AUSTIN, Texas — Editor's note: The related video was published in February 2019.
We've been following her tale for a few years now, and our favorite peregrine falcon has been sighted guarding three new eggs.
The University of Texas' resident falcon "Tower Girl" was spotted Sunday nurturing a newly laid egg. This comes just a few weeks after she was spotted with a potential mate at her nest on the UT Tower around Valentine's Day and days after laying her first egg of the season.
Researches said they believe he was likely the same male that visited her last year due to similar markings and behavior.
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Scientists say that egg-laying for the falcons typically happens in mid to late March and includes successive eggs every 50 hours in a usual clutch of four. They say that full-time incubation doesn't usually occur until after the second or third egg.
Peregrine falcons are also known to mate for life. However, though she has laid eggs in past years, none have hatched.
This marks her third egg this year. The first was spotted on March 3, and the latest was laid on Sunday.
Austin is considered the edge of the peregrine falcons' breeding range, so if any of her eggs hatch this season, it would expand the known breeding range of the species. Males have been known to visit her in the late winter and early spring to start courtship and mating.
Most peregrine falcons are known to migrate, but this particular falcon has lived in Austin year-round. She spends time at both the UT Tower and the downtown area.
Peregrine falcons are considered to be the fastest animal on the planet, as they can reach speeds of up to 200 mph.
The Biodiversity Center and College of Natural Sciences is accepting donations here to help keep the UT Falcon Cam on the air. You can keep an eye on her by watching live here.
Biodiversity Center students and sciences use Tower Girl to practice their field work and observational skills. They also study issues of land use and species interaction in Texas and work to raise awareness about a wide diversity of animals, plants, ecosystems and their interactions.
The UT Falcon Cam project supports the center's mission in research, education and public engagement.
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