I looked it up again and I what I found was that this was speaking of other birds (not poultry) although from what I read yesterday I would have sworn it included poultry. Since I do not have access to my browsing history I have no idea how I found the article nor if spoke of chickens specifically I humbly retract. I did find evidence of the theory but this article states that it is specific to a different type of bird: "Recent studies have revealed two mechanisms affecting eggshell pigmentation in, and believed to be specific to, passerine birds. In the great tit Parus major, reddish protoporphyrin speckles on their otherwise white eggs coincide precisely with thin shell and are related to calcium shortage. In the pied flycatcher Ficedula hypoleuca, the intensity of the eggshell's blue-green ground-colour (pigment biliverdin) is related to the female's health (immunocompetence) at laying. We studied the effect of the insecticide DDT (notorious for reducing eggshell thickness in raptors by blocking calcium availability to the shell gland) on the eggshell pigmentation of Eurasian sparrowhawks Accipiter nisus (Falconiformes), whose eggshells show both protoporphyrin spotting and a blue-green biliverdin-based ground colour. Eggshells showing protoporphyrin spots as an internalized pigment layer also showed a strong correlation between DDE levels (DDT metabolite) and shell thickness. The shells were also significantly thinner at these spots. Eggshell thickness was uncorrelated with DDE levels in eggs that lacked such spotting."

I spy with my little eye.......... Mama has been a very sneaky girl - trying to confuse us with a second nest (and doing a good job I might say!) We left the box alone for a few days - no peeking inside as we didn't want to risk spooking them just in case they were still planning on using it. This morning Hubby was outside 'talking' to the birds....when he spied Mama on the fence. He backed away into the house at which point we crawled (literally) to a window close by and slowly eased open the blind. Mama edged cautiously towards the nest and hopped in. I proceeded to stand guard and watched for 25 mins. Just as I was beginning to feel stupid...(i.e. thinks to self "why am I watching an empty box, she obviously flew out while I glanced away....") who should pop her head out and then fly to the tree! Needless to say we were excited -- we could only imagine her doing 1 or 2 things for 25 mins in there. ANYHOO ---- we waited til this evening to take a peek. It's very difficult to get the camera in for a good shot as the nest is so high and add to that it has been so windy we didn't want to open the box too far and have the wind disturb the nest. We could see one egg very clearly but think there may be three. It's very hard to see on the pic but you should be able to make out at least one AND of course, the snake skin.... she's got quite a bit of it in there. The pic below is just of one side of the nest from directly facing the front....lots of feathers, plastic, and snake skin you can just make out at the back...and by the animal hair which has been moved around.... We're sooooooo excited. Hopefully when this wind dies down we can try again... maybe tomorrow evening. We don't want to check too often but will keep this updated for those interested. Back to our Blues, it seems they're starting to drop the odd pine needled in a different box so fingers crossed. We're having fun watching the babies learn to fend for themselves right now!! Watched one of the 'boys' find himself a nice looking bug yesterday only to have Dad jump in a steal it from him.... awwww~~~

I suppose I should have stated that I am a wildlife biologist who is studying the reproductive success of this species in managed ponderosa pine forests...and not just a birder. LOL. That was my purpose for finding the nest and monitoring its progress. Despite its close distance to the ground, this nest will probably be the first nest to fledge young this year compared to nests that are in trees ranging up to 11 m (33 ft roughly) high. So far, 69% of the nests I have found and monitored have failed. All have failed due to nest predation, except one that failed due to weather. It is a tough life for such a small passerine with an open cup nest, trying to raise a brood. Luckily, they readily renest after a nest failure. This is the first year of a three year study, so hopefully nest success will be higher in the next 2 years. I also measure habitat variables associated with each nest site, when nesting is completed, in order to determine if any of these variables influence nest survival. This will allow us to better manage for the species if populations begin to decline as has happened with so many other Neotropical migrants. So far, the population of this species in the U.S. appears stable. However, there is much we don't know in regards to habitat features this species uses to select nest sites and how those features influence nest success. They line the nest mostly with fur from deer and elk, usually the soft under fur that insulates these large mammals. Occasionally, they do add a few feathers. The outside is mostly dead grass and is held together with spider webs that I have observed females collecting. BN

'Found the first two red-spotted purple hatchlings yesterday, so I brought them in to raise - I'll be checking other eggs today. 'Also found the first American lady nests of the spring on some cudweed. I'd like to raise some of them also, so I'll undoubtedly be bringing some in to raise pretty soon. I've got two red admiral chrysalides, and another cat is in the 'J' - I'm looking forward to releasing these beauties! 'Found a few more little bitty spicebush swallowtail cats, brought them in, and now I'm up to seven. The biggest one has gotten to about the ?4th instar. In another thread, we were discussing pink-spotted hawkmoths, and it gave me the idea to plant morning glories along my road. I'll probably sow some of the seeds in pots and scatter some along the roadside - it would be so much easier if they'd just come up on their own! I also got some moonflower seeds, which I haven't planted in a few years. Morning glories and moonflowers are all beautiful, and the big moths are worth the trouble anyway! The luna cats are eating a lot and getting really big and fat, more fat than long in typical luna fashion. 'Won't be too long before the pipevine swallowtails should be emerging! I've got a sea of mock bishop's weed growing in my garden, plus rue and my wafer ash trees are growing nicely. 'Still no black or giant swallowtails, though. :( There's plenty of time for the rue and wafer ash to be used, but the mock bishop's weed doesn't fare too well in the heat of summer, so I wish they'd come on! :) My ears tell me the migrant spring birds are all here! I've been hearing great crested flycatchers, summer tanagers, orchard orioles, yellow-billed cuckoos, vireos, warblers, especially hooded warblers, chuck-will's-widows at night, and this morning I heard my first Mississippi kite of the season! Here's a picture I made last year of a Mississippi kite with the zoom lens of my camera - Sherry