Both yesterday and today, I have found sparrow eggs smashed on the ground near my martin house. Do martins do this, or is something else going on? I am cleaning out sparrow nests daily so maybe there's just no safe place for them to lay them.
But they are small white eggs with brown speckles. Those are definitely sparrow eggs, not martins, right?
I just want to make sure this is something I should be glad about, not an idicator of something bad that I'm not recognizing.
Thanks!
sparrow eggs on the ground
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Guest
I'm not sure - here are the eggs I've pulled from our sparrow nests, but I'm sure there's some variation possible.
Also, this link might help a bit: http://purplemartin.org/update/10(3)egg.html
Also, this link might help a bit: http://purplemartin.org/update/10(3)egg.html
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Emil Pampell-Tx
- Posts: 6743
- Joined: Tue Nov 11, 2003 1:26 pm
- Location: Tx, Richmond (SW of Houston)
- Martin Colony History: First started in Gretna, La in 1969 with a small homemade house, have had martins ever since at 2 different homes in Texas
Its too early for martin eggs. The above photo is what sparrow eggs look like. It may be starlings throwing them out.
PMCA Member, 250 gourds, 6 poles, 2traps
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John Miller
- Posts: 4863
- Joined: Mon Mar 22, 2004 9:11 pm
- Location: St. Louis, MO
One possibility is they are laying the eggs in poor nests and eggs are dropping out as you pull out nest material. I've had this happen to me.
John M
John M
Some good news in that sparrows apparently suffer from the same sort of problems martins are prone to. It is not unusual to find broken sparrow eggs and living or dead nestlings on the ground around active sparrow nests.
It may be that starlings do this, just as likely I think are rival sparrows, or even accidental losses as the adults leave the nest.
MIke Scully
It may be that starlings do this, just as likely I think are rival sparrows, or even accidental losses as the adults leave the nest.
MIke Scully