Where are the birds?

Last year we had a bird nest in the eves of our covered patio. The nest was very obvious, and we left it alone all winter. This year, the bird is back, and made yet another nest. Last weekend, while doing yard work, I found an egg laying on our decorative rock.

I thought, being it was so carefully placed on the rock that it had safely fallen out of the nest, and my husband had put it on the rock. But he insisted that he didn't even see the egg.

Nevertheless, it proves the bird is back. Aha! The birds do reuse their nests! Not so....the nest was empty. I had to climb up to the eve and look down in the deep Crater of the nest to find it empty. There were no other eggs.

But, alas! a few days ago, you can hear the chirping of little birds in the eves, and mama bird is feverishly hunting for food all day.  But they are not using last year's nest. The trouble is, I see where the bird is, I hear the babies, but it is so deep in the eve, I cannot see the nest.

clever, mama bird, clever. So sorry to say the only picture I have of it is the dud egg.