If you think peregrine falcons are protective of their unhatched eggs, you would be correct.
Any doubters need look no further than to Hope and Zeus, the female and male peregrine falcons that are nesting on top of the 12-story Westar Energy building at 818 S. Kansas Ave. in downtown Topeka.
The falcons, which were hatched in 1999 in Omaha, Neb., and made their way six years ago to a nesting spot at the southwest corner of the Westar building, are taking turns incubating two eggs that were laid in the past week.
The first egg was laid at 11:23 a.m. Thursday and the second egg was laid at 2:37 p.m. Saturday, said Westar spokeswoman Lila Halabi. Two more eggs are expected, with the chicks to hatch sometime around the first of May.
"They're very protective," said Brad Loveless, director of Biology and Conservation programs for Westar Energy. "You can't get close to them when they're real agitated."
Though humans are keeping their distance physically, they are watching nearly every move of the falcons, thanks to a pair of Web cams that are streaming live footage of the falcons at
www.westarenergy.com/greenteam.
On Monday, viewers looked in on Hope as she rested on top of two eggs, which were visible when she changed positions.
Pedestrians in downtown Topeka may have heard the increased vocalizations, or screechings, of Hope and Zeus in recent days, an indicator that eggs might be in the immediate future.
Hope and Zeus are the second peregrine falcon couple to have made their home on top of the Westar building. Another female and male falcon couple nested there in 1993 and 1994, then left and didn't return.
Westar personnel kept watching to see if another falcon couple would come to the building, but none did — until 2004, when Hope and Zeus showed up.
Loveless said Hope laid about four eggs in 2004, 2005 and 2006. However, Zeus broke the eggs each time before a chick could be hatched, an action Loveless said baffled wildlife experts.
Things changed in 2007, when Hope again laid four eggs and Zeus broke three of them. Hope then incubated the last remaining egg for a couple of days before it was hatched. From that point forward, Zeus hasn't broken any more eggs.
One chick has survived each of the past three years, in 2007, 2008 and 2009, Loveless said. Some of the other eggs didn't hatch or the chicks didn't survive.
Chicks that hatch typically begin to take flight as the weather becomes warmer, going increasingly farther from their nest on the Westar building. Loveless said Westar personnel routinely get reports of the smaller falcons being spotted in people's back yards across the city.
When the weather turns cooler with the onset of fall, the smaller falcons take flight and head south, possibly to Central or South America.
This past winter, both Hope and Zeus stayed in Topeka instead of heading south.
Loveless said he was hoping all of the eggs Hope lays this spring will hatch. The small falcons will receive bands that identify when and where they were born.
People across the country and around the world will be able to witness the progress of the baby falcons, thanks to the Web cam that runs 24/7.
Westar spokeswoman Karla Olsen said people from around the world are watching the falcons' progress. Viewers known to visit the Web site regularly include a person in Australia. Other faithful viewers come from along the eastern seaboard of the United States. Several classes from area schools also view the Web site on a regular basis.
"We have people from all over the world watch the falcons every year," Olsen said. "Some people stumble across the Web site, then check in to see how it's going."
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