TOPEKA (KSNT) – Bird watchers in Topeka may be disappointed this year to find a famous family of peregrine falcons are unlikely to raise any new chicks this year.
27 News reached out to Evergy this week regarding its resident family of peregrine falcons which nest on top of the energy company’s offices in downtown Topeka. Courtney Lewis, a spokesperson for Evergy, said the eggs laid this year are not likely to hatch given how long it has been since they were first laid.
The peregrine falcon couple currently nesting atop the Evergy offices have regularly returned to this site to raise their young since 2011. The first egg of the season arrived in April this year and was followed by two others.
“There are still two eggs currently in the nest,” Lewis said. “One egg was either removed or consumed by the adults.”
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Lewis said the falcon couple consists of the 16-year-old female, Nemaha, and her mate Boreas, which is 18-years-old. The age of the birds is one of the bigger factors that may explain why no eggs have hatched yet this year.
“We suspect that it is due to the age of the adults,” Lewis said. “We are not aware of any environmental or weather-related factors that would have caused the eggs not to hatch this year.”
A camera view of the Evergy peregrine falcon nest in Topeka. (Photo Courtesy/Courtney Lewis)
Peregrine falcons usually lay their eggs in mid-March or early April each year with a new egg appearing every other day until the clutch is complete. The eggs take around 33-35 days to hatch with chicks eventually leaving the nest after about five weeks.
Lewis said the other peregrine falcon families Evergy monitors in Missouri are faring better. Three chicks were banded at the Hawthorn Generating Station in Kansas City and a new breeding pair has taken up residence at Evergy’s Iatan Generating Station.
Evergy operates a live camera of the nest in Topeka on YouTube which you can tune into by clicking here. You can also learn more about Evergy’s Avian Protection Program by clicking here.
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