Covering the chimney opening with barrier wire has been on the to do list for some time. Luckily some square wire mesh was accessible in the full garage so I cut some and installed it on the chimney.
Every spring a bird has flown into the chimney and gotten disoriented enough to die in the stove. It is gross and makes us feel bad as we never noticed the frantic scrambling to escape.
So this mesh cover should eliminate the problem.
Steel mesh cover on chimney
I used caps from the insulation cap nails to capture the wire mesh with self drilling screws. Not the prettiest job but it should last a few seasons at least.
Installing the steel mesh