What kind of bird nest is this?

I was taking a walk in the neighborhood and I noticed a huge bird nest in someone's front yard. It is not in a tree, but on the ground. It is not in the grass, but on a patch of dirt. It is large, like I said, and was made of sticks. There were three large eggs in it. The eggs were shaped like ovals, and were each the size of a large potato. They were borwn speckled. I didn't see the mom. Has she abandoned her nest? What kind of nest is it?