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ZEISS DTI thermal imaging cameras. For more discoveries at night, and during the day.

Blue Jay Nest (1 Viewer)

MJG

Active member
I noticed a Blue Jay nest in a tree directly outside my kitchen window. It appeared to have 3 eggs in it and the Mother was sitting on the nest. The tree is near the back door which is the only way to the backyard to let our dogs out. I would keep the kitchen light off and stay away from the window except for a quick peek to make sure all was well and to check if the Momma was on the nest before I would go out with my dogs. She was on the nest at 6 pm last night and at 8 pm she was gone and so were the eggs. I feel soo bad that something happened to them or that she got frightened and did something to the eggs. I do not see any pieces of the eggs on the ground. I was soo excited to watch them hatch and grow. Is this common? I don't think anything got to the nest. Sorry for the long winded post but I am really sad about it.
 
There are lots of birds who will steal the eggs from other birds' nests. They usually come and go quickly and quietly, and unless you happen to see the incident, the only clue that they have been will be the disappearance of the eggs. Rats and some other animals also take eggs from nests, but they often damage the nest in doing so, and if you regularly let dogs out into the yard, it's likely that animals of that sort would be fairly cautious about entering, and so would not get to explore enough to find the eggs.

I have watched a raven carefully shadowing a honeyeater as it carried nesting material, clearly to find out where the nest was being built. I was watching the nesting process too, for different reasons. The raven waited until the honeyeater had laid all three of her eggs, then it came and quickly ate the lot one day when she left the nest to bath.

I've never known of a bird returning to a nest that has been raided, for obvious reasons. Unfortunately, your bird will not be back, but she will nest elsewhere.
 
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