Yesterday (Fri. May 2nd) Department of Game & Inland Fisheries biologists accessed the nesting ledge. All of the gravel from the scrape was removed and replaced. This is a purely precautionary measure as there is no indication yet as to the cause of the nest failure.

Both adults were mildly aggressive, demonstrating a continuing attachment to the site. This is a hopeful sign while we wait for potential renesting. Should the falcons renest, it will result in a late clutch, much the same as last year.

As many may recall the eyases left the nest box before they were mobile enough to return, possibly to escape excessive summer heat. Last year a ramp was added followed by a sun shade. These modification have been added again in hopes that the pair will renest at this site.

From DGIF website

per the DGIF website:

Since the last update both of the remaining eggs have been lost. By about 5:30pm yesterday the 3rd egg had been removed from the nest by the falcons. The fourth remained and appeared to have pipped. The female settled down to incubate the egg overnight and we were hopeful that the remaining egg might still be viable.

As of about 6:15 am this morning the fourth egg had also been removed. We are unsure what may have led to the failure of this clutch. There are many plausible causes and we simply don’t have enough information at this point to speculate. This morning eggshell fragments and a sample of the gravel from the scrape were retrieved for lab analysis.

We will continue to monitor and evaluate the nest site. There is still the possibility that the falcons will have second brood. We will update you as information becomes available.

Editors Note:
As may be remembered, last year the entire nest under the Lee Bridge was washed out only to be rebuilt at Riverfront Towers. My hope is that these determined little predator will start over and give us another brood.

We are aware of unfortunate happenings at the nest in Richmond. At this point it appears that we lost two of our young birds. One was noted dead this morning and a second egg appeared to be hatching. This second egg was then carried off by the female

VDIF Website

A problem with the lighting has darkened the ledge at night.

The falcon egg prognosticator calculates that the 1st egg will hatch on April 21st or 22nd(today!), this is approximately 35 days from the date the egg was laid.

In the meantime, the wait continues for the “buttermilk baby“.

The Monroe Ward falcons have once again returned to Richmond. While some may believe these are River District falcons, I know that they originally settled in Monroe Ward, later moving to beneath the Lee Bridge. After being washed out of a poorly chosen nest site they relocated to Riverfront Plaza. Apparently there are more pigeons to be had in the River District.

Nevertheless (my favorite 3 in 1 word) we are willing to share them with all Richmond, to whom they truly belong. Settle in for another season of nest building, egg laying, hatching, feeding and flight training, one of my favorite rites of spring.

Check here for regular updates and please report any falcon sitings. Original pictures of our birdies will be published.

Read RTD reporter Rex Springston’s story on InRich.com.