While visiting Low Island recently, I was able to observe and record this Song Sparrow (Melospiza melodia) singing. It sounded a bit different than the sparrows I’ve been hearing around town – I guess I should try to record some of them for comparison.
Brant (Branta bernicla) and Black Turnstones (Arenaria melanocephala) can be heard a couple of times, and towards the end, some Black Oystercatchers (Haematopus bachmani) start raising a ruckus as well. The surf crashing up on the shore in the distance behind me is present throughout.
Recording was made with a Sony PCM-M10 which I held in hand. There was only a very light breeze, but without any wind protection to speak of, there’s still a little bit of wind noise.
On Sunday, May 8th, 2011 my kids and I were hiking the Harbor Mountain Road from the 2nd Gate the the 3rd Gate. Right at snowline, we discovered a blue-green oval shaped egg with black speckles on the larger end. The egg was the size of a small chicken egg, but with one end being wider and the other end being narrower than a chicken egg…. The egg was uncracked and right in the middle of the D1 graveled road. My son accidently stepped on it revealing a deep orange yolk and a very clear white. The shell thickness was very thin.
What kind of egg would this be?
We are also perplexed how it got into the middle of the road without being broken as it didn’t take much of a human touch to break it. We wonder if a predator or scavenger raided a nest and carried to the place found. But what?
12 years later I see that I never responded to this comment. A very intriguing mystery. I don’t have any answers, but am happy to offer some thoughts.
Given the size and color you describe, I wonder if they might be crow or raven eggs. I don’t usually think of crows ever venturing that far upland, and I would have thought ravens would have laid eggs earlier (nor do I think of them nesting that far upland). Location-wise, grouse or ptarmigan might be a better fit, but their eggs appear to be cream or brown with speckles.
I wonder if it ended up on the snow which melted from under it. That could explain why it wasn’t broken. Perhaps a raven could have raided a crow nest and brought it up, but I don’t know why it would carry it so far.