Expert: Roger Lederer - 7/11/2008

Question
I have had a cardinal nesting in a tree out my front door.  I can see the nest from the second story window. I was nervous when a violent storm came through recently and really tore at the nest but it seemed to be in tact.  Today I noticed two eggs on the ground under the tree but it doesn't look like a hole is present in the nest. Will a mother cardinal throw her eggs out for any reason?
I grabbed a ladder and put the eggs back in the nest as they were not visibly damaged from the fall and hit a soft grassy area.  Will she come back to them?  

Answer
The mother willl not throw eggs out of thenest for any reason. Whether the eggs are still good is questionable. If she was incubating them before they fell from the nest, even if they are intact, they probably will not hatch. If she hadn't laid the entire clutch - they usually lay four or so eggs, the eggs might be good, but I can't tell you if she will return or not.