Oh, Dear - Need Bird Nest Help STAT!

[graylocks]

yesterday i seriously trimmed a huge, huge shrub in front of my house. while trimming i found a bird nest. i stopped, made sure it was not occuppied and, thinking the inhabitants were done for the season, i removed it and placed it on the my porch.

well, i just went to tidy up my porch and discovered a bright blue egg in the nest. CRAP! now what? should i find another shrub to re-situate the nest? i guess if it found it on the porch it can find where i place it next.

i feel so bad. funny thing is, just this morning i was thinking what if the mom hadn't given birth yet and now had no where to lay the eggs? :banghead:

[MartyStickle]

Why not put it back whee you found it?

[graylocks]

MartyStickle wrote:
Why not put it back whee you found it?

because i took that shrub down to nubs!

googling suggests the mother may not be able to find a relocated nest but this one apparently did. for the time being i've moved it a few feet to the end of the porch where it's a bit more protected but not covered. if the mom continues to call the nest home, i'll have my guitar students enter through my side door instead of the front door thus reducing nest traffic to zero.

[testcase]

How protected or exposed is your porch? Are there cats roaming free in the area? MartyStickle offered a simple solution.

[testcase]

I don't know why my posts are hiding themselves. Have I unknowingly activated some default?

[graylocks]

testcase wrote:
How protected or exposed is your porch? Are there cats roaming free in the area? MartyStickle offered a simple solution.

i've not seen cats in the area for a long time. baby rabbits, chipmunks, and squirrels abound.

i could possible put it in a shrub i haven't trimmed yet but then i'm really concerned the mom won't find it.

[PeterB]

graylocks, try putting it somewhere away from the cats' reach but close enough to where you found it, that mom will be able to find it. That being said, the egg is likely not going to make it anyway-- if they aren't kept warm for a significant period of time, the cells die... don't feel too bad, things like this happen, you had no way to know the nest was there.

[graylocks]

i'm on plan B. the shrub did have a good fork remaining in it so i put the nest in there and secured it with baling wire. PeterB, i'm hoping since the egg has been in sunlight since i discovered it, it has remained viable. we'll see.

[graylocks]

sorry these pics are sideways. they rotated as they flew up to the internet and don't have time to fix them right now.

[Jimmypoo]

are you color blind?