copilot
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House finch eggs disappeared - 2009/04/08 22:08
Hello everyone!
I currently live in Hoover, Alabama, and have been at my current house for almost four years; and like clockwork, twice a year there's been a new Carolina Wren nest somewhere on our back porch, and twice a year (Spring and Summer) there's a new House Finch nest in the vines on the iron supports of the carport (I'm wondering whether it's the same Finch simply rebuilding a new nest each year in her preferred spot). Anyway, the HF nest has always had three eggs, and each time I've enthusiastically watched each new family hatch and grow without a hitch. Just a few weeks ago, to my delight, the new nest had FIVE eggs! Unfortunately, we just completed building a new workshed adjacent to the carport, and each time (we're busy with multiple home improvement projects) my husband or I would go to the workshop to do something, cautious mama finch would fly off. We tried our best to stay still and be quiet in our work, but mama finch would just sit on a nearby powerline and chirp away. I was worried about what effect this would have on the unhatched eggs, but it was necessary that we used this workspace.
In addition to this, one day I noticed mama finch standing on the edge of her nest, chirping as if she were confused or calling out for help. After she was aware of my presence she flew off, and when I took a peek, I noticed a magnolia leaf had landed right on top of the nest. I have no idea how long this was preventing her from sitting on her eggs, and I removed the leaf right away. When I went back inside, she immediately returned and sat back down. Earlier this week, we had a 2-3 day span of below-freezing temperatures, as opposed to the weeks of sunny warm weather we've previously been having. Yesterday, I noticed mama finch was nowhere to be seen, and 2 of the eggs were suddenly gone, with no new hatchlings. Today, 2 more were gone, no hatclings, only 1 egg left, and still no mama bird.
It has definitely been more than 2 weeks since I first saw the eggs, and surely something went wrong and they were not going to hatch. But, I'm curious as to what someone with more expertise than myself thinks might have happened, given the variables I've explained above. What exactly happened? Did the new birds not develop properly because of mama finch leaving for several minutes at a time when alerted to our presence? The leaf preventing mama bird form sitting on the eggs? Inexperienced mother (if this is not the same HF I've seen before)? Predator? Mother eating the eggs (I've read they do this in rare instances)? Are they hatching and then dying? Can mama finch sense that they won't hatch and then discard the eggs? Is it safe to move a nest of eggs just a little bit away so that our presence won't scare away mama bird so often? Can she locate a moved nest? I know this wouldn't be recommended, but it has broken my heart, because I feel somewhat responsible. Thanks for reading.
Post edited by: copilot, at: 2009/04/08 22:08
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I will keep my fingers crossed for the summer broods. Sometimes somethings go wrong but that doesn't mean they always have to go wrong from that point onwards 