So, the scenario is that I ended up leaving my horse saddles in my trailer for 3 weeks due to being injured. I did not notice this until I went to move a horse. After an hour long trail ride and waiting around for an hour for direction, I loaded the horse and noticed a nest with five pink and brown speckled eggs.
So, I had touched the nest a bit, rolled and egg a bit, and thought they were goners because it had been about 5 hours since someone had sat on them.
A week or so ago, there were four eggs and a baby bird. Now there are 5 baby birds in a nest on my saddle. I need that saddle but I don’t want to be the cause of the demise of the little birds.
So, my question – can I move the nest or will the parents lose it? I can move it to above a box in my trailer that is about 18″ from where they are now. I would prefer to move them out of my trailer. There are two trees right by the trailer – one that the birds seem to frequent right next to the trailer, near where the nest is and another behind the trailer.
Will moving the nest mean the bird parents will not be able to find it? How far can I move it? I will use gloves and be REALLY careful and make sure the nest is secure, but I want to know the likelihood that the babies will survive this.
Thanks for the answers. Yeah, I thought maybe the touching the nest was a myth since I touched the egg itself and obviously the parents came back. They all seem to have feathers even though they are only a week old.
They were so cute – all of them sleeping when I checked in on them! I guess the parents can find them, since I took the trailer away for 5 hours and the parents obviously did not give up.
How long does it usually take for birds to leave the nest?
I have a show this coming Sunday and would prefer not to have the little guys away from the parents for the 6 hours or so I will be gone at the show.
If I move the nest, how do I figure out if the babies are being fed? I don’t think I can sit there long enough to watch the parents come back, Birds flit around a good bit whenever I pull up.
Any other signs to look for by looking at the nest that can tell me if the parents found it alright?
Oh, and birdgirl, thanks – I am looking for the species now so maybe that will give me a better idea.
Beth – thanks for the ideas, but I have a German Shepherd that while she is gentle as can be, gets into everything interesting and will likely either give the babies heart attacks or accidentally swallow them when she tries to play with them.
