Will They Or Won't They??!

As spring continues to roll in a popular question is if we will see eggs in Columbus this year.

Durand's actions over the past several days of spending a lot of time in and near the nestbox and scraping are all normal behaviors to indicate her body is gearing up for nesting. But will her hormones be at the level needed to actually produce an egg? And if so, will her eggs be fertile?

No one knows the answers to these questions and all we can do is wait and wonder.

Keep in mind there is plenty of time for egg laying. Last year the first egg in Columbus was not laid until April 8. While most falcon eggs in Ohio are produced in March and April, egg laying can stretch into May especially for second nesting attempts.

One final note, it is unlikely Durand would lay eggs elsewhere in the city. First, the nestbox at the Rhodes Tower provides the best conditions for a peregrine in downtown (gravel to scrape in, southern exposure). There are few-if any-other places downtown that would offer the same amenities to a peregrine considering nesting. And, since they stick tight to where their eggs are we can assume that as long as we are continuing to see her coming to the nest ledge it would indicate she doesn't have something going on anywhere else. So for now we all continue to wait and watch!