Do you see the fake egg in the nest of #213 and #218? April 24, 2006 (Click on photo to enlarge) Female #218 and male #213 began building a nest on Necedah NWR by the end of March, 2006 They began incubating by April 6. (In 2005 this pair didn't finish the nest they started, and they did not lay eggs.) Like good parents, they faithfully tended the nest—until April 24. That day both of them were seen together elsewhere on the refuge. That meant their precious eggs were left unguarded. Experts checked and saw that both eggs were still okay. But, bad news: several hours later, the two adults still had not come back to the nest. Rather than risk losing the eggs to predators, experts took the eggs. They replaced them with a plastic egg in case the adults came back later. Radio signals from the nest area after dark indicated that #218 (the female) was near the nest. We couldn't tell if the male was there; his radio transmitter is not working. The two eggs were taken to the nearby International Crane Foundation for further incubation. Then they were shipped to Maryland to the special place where all the chicks for the ultralight migration will hatch. What happened next? Read more: Rescued Eggs Become Eastern Flock's First Chicks! Copyright 2006 Journey North. All Rights Reserved. Please send all questions, comments, and suggestions to our feedback form