Am I Going To Be a Bird Daddy?

(Jim) I found this egg nestled in the mud near my driveway after a bad storm. There seems to be some movement inside. I think the occupant might still be alive. I could find no nest in the vacinitly to return it to. At the moment, I have it in shredded newspaper warmed by a lamp.

Ironically, I was just taking a break from building a birdhouse when I found the egg. I love watching birds, but I can not claim to know that much about them. Does anyone have any advice? Is there a way to know for certain the egg's occupant is still o.k.? Would it be cared for if I slipped it into the nest of another bird? I was building the house for a sparrow who insist on trying to nest in my workshop. I thought if I provided her with more luxurious accommodations just outside, the shelves in my work area would lose their appeal. Could I slip it into her nest? Is this s sparrow egg? Any info would be appreciated.

Be sure to turn the egg every so often. Not sure of the species.

Hmmm. I'm not sure if a random bird would take care of the egg or not. The cowbirds put their eggs in other birds nests & the momma birds take care of the babies that are obviously not theirs. So I guess slipping it in a nest would be worth a shot. Man, I wish I could be of more help. Maybe someone in one of the farm forums could help? Someone who raises poultry might be able to help.

~Kristy

My first guess would be a cowbird egg. If you don't have cowbirds in your area I would guess house sparrow.

It appears to be a Cowbird egg. They are speckled brown like that. I have seen a couple of small blue eggs on the lawn here. Look like Bluebird eggs to me. I have some around. No Robins on the lawn.

Thanks. I would not have thought of a cow bird. They are such large birds, and the egg I found is about the size of a penny at its longest point. I found some photos online. It certainly looks like one.

In that case, I will not put it into my workshop buddy's nest. I did not finish the house, before she laid her eggs. I would have tried to move the nest itself into the birdhouse, but not with eggs in it. I read that the foster siblings of adopted cow birds do not always fare well. They can't compete with the fast growing, always hungry cow bird their Momma adopted.

The eggs in the workshop nest are smaller and marked differently from the one I found. After some research, Carolina wren is my best guess where Momma is concerned. Thought I would try to learn more about her since it appears we will be sharing the workshop this year.

Carolina wren (?) nest in workshop

I had one build a nest in the fifth-wheel of my trailer one time. I just moved the whole nest over and stuck it nearby in the frame of the metal building and when I came home a week later, the eggs were hatched and the chicks looked fine.