The chimney that provided me with a Chimney Swift nest last year has done so again. A friend helped me Wednesday morning take photos of and then remove the nest from the chimney. That involved some gentle pry work with a spatula. These birds have adhered their nests to the brick surface just above the fireplace floor and just below the metal chimney liner. A rough surface is needed for nest placement. The birds' saliva is the glue that holds the nest in place and together. The nest sat about 10 feet down from the chimney opening and two feet above the fireplace floor. It was easily reachable. The chimney lining is evident in the photo. We're looking at the nest from the bottom. What appears as the bottom edge of the nest in the photo is actually the front lip of the nest. The nest was surprisingly shallow, and had a slight downhill slant. The nest projected three inches from the brick, and is four inches across. The cup that held the young birds — normally four in number — has a diameter of about two inches. That's pretty cozy. This nest held some egg shell pieces. There was no evidence on the fireplace floor of birds ever using the chimney. Young swifts produce their waste in fecal sacs that are removed by the adult birds. The birds, their sounds first mistaken for bats, could easily be heard while the nest was active. The swifts have returned to this chimney for several years without a miss.