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Peregrine Falcon shocker!

We received news today from our partners at the Woodmen Building that a new male Peregrine Falcon was spotted at the nestbox in downtown Omaha.  The good news was they were able to read the color band to identify this male falcon.  The shocking news was the band was very familiar, black over green and the letters 19/K.  This alphanumeric band belongs to the male Peregrine Falcon that has been one half of the nesting pair present at the Nebraska Capitol since 2005!    To be certain of the bird’s identity, I asked Nicole Steier, Communications Coordinator  with Woodmen of the World, whether any photographs were taken of the new bird in Omaha.  She provided the following photo taken 29 January 2015.

19/K at the Woodmen
This photo of a male Peregrine Falcon at the nestbox on the Woodmen Building in downtown Omaha. The color-band is clearly visible confirming it is the long-time resident male from the Nebraska State Capitol.

So was this just a winter foray of discovery to break up the winter doldrums?  Will 19/K be back at the Capitol come spring?  Or will we find a new male has taken over at the Capitol?  Will 19/K become the new male at the Woodmen?  Does this mean he displaced his own offspring (Mintaka)?

19/K
The male Peregrine Falcon 19/K at the Capitol nestbox in 2010. Check for yourself, the bands match.

So many questions, and lots of reasons to keep tabs on both the Capitol and Woodmen Peregrine Falcons in the coming weeks.

Many thanks to Nicole Steier and our friends and partners with Woodmen of the World.   

Nongame Bird Blog

About Joel Jorgensen

Joel Jorgensen is a Nebraska native and he has been interested in birds just about as long as he has been breathing. He has been NGPC’s Nongame Bird Program Manager for eight years and he works on a array of monitoring, research, regulatory and conservation issues. Nongame birds are the 400 or so species that are not hunted and include the Whooping Crane, Least Tern, Piping Plover, Bald Eagle, and Peregrine Falcon. When not working, he enjoys birding.

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