Falcon program sees first

What looked like a failure has turned into a first for the Iowa Department of Natural Resources’ program to reintroduce peregrine falcons to the state. Wildlife diversity supervisor Doug Harr says the eggs in the nest of peregrine pair in downtown Des Moines mysteriously disappeared. But, there is a happy ending.He says the birds started another nest very late in the season, something he says they don’t believe has ever happened before. The birds were featured for a time on the D-N-R’s website via the “falcon cam” before their first set of eggs disappeared. Harr says the fate of those eggs is a mystery.He says they surmise the birds ate the eggs to recycle their calcium after determining the eggs were infertile. He says they’ve been able to spot one chick in the new nest.He says the second nesting often includes only a single chick. There are currently four other peregrine pairs nesting in the state of Iowa. The birds are an endangered species in the state after being wiped out by pesticide use.