FWIW - This is a real bird nest, and the odd egg was already there. I think another bird took over this nest (kicked the other bird out). Haven't looked it up yet to see what bird(s) are involved with this.
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I agree that this is probably the brown headed cowbird who as Joe says lays its eggs in another bird's nest so that it doesnt have to raise the young. The surrogate parents are then landed with a foreign baby bird that most times is larger than its own offspring so has its work cut out for it. The cowbird will sometimes kick a few of the existing eggs out of the nest to make room for hers.
There's a critter around here called a brown headed cowbird that builds no nest, but lays its eggs in the nests of other birds when they aren't looking. Many birds reject the eggs, but others raise them to adulthood. In some states, forestry officials will destroy the cowbird eggs as they are considered parasitic birds. Perhaps that's where the egg came from?
That's a cowbird egg, isn't it? I have tons of those little boogers at my birdfeeder, and can only assume they played their game in some of the songbird nests around here. Very sneaky birds!
that is odd, did you place those in there? I like the green framing but the left side is a little blurry, I wish it matched the focus of the leaves on the top and right. 8
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