apartment. we had to take both apart and take the birds outdoors. Maybe the landlord can send someone to do that so "nothing gets damaged."

If you can pull the dryer away from the wall and detach the vent, you could snake a long wire up there to try to dislodge the nest. Note, however, that if there are babies or eggs in there, they may come crashing down.

If you're worried about saving the birds, best thing is to go in through the top and pull the nest out. You could maybe even use a hook and fishing line. (Unless the nest is made out of dryer lint, in which case it will likely fall apart.) I know you said you don't have a ladder. If the landlord takes care of it, the birds are probably toast. So, be specific if you're concerned about them.

Other things to be worried about: If the nest gets dislodged and the birds are in there, the birds could freak out, fly erratically, and break a neck. If, again, you're not concerned about them, you still need to watch out for this because dead bird + warm dry air = big stink.

After the nest is removed, you can get a pre-fab vent cover, or you can make one with chicken wire.

You can probably rent an extension ladder at any rental place, if you don't have one that can be borrowed.

Is there some sort of governmental wild animal control place you could call for advice or help?

Yeah, I don't want to kill any birds living in there. If there's a nest, it doesn't have live little birdies in it yet. I'll try building a hook to reach down in there, and I'll get a friend to lend us his ladder this weekend to put a screen on the vent.

I'm loath to call my landlord because a) our lease sucks and we've gotta pay a $50 fee to have them come out and fix a problem, and b) they'll probably just gas up the vent line and shake any dead birds out afterwards *shudder*.

Thanks for the advice!

Yes, your lease sucks if you have to pay for something that's faulty and not caused by your actions! Boo, hiss to the landlord. Good on you for finding a possible solution and looking after the birdies.

Another good thing to do, muddgirl, would be to observe the vent on the roof at dawn and dusk to see if you can spot the birds coming/going. Also, pull the dryer away from the wall and listen -- see if you hear or see activity at specific times of the day. I'm thinking they might be chimney swifts. Watch for them early and late in the day to confirm, then go from there.

You have some time before they have babies -- probably later in the spring. You want to get rid of them before then, but until then they'll be okay. (Run the dryer before nightfall just to be sure.) You can watch for a while to positively id them, which will clue you in to what kind of nest they build. The only problem with waiting is that they'll be making a mess in the vent. However, since it vents from the first floor to the second, it must have an elbow at some point very near where it connects to the dryer. That should be easy enough to clean. Just attach a rag to a straightened coat hanger and rub it all up in there, just past the elbow.

Er, not from the first floor to the second -- from the second floor to the roof. In any case, the vent goes up, is what I meant, so it's got to have an elbow joint, and that's where all the droppings/feathers/eggshells/detritus will be landing.