Tufted Titmouse eggs in BB Box

[vanessam]

Hi! I new to this forum and hope to find some help. I had a Tufted Titmouse lay 5 eggs in our BB box and it has been 15 days since the last egg was laid. I haven’t seen either parent around for over a week and the eggs haven’t hatched. There are now BB checking out the box. What do I do?? Do I leave the Titmouse eggs and nest in the box and hope for the best or remove it? Will the BB use the Titmouse nest or make a new one with it in the box? Would a BB incubate the Titmouse eggs? How do I know if the eggs are still viable?

[dogsandbirds]

Definitely leave the nest alone for now. Dot the eggs with a sharpie, take a picture of them if you can and then go back the next day to compare. If the eggs haven’t moved they could be abandoned, especially if the female died. If she is gone nobody will incubate those eggs but their presence won’t stop any new birds from tossing them and most of the nest material if they want the box.

You could candle the eggs but I’m not thinking you need to do that. http://archive.is/pS5DK

Gin
Atlanta, GA

[Love my blues!]

Vanessa- If you do find that Titmouse nest is still active, I think you can use a hole reducer to keep EABL out. Forget the exact size. Think it’s 1.25″?

Nicole

[vanessam]

I will try and mark the eggs. It will be hard to take a picture because the eggs are tucked under the nesting material. But I will try and place them in a strategic way to see if they are moved. Thank you!

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