Expert: Roger Lederer - 5/8/2010

Question
QUESTION: Hi I have a propane tank in my yard  in the ground its upright and has a plastic cover over the top,there is a small oval hole in the top for ventilation which a cute mommy speckeled blackish  bird the size of a robin found her way in to the hole and laid 6 eggs in there. i saw her going in and out and open the lid today to see and there the eggs were.of coarse i dont plan to touch them but what should i do if anything once their big enough to fly they are down about 12 inches and I dont think they will find thier  way out,irronicaly last year around august I found a dead adult bird in there what happened i dont know maybe she couldnt get out.there wasnt eggs there then,so what do i do when its time for them to leave the nest? thanks for your help. im an animal love to the bone.I would be sick if they didnt make it.

ANSWER: Easy answer. If the mother bird can get in and out, the young certainly can. They will jump out about 10-14 days BEFORE they are able to fly, so their feathers are shorter and they will be even smaller than their parents. The parents will feed them on the ground until they are big enough to fly. Nothing to worry about. Just don't disturb them or the parents may abandon the nest. Thanks for your concern. And I hope you don't need propane in the meantime.

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QUESTION: you said they will jump out in 14 days they are pretty far down at least a foot and the hole the mom goes into is only2 inches by 5 inches kind of a little handle if you will to open the tank,how will these little birds hop that high into a hole that small Its like throwing a penny a foot and getting it in the hole of a soda bottle.one in a million shot I would guess and there is 6 little baby's.is that the norm 6 eggs? and what kind of bird do you think it is ?black with speckel spots ,real shiny.the size or a robin.and the eggs are light blue.how long do they take to hatch? ps there is nothing for them to stand on to get through the hole which is on the top of the lid they would need springs on the feet to catapult through the hole and thats depending how good their aim is.it sounds funny and im laughing just writing this but I dont see how they can get out.this wasnt a well thought out plan on the mother birds part.lol

Answer
Well, I was basing my answer on my propane tank; clearly yours is different. From your description, the bird sounds like a European Starling, which usually lays 3-6 eggs. They take 10-14 days to hatch and another 10-14 days before they leave the nest. Starlings nest in all sorts of cavities like woodpecker holes and gutters and holes in buildings, etc. I can't guarantee what is going to happen, but I bet the young birds get out. If, after a few weeks you hear a lot of noise coming from the young and they are fully feathered, you can open the lid. But don't be surprised if they make it on their own.