Nest and Egg ID in northern Utah (1 Viewer)

[jc144233]

I am a novice gardener and came across a nest when I was cutting back an overgrown plant. The “nest” (if you can even call it that) is a hole in the dirt of my raised garden bed underneath an overgrown tarragon plant. I wouldn’t even qualify as a novice bird person so I have no clue what I came across. Are they even bird eggs? Please help!

Oh I was going to attach a photo but can’t figure out how to. So description… the eggs themselves are white-ish with brown speckles, about 1-1.5 inches long, and there are 11 eggs in the nest. I have not touched the eggs. They have a round base and a fairly pointy top.

I googled quail eggs but the brown spots aren’t as dark or big as the photos of quail eggs. I googled guinea fowl eggs but the photos of those eggs show brown shells. I considered pheasant eggs but the color is wrong. They looked like wild turkey eggs but are the wrong size

 

[Andy Adcock]

No eggs or nests is a rule of the site.

 

[Kits]

Welcome to Birdforum.

It would be helpful if you could give your location.

Andy is right that photos of eggs and nests are not allowed.

 

[nartreb]

Ruffed grouse comes to mind.

If the nest is a bowl-shaped scoop, they're almost certainly bird eggs. Skink nests are usually mostly-buried (e.g. under a rotting log) and kept damp. Turtle eggs are a rounder shape, more numerous (like 100), and would be completely buried. I can't think of anything else...

 

[jc144233]

I am in northern Utah. Gardening zone 6. Cache Valley area. Newe land.

 

[jc144233]

I don’t think I’ll be able to identify them. And before I found the eggs, I had cleared a lot of the weeds in my yard that would have provided shelter. So it will probably be abandoned. If I don’t see signs of a mother and can’t get an identification, I’ll clear it in the next couple of days. I’ve asked the few local people I know, my outdoors-y cousins, etc. and no one can say what they are. There isn’t an app for identifying eggs and

 

[jc144233]

But thanks for the ideas, reading my panicked post at the thought of being an egg killer, and your time.

I also have dogs and if the rattlesnakes make an appearance this year, it’s probably best for all involved if I just clear the site if I don’t know what I am dealing with.

 

[jc144233]

Northern Utah, USA. It’s in the Rocky Mountains.

 

[rkj]

I would just leave the nest alone. Indeed, almost all bird nests in the US are protected by law. Keep an eye out for the mother. If the clutch is not yet complete she may spend most of her time away from the nest, but eventually she will start to incubate. The size and number of the eggs, and the location of the nest does suggest some kind of quail or grouse.

 

[tbassngal]

It sounds like Killdeer to me, they often lay their eggs on the ground. I am surprised you didn't see the parents, they rarely leave the nest unattended (if it was killdeer).

 

[rkj]

Doubtful that it is a Killdeer nest. Killdeer nests are in the open, not under a bush, and only have 3-5 eggs, not 11 or more.