Birds eggs

Littlesparrow · #1 (**permalink**) 13-06-2010, 03:38 PM

I have a birds nest in the ivy in my garden which has been abandoned, I think because of magpies. The eggs are very small and light beige white, no spots are they Blue tit eggs? Are you allowed to move a nest or eggs if they are abandoned? I would like to draw them but don,t want to do anything wrong.

Hedera · #2 (**permalink**) 13-06-2010, 03:45 PM

Are you sure it has been abandoned? Magpies would have taken the eggs if it were them. Parents sometimes leave the nest for a time until a clutch of eggs is complete. Best leave it alone.

RKB · #3 (**permalink**) 13-06-2010, 06:48 PM

You don't know it's been abandoned. Birds don't start incubating until the clutch is complete, so the eggs are left unattended. You may also be flushing the bird off the nest before you see it.

Leave well alone - besides anything else it is illegal to take or move a nest or eggs until 1st August (until 31st January).

They're not Blue Tit eggs (which have reddish spots) but we'd need more details to pin down the species.

Littlesparrow · #4 (**permalink**) 13-06-2010, 06:48 PM

Thanks for your reply Hedera. the nest is about 1M from my side kitchen window and no birds have been seen on the nest for a least 3 days. Unfortunately the magpies have already eaten the Blackbirds eggs from a nest about 1M or less away from it. I will not touch it this week and see what happens. I do not know what the parents are but they must be something small.
P.S. the Blackbirds have nested again, not in the ivy.

FUDGEY · #5 (**permalink**) 13-06-2010, 08:11 PM

How many eggs are in the nest and what's the nest made from? Is there no markings on the eggs at all?

Littlesparrow · #6 (**permalink**) 13-06-2010, 09:48 PM

Hi, there were three eggs last time I looked, but I don't want to touch the nest again for a few days just in case the parents are still around. They were quite small at a guess about 15mm very light pinky beige, no spots. The nest is small and neat with a bit of moss used in the construction no fluff. looking at pictures I think it could be a Robins nest. I do get Robins in the garden,but not as often as other birds.

RKB · #7 (**permalink**) 13-06-2010, 10:26 PM

Could be Robin. No small bird has a clutch of 3 eggs, so they are still being laid - one a day until the clutch is complete (maybe 5-6), and then they will start sitting on them.