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Egg watch – 2017

So here we are once again at the beginning of what should be another nesting season for our Peregrine Falcons.  Both the female, Alley, and the male, 19/K, are still present at the Capitol.  This is not only notable since both birds are getting up there in age (Alley hatched in 2004, 19/K in 2001), but more so because 19/K spent much of last year at Fontenelle Forest’s Raptor Recovery after getting injured in early June.   He was released at the Capitol in October 2016 and apparently has been doing just fine during the intervening months.  These two falcons have been present since 2005 and they are the only pair that has successfully fledged young from the Nebraska State Capitol.

Now that we are getting into the latter part of March, it is time to be on the lookout for the first egg.  The Peregrine Falcons at the Woodmenlife Tower in Omaha welcomed their first egg on 20 March (Monday), which is about a week earlier than last year.   Last year, the Capitol’s Peregrine Falcons had their first egg about a week after the Woodmenlife’s birds.  So, my best guess is our Peregrine Falcon should lay her first egg on 27 March.  I’ll stress, this is just wild speculation.    But while I’m speculating, I think we go into this nesting season with some big questions.  Perhaps at the top of my list is whether this pair will produce any viable eggs this year.    Last year, the pair had five eggs, but only one successfully hatched.  The 2016 results increasingly seem to be more of a consistent pattern as the birds get older.

So, will the birds lay any eggs?  If so, how many?  And will any of them hatch?   These are great questions and fortunately, you can discover the answers by checking out our Falconcam.  Go HERE  now to see what is happening at the next box.    Also, if you want to keep up on the latest Peregrine happenings, consider joining the Facebook group Peregrine Falcons Lincoln NE.

Happy Peregrine Falcon watching and good birding!

About Joel Jorgensen

Joel Jorgensen is a Nebraska native and he has been interested in birds just about as long as he has been breathing. He has been NGPC’s Nongame Bird Program Manager for eight years and he works on a array of monitoring, research, regulatory and conservation issues. Nongame birds are the 400 or so species that are not hunted and include the Whooping Crane, Least Tern, Piping Plover, Bald Eagle, and Peregrine Falcon. When not working, he enjoys birding.

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