Bird egg in garden 🥚🐣

Jazzyjess

Hi everyone
First post here as a novice gardener!

We have been trying to make our garden more wildlife friendly and I have noticed that we have what appears to be a bird nest in the garden on top of a bush next to our monster laylandii.
We have visiting dunnocks, robin, bluetits, blackbirds and sparrows. From looking online I think this may be a dunnock egg? It's so small! I assume from the state of it that it is damaged and has been abandoned for some reason? Is this a sign of a problem or just nature? 
Very curious as to why they have chosen such an open spot to build a nest?! I'm surprised such a small bird was able to use such big pieces and I've not noticed them building. Looks like they have picked up some laylandii cuttings to use but is there anything else I can put out to help with the building process? Would love to see some baby birds in the garden this year! 

Dovefromabove

Hi @jessicahansell and welcome to the forum 😊
That doesn’t really look like a birds nest to me ... unless the foundations of a magpie’s nest maybe ... which might explain the stolen and eaten egg from a smaller bird’s nest. 

I think a few sessions of just sitting quietly and watching to see what’s going on are called for. 

Enjoy... looking forward to updates 😊 

Jazzyjess

Thank you @Dovefromabove! Oh such a shame, although I do think the branches are organised by something as when we cut back the bushes a few months ago the top was clear afterwards!
Will keep monitoring and watch for any magpies but I have not seen any visiting! Sneaky!

purplerallim

You don't happen to have any collared doves do you @Jazzyjess That nest is just like the one I found in a conifer, very flat and open, but the white eggs were bigger ( unfortunately they were taken by magpies)

Dovefromabove

That’s a thought @purplerallim ... Collared doves are pretty rubbish at nest building. 

purplerallim

This one was right next to the path, opposite the garden tap! At head height so had to pretend to look away every time I filled the watering can🙄😆

Skandi

is it about half a white egg around the size of a quails egg? If so I would say it is a pigeon egg that has hatched and been removed from the nest by one of the parents.

Alan Clark2 in Liverpool

I agree with Skandi that it is a shell that was removed from the nest.

Jazzyjess

We don't have collared doves but we do have pigeons @purplerallim - perhaps it was them! One of them laid an egg in the middle of our path last year 🙄
As for the egg it's about the size of a thumbnail @Skandi so perhaps it's been moved there by something else?  In person it's a very pale blue. I've zoomed in and it looks yellow inside.

purplerallim

That small and that colour it is probably a Dunnock,  probably pinched from a nearby nest

Jazzyjess

Thanks @purplerallim. Fingers crossed there is a better made dunnock nest hidden nearby with more eggs in!