Yes, giant swallowtail hatchlings do take a break from eating after they've eaten their egg shell. GSTs do everything in slow motion - it'll eat soon. Sherry

We have helped the bluebirds for yrs providing them w/ boxes. We’ve noticed that younger birds will lay usually 3 eggs & older ones lay 4-5 eggs. This spring we had a pair lay 5 eggs & from past experience, probably because of the size of the box, that @ least one will either die from suffocation or from being @ the bottom too much & not get enough food. When we’ve had only 3 eggs, everyone was healthy. We chose to discard 2 of the five eggs so everyone would make it. Everything seemed to be going fine until one morning a coon must have tried getting into the box. The whole nest was packed tight into the opening. I pulled the nest out & found the new born babies in the bottom of the box. I tried repairing the nest & putting the babies back in, but I think they had been hurt too much when the coon was in there. We even have a predator guard on the entrance hole, but didn’t phase him. The parents seemed to try for a few days, but realized their babies were dead. I decided to take everything out & just leave the clean shavings in the bottom, hoping they’d start a new family. I always clean everthing out anyway after the babies have fled the nest. Well, it seemed like that’s what was going to happen. I saw the male & female on the top of the box seeming happy. We checked this morning thinking we’d find a new nest being built, but no. She laid 2 eggs in the bottom of the box on the sawdust. I’ve never seen this before & we’ve been doing this for 40 yrs.

I doubt the egg would be any good after it is sitting in the sun that long. If it was a newly laid egg (when you found it) and the nest was placed up where the birds could have safely nested, it probably would have survived but the bird would not try to finish nesting in the nest on the ground. I would dispose of it at this point. The scent thing is an old wives tale. Birds have a very poor sense of smell and would not know that you touched the nest, however touching the egg could mean the oil from your hands would prevent it from hatching.

Carolyn--glad to hear from you and yes this weather is doing a number on nests, birds and people. Guess you have heard about all the flooding in Minot. It has been so interesting driving there. I have had to go in twice a week for therapy on my back after slipping early March on ice. NOT FUN!! Anyway, I think I too have lost a nest from a Robin, but not sure it is crows or a neighbors cat. Dumb bird just would not stay on the nest and keep quiet. It is a wonder that any Robins make it. I don't have the houses out that you due, even though son in law said I could. He has been so busy with DD getting chemo treatments, his work in the city, late snows etc. Oh well, there is always next year. We just barely got the garden in. Thanks for keeping us updated. Marie from the other end of ND.