*Sigh*
We had a robin's nest on our fence. Mama bird put it up, and started laying around Easter. She had four pretty blue eggs in it, and even though it bordered two yards with dogs, she seemed safe. The cats didn't seem to bother her, and she was there every morning and every night.
Today, she wasn't there. It's not abnormal when it's bright and sunny, but when she wasn't there two hours later, I peeked in. The nest lining was torn out, stuffed into the fence next to the nest. The eggs were on the ground on the other side of the fence, still whole. Mama and Papa were nowhere in sight.
Morgan and I went out to check the eggs, and only one was visibly damaged. It was barely cracked, but it had a bloody hole in it. It was just the right size for a regular pencil. None of the other eggs had any damage, other than being stone-cold. Rad, a wildlife rehabilitator, says that if they're cold, they're probably dead. Eggs can't take being chilled like that. Even so, we put the lining back, and the whole eggs. Mama won't come back.
Cats or other birds wouldn't stuff the lining in the fence. They wouldn't just damage one egg. They would have torn it out and eaten the eggs. And the neighbors on that side have kids. If I see them near the nest or fence, I won't be held responsible for what happens to them.
On the upside, there's another nest in the front yard, up in the crabapple tree. I can see Mama sitting on her nest from my chair in the living room. We will have baby birds.
And people wonder why I'm a misanthrope.
Today, she wasn't there. It's not abnormal when it's bright and sunny, but when she wasn't there two hours later, I peeked in. The nest lining was torn out, stuffed into the fence next to the nest. The eggs were on the ground on the other side of the fence, still whole. Mama and Papa were nowhere in sight.
Morgan and I went out to check the eggs, and only one was visibly damaged. It was barely cracked, but it had a bloody hole in it. It was just the right size for a regular pencil. None of the other eggs had any damage, other than being stone-cold. Rad, a wildlife rehabilitator, says that if they're cold, they're probably dead. Eggs can't take being chilled like that. Even so, we put the lining back, and the whole eggs. Mama won't come back.
Cats or other birds wouldn't stuff the lining in the fence. They wouldn't just damage one egg. They would have torn it out and eaten the eggs. And the neighbors on that side have kids. If I see them near the nest or fence, I won't be held responsible for what happens to them.
On the upside, there's another nest in the front yard, up in the crabapple tree. I can see Mama sitting on her nest from my chair in the living room. We will have baby birds.
And people wonder why I'm a misanthrope.