A surprise in my engine compartment!

[AdamZ]

Talk about a timely article, On Friday I just read my e-pilot electronic news letter from AOPA. It spoke about bird's nesting in your engine compartment. Today my friend and I were set to take my uncle and my cousin, who is special needs, up on my cousin's first flight ever. He is 14 now. We were taking some weight so we booked the Seneca II, As we were preflighting we found two, count em 2 pieces of dried grass in the cowl of the right engine but could not see anything inside. We checked the left engine and found again two only two thin pieces of dried grass in the entrance to the left cowl. Again we looked in and couldn't see anything even with a flash light.
Having just read the AOPA article I knew these buggers like to build their nests all the way back as far back as they can get. We popped the cover to the oil dipstick on the left cowl and there it was, a freakin bird mcmansion. What a huge nest. We were luck we were able to see it! You can't just pop the cowl on the Seneca like you can in a Tiger or Cherokee.
To think only two small pieces of dried grass something so incredibly insignificant. Please everyone check real hard on your preflights These birds are amazing. I hear It dosen't take long for them to build the nest either.
Luckily the FBO's Saratoga was available so my cousin got his ride.

 

[wbarnhill]

I hope you didn't make them move! You mean mean pilot, making the poor birdies relocate!

Hehe. Good eye, and something my CFI tells me to check every single time we preflight.

 

[Toby]

It is not too early to start stuffing pieces of foam in all the cavities of the airplane. When you hear those birds chirping in the morning, mating and nesting have begun!

 

[RotaryWingBob]

When I was a student I was pre-flighting a Warrior, and saw a little straw in the tail cone. By the time I got it all out I had a loose pile of straw and sticks about a foot high.

Both the Archer and R22 live in hangars, but I still give them a good going over.

Sounds like you gys did a good pre-flight!

 

[Alan]

I overnighted in Seguine, TX about a year ago and discovered birds nests in both engines. I had been there about 14 hours arriving at 10 PM and planning to depart at noon. After completely uncowling both engines, I spent 1-1/2 hours picking straw, grass, snd sticks out. The guy at the FBO said that they will begin buildiing as soon as the engine cools.

I volunteered for "bird killing day". Told him I'd bring my own gun and shells .

 

[AdamZ]

What is really scary about this is that I know that many people look inside the cowl in just a perfunctory manner almost like they are on auto pilot. My first CFI once said a pilot shoudl have dirty hands when he climbs in the plane.