LINCOLN — Eggs laid in a nest atop the Nebraska State Capitol building by the peregrine falcons that call the building home will not hatch, officials said.
It was the second nesting attempt this year by the peregrine falcons, according to the Nebraska Game and Parks Commission. Last month, the female peregrine falcon laid three eggs in the nest box outside the Capitol’s 18th floor.
Two eggs disappeared over the past week, and the falcons were incubating the remaining egg infrequently, but then they both left.
“Based on the circumstances, we can conclude the remaining egg will not hatch,” said Joel Jorgensen, nongame bird program manager for Game and Parks.
The falcons picked a gutter at the base of the Capitol’s dome as the first nesting site this year. That attempt was foiled by rain.
In 2017, five eggs were laid, but none hatched. The falcons had a little more success in 2016, when one out of five eggs hatched.
The falcons are getting older, which is likely leading to fertility problems.
The female, Alley, is 14 years old and the male, 19/K, is 17 years old.
Peregrine falcons live 16 to 20 years.
