Nebraskaland Magazine
The Peregrine Falcons have suddenly been spending an unexpected amount of time at the nestbox and behaving in ways that generate curiosity. The following screenshots were captured Sunday afternoon.
All of this has some individuals wondering whether the Peregrines may “pull a kestrel” and lay a second clutch of eggs. I would be shocked and surprised if anything of consequence occurs at the nestbox this year, but I am naturally a skeptic. Peregrine Falcons will re-nest, but re-nesting typically occurs when eggs are lost (or removed) during the early days of incubation. According to the Birds of North America species account, there is a documented instance of a pair re-nesting after losing three week old young, but this was in California. This blog post mentions a case of double-brooding (raising two sets of young in one season) by a Peregrine Falcon pair in Virginia in 2008. Again, such instances are more exception than rules.
So, yes, I will occasionally be checking in on the Peregrines, but I will remain a skeptic that this is nothing more than curious behavior up until it is not.
