autys egg

so Austin is on a bird kick lately. He loves to take the binoculars and watch the birds in the field behind us then identify them in a bird book my dad bought us or on the Internet.

The other day he saw a bird lay an egg on the ground at the park by the house and then leave it. So he sat there for a while watching the egg to make sure no one stepped on it and waiting for the mama to come back and get it. after about an hour I went to go pick him and and found him about 20 feet away 'guarding' this egg.

I told him it was time to leave because we had to go to dinner and he flipped out. Austin did not want to leave that egg there and he was so upset that the mama just left it and did not come back. So he talks me into 'saving' this egg. (at this point I do not know that saving his egg is a FELONY!!!)

so we scoop up the egg, take it home put it under a heat lamp then go to dinner. I told him that if the thing did not hatch in a couple weeks we were tossing it.

He was not sure what kind of bird it was that layed the egg because he had not found her picture in his bird book yet. Not being one to give up, Austin kept scouring the book until he found the bird he said laid the egg. I figured he had just picked one at this point just so he could have some sense of identity for the egg. However when I looked up killdeer on the Internet and checked out a picture of the eggs they lay I was convinced.

upon further reading we found out that these birds often lay eggs on the ground or on roof tops n groups of four. And they typically take a break between each egg....so mama planting it in the park and taking off was not so unusual... and the brown chips in the park did in fact hide the egg well. We also found out that unlike most wild birds whose eggs take two weeks to hatch... these guys are like chickens and take about a month! So I have an egg in the kitchen with a lamp on it that has been there for about 5 days and will not have to stay there an additional 23 days! UGH! but the good news is they hatch like chickens and are able to peck the ground and feed themselves!

Austin is thrilled and is watching the egg closely... not that it is doing much but his little scientific brain is completely digging this experience.

I am hoping a park ranger does not come beating on my door to haul me off to jail.