Ask Lafeber

Wild finches

Will they abandon the nest after laying eggs they put a nest on my patio next to my screen porch they seemed to continue to build nest. I haven’t seen them but the nest has eggs in it.

Hi,

If they feel the nest isn’t in a safe place, they will abandon it. If people were walking past it a lot, or if they saw you watching too much, they may have gotten nervous and left. Sometimes one of the birds is lost to a predator or illness. Or if the weather changed a lot overnight, such as getting very cold or very hot, they might abandon the nest. A natural predator in the vicinity can cause them to leave, or a domestic cat that is allowed to roam outdoors can cause them to leave or may have even killed them. Domestic and feral cats kill more birds than natural predators kill.

Thank you for asking Lafeber,

Brenda