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Birding/bird nest & eggs exposed when bush top removed

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Expert: - 7/18/2011


Question
Will the mother bird return to her nested eggs if the nest has been disturbed?
I trimmed the top of a bush off quite a bit with battery-powered hedgetrimmer;
was shocked to see that sitting on the new top of bush (which had been 1/3 of the
way down the bush) is a small cup-shaped nest of straw with three small blue eggs.   
I put some of the trimmed bush stems around it to protect it a bit from the sun and predators;
will the mother bird return to the nest?   I suppose these are robin eggs.

Answer
That's hard to say. Maybe and maybe not. It's just not predictable. Covering it as you did is the right thing, but until the mother returns or doesn't , you won't know. Are the eggs totally powder blue or have a blue background with speckles? This doesn't sound like where a robin would nest.

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Roger Lederer

Expertise

Any and all about WILD birds - the science of ornithology. Information about birdwatching, ecology, conservation, migration, behavior, banding, rehabilitation, feeding, songs, binoculars, identification, and careers in ornithology. No questions about pet or caged birds, please.

Experience

Have a PhD and over forty years as a professional ornithologist - research, teaching, author, speaker, webmaster of Ornithology.com . Have written thirty scientific papers, three bird field guides, a textbook in ecology and two recent books entitled "Amazing Birds" and "Birds of New England". Have traveled to over 90 countries watching birds.

Education/Credentials
PhD in Zoology/Ornithology; Emeritus Professor of Biological Sciences; former Dean of the College of Natural Sciences at California State University, Chico

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