05-19-2026 No chicks this year

We are a little overdue for a falcon update, and several new questions have emerged.

The eggs are now more than two weeks past their expected hatch date, so they are clearly not viable. This is not entirely unexpected, given the decline in fertility over the past two years. Rebecca is 17 and Kewpee is 16, so both are beyond their peak reproductive years. Although they continued incubating for a couple of extra weeks, brooding hormones naturally decrease when there are no young to care for, and the urge to incubate fades. As a result, they have stopped incubating the eggs.

We have not seen Rebecca or Kewpee for several days.  It is not unusual for birds to abandon a nest or site after a nest failure. So, perhaps this is what has happened.  In the meantime, there are two visiting Peregrine falcons.  One is not banded and the other one is.  We are trying to get a clear photograph of the band on the left leg to identify him.  We have a hunch based on some photos that we have but would like a sharper image to be sure.

We have not seen or heard any aggressive encounters between the birds, and we have not received any reports of grounded or injured falcons. For now, we hope our longtime residents have simply left the area, whether briefly or for a longer period. We have more questions than answers at the moment and are waiting to see what happens next. Please let us know if you spot any Peregrines in the area, especially if you can get photos with a left leg band.