Missing eggs.

paulinemiller10 · #1 (**permalink**) 30-04-2010, 05:33 PM

A blackbird has made its nest on top of my rabbit den, the roof had a leak a few years ago, so pinned bin bags onto a sheet of wood, and placed it over the leak as it was winter and too cold to start replacing the roof, and as the roof didn’t leak it has remained there, and this is where the blackbirds have made their nest under the second roof, in front there is wooden arch with climbers growing.

The cats climb over the rabbit den and would be just inches away from this nest, so I put wire over the the top so the cats can’t get at the nest, and blackbird has to get to her nest through the arch, I thought they may not return after I put the wire up, but it did’nt bother them.

At the same time I set up a cam in front of the arch, I had a quick look and there where three eggs in the nest, I had the cam on last night and mrs blackbird was on her nest, she is safe from cats as they can’t get at her from the roof, but I thought if a cat climbs over the roof, the bird is not going to stay on the nest with a cat looking at her through the wire.

But it was the best I could do to keep her safe, she was sitting on her eggs last night, I had the cam on for a while, I could’nt see much, just her head in the nest, and after a while I switched cams to the hog shelter, I switched back to look at blackbird in the early hours before going to bed and I could nt see her, I was sorry I had’nt kept the cam on her, but I guessed the cat must have come over the roof which they do all the time, and mrs blackbird has flown off.

There was no sign of her today, so I had a look in her nest and all her eggs have gone which is very odd, if there was a rat about, they usually turn up in the hog shelter, I think its got to be an animal that has taken them as she was missing in the early hours, and I looked on the floor for broken eggs, I don’t think magpies would find the nest, it was well hidden.
I have left the cam up, and made a small shelf in front of the nest and I’m going to leave an egg, and raw meat and nuts and see if anything turns up tonight.
I'm thinking it has to be a rat, but why go to the bother of climbing up over eight foot to get birds eggs when there is plenty of food in the bird feeder and in the hog shelter, any idea's.... Pauline.

astarsdad · #2 (**permalink**) 30-04-2010, 06:30 PM

Hi,
It would appear they have been predated in some fashion. What about squirrels? It may be better to focus on a predator that can eat eggs whole, assuming there was no egg shell residue. I do know that magpies eat smaller eggs whole.
Terry

paulinemiller10 · #3 (**permalink**) 01-05-2010, 06:07 PM

No it would'nt be a squirrel Terry, we don't see many squirrels, I saw the last one two years ago, and the nest is too well hidden for magpies, and I don't have them visit the garden very often.

As the light faded last night I left a tray of raw meat, peanuts, cooked chicken and an egg, put the cam on and it was'nt long before I heard a lot of scratching, the roof dipped a bit, then a big paw came through the wire above, it was a cat lol, some of the wire had larger holes, and puss could just get her paw through, so went down and put a smaller wire in the place, and this morning all the food was there, if a cat could get up from the arch side it would have done, but nothing was taken, the food has been there all day, and no birds have eaten it either.

I think it has to be a rat or a polecat, I relocated two polecats a few years ago, one took my dove and I had pet rabbits in the garden, they would have eaten the rabbits, they can chew through anything.

I have seen one visit the hog shelter a few months ago, the dovecote is always locked at night, so I don't mind the polecat about now as all my rabbits have passed on, but they do like to eat birds, and live food, I always leave chicken bits in the shelter in case any hedgehogs turn up, but its still there, so will leave fresh chicken by the nest and watch again tonight, see if anything turns up.

pic of the cats paw.
pic of the tray set up as bate with an egg.
pic of one of the polecats we relocated a few years ago.

paulinemiller10 · #4 (**permalink**) 02-05-2010, 07:49 PM

Nothing turned up last night, just mice and cats, the cats have'nt been able to reach the food where the blackbirds nest is, she would have been quite safe there, but I don't think she would stay once the cat was looking through the wire at her, poor birds, they do get a hard time, will keep the cam up for a few days and let you know if I find out who took the eggs. Pauline.