Not sure what kind of bird egg that is. Unfortunately disturbing nests or eggs usually leads to the parents abandoning. If the birds noticed or smelled something not right, they get scared and depart for good.

Actually, skinny, that is an old wives' tale. Bird banders and ornithologists often handle chicks and eggs during research. The parent birds will return to the nest as soon as they can. (Assuming they aren't dive bombing the researchers.) With a very few exceptions (vultures and some sea birds), birds have no sense of smell at all, and have no idea anyone has touched the eggs or nest if they don't see it happen.

The nest looks like it might belong to a wren, just based on general construction, and the egg is the right color, though it is hard to tell what the size is. Wrens will build nests in potted plants, in old shoes left outside, in clothespin bags on lines, in grills, on shelves, and in a variety of other manmade objects. That's my best guess on this one. And it is probably a Carolina wren, the one most likely to be nesting here and around people.

Nice pics!

Marcia

I concur with Marcia. Looks like a wren to me.

And thanks for letting everyone know about the fallacy of touching baby birds and eggs. I've been picking them up and returning them for years without incident, well almost. I did have one mother bird (redwing blackbird) dive bomb the *&^%& out of me when I was near the nest. She did manage to poke me hard enough to draw blood on my head.

Tampaart, every year, hundreds of baby birds are picked up off the ground and replaced in their nests with no problems at all, exactly as you have been doing. When people who have found a baby bird call Florida Audubon, the first thing they are asked is can they find the nest to put the bird back in. I don't know where the idea came from that you can't touch a baby bird or the parents will abandon it. It's a wide-spread belief, but it just isn't true.

I took care of orphaned birds that couldn't be returned to the nest for several years at Audubon, and I've heard just about every kind of story you can imagine. Mostly well-meaning, but often far from the truth. I'm happy to be able to pass along things that I learned there, and I'm always happy to learn new things myself. Nature is a never-ending wonderment!

Marcia

Thanks for the possible ID. I passed the info on to my mother. I appreciate it!

Heather

I couldn't tell you the exact species, but it looks like a wren's nest to me as well. I find them in the dangdest places every year, often by surprise when mama flies into my face when I disturb her!

.....Alan.