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Monday Morning Mystery 052923
A friend sent me a message last month asking what she should do with this egg she saw on the railing on her deck. Egg is about a half-inch in diameter. By the time I saw her message, it was too late…
What's the egg, and what would your advice have been?
1 comment
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?Chipping sparrow egg.
If the nest was visible and accessible, she could have gently picked up the egg and put it back in the nest. While the water on the railing suggests that the egg was blown out of its nest during a rainstorm, Chipping sparrow nests are apparently favorite hosts for Cowbirds; in that case, the egg could have been displaced by the Cowbird. If she saw a Cowbird egg in the nest, she should not have disturbed it as it would be illegal to do so under the Migratory Bird Treaty Act (likewise, it would be illegal to try to incubate the found egg herself — besides the fact that it probably would not have worked).
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1 comment
Diane
?Chipping sparrow egg.
If the nest was visible and accessible, she could have gently picked up the egg and put it back in the nest. While the water on the railing suggests that the egg was blown out of its nest during a rainstorm, Chipping sparrow nests are apparently favorite hosts for Cowbirds; in that case, the egg could have been displaced by the Cowbird. If she saw a Cowbird egg in the nest, she should not have disturbed it as it would be illegal to do so under the Migratory Bird Treaty Act (likewise, it would be illegal to try to incubate the found egg herself — besides the fact that it probably would not have worked).