Hello everyone, last year there was a spotted turtle dove nesting in a tea-tree in our backyard. It had 2 eggs and they both hatched. Unfortunately, there was very strong winds one day and this started to shake the nest. The mother abandoned the nest and I never saw the chicks again (probably blew off into the wind or got eaten by another bird). This year the bird as been nesting there again in the same spot. For some reason the mother has abandoned the nest and left the egg her single egg. She has been gone for 3 days now. Any reason for this behaviour??? Also, should I get rid of the nest or just leave it there?
You should probably leave the nest there because it is possible that she might return and find the egg. she might have been caught by a bird of prey or a cat or fox or she could have just been scared off.
Cheers, Owen.
I agree with Owen, there's not really much gained by getting rid of the nest anyway, and if the parents do come back well it could still work out!