Peregrine falcons sleep standing up. They don’t lie down on the nest unless they are incubating. Here Dorothy is making an exception.
In April we’d expect to see her sleeping over her eggs at the Cathedral of Learning but she never has eggs in July. In her first 14 years of life she didn’t slept prone at the nest unless she had eggs.
Now at age 16, Dorothy is an elderly wild peregrine. A year ago she started sleeping at the nest like this in the summer.
She’s tired. She’s showing her age.
p.s. If you have not seen the sad news of this year’s Pitt peregrine chick (published Monday afternoon) click here.
(photo from the National Aviary snapshot camera at University of Pittsburgh)
Still, we love her.
Dorothy is showing her age, and it is difficult to see. She and E2 have been together at the nest, bowing to each other. I prefer that view, but at the same time, understand that she is an elderly peregrine.
Somehow it seems like she is grieving her baby.
Carol, I doubt she is grieving. From this FAQ, The Solitary Nature of Peregrines:
“Peregrines have no long-lasting “love” for their young. Parents care for their nestlings, then teach them to hunt after they’ve fledged. Four to six weeks later the parents wean the young and will no longer bring them food. At that point the young must fend for themselves and leave the territory forever. If they cannot feed themselves, they die. This is the Way of the Peregrine.”
We do so anthropomorphize these beautiful creatures. It is easy to do with the availability of web cams. Dorothy is an incredible falcon. I am thankful to have been able to watch her all these years. I just hope that we don’t have to witness a territorial fight. I am certain a new female will be moving in. Kate, do you think that she is aware enough to know that she cannot win the battle, and will just leave, or is the battle just another instinctive act to them, and she will take it on?
Kathy, I don’t know the answer but I do know it is very unlikely that a fight would occur on camera. Dorothy always goes out to meet her challengers in the air.
May she have a peaceful summer, sleeping in the sun, before she takes on the next inevitable challenger, then. I am not a falcon, but I would bet that Dorothy would rather die fighting than leave her lifelong home.
She has had a remarkable life, and we have been privileged to see her all these years. It is sad to think that she may not be with us next season, but what a legacy she will leave behind. Beautiful, fierce, loving, devoted Dorothy.
I’ve been watching Dorothy a lot this week and thought I noticed a difference in her behavior. She does seem tired. I thought it was just me noticing that. It’s hard to think that she is slowing down. Thank you for your article Kate.
Bless her heart, Kate.
Dorothy is awesome, even now, and it has been a wonderful privilege to observe her through the years as she raised her families.
Kate, are you aware of the family of osprey in Chesapeake Bay (Chesapeake Bay Conservancy) who had a fledgling from another nest drop in and stay for a couple of days? I learned of it through the Hays Bald Eagle site, and truly enjoyed the adventure all of that family, and the visitor to the nest had. Everyone got along well, which was surprising, and the fledgling, which was quite a bit larger than the other two banded birds in the nest, was very patient in waiting to be fed. He happened to land in a nest with another good mom. She fed her own babies first, but made sure he got some of what was left. He left once he rested a bit, and gained a bit more strength. (I think he also figured out that his new mom wasn’t going to give him enough food to really fill him up.) It was great to see such a rare occurrence on camera.
All of you who keep us informed on these nest camera sites do a great service to the rest of us who otherwise wouldn’t have these opportunities. Thank you!!
In one way I wish we could thank Dorothy; I wish she knew how much she is loved and admired. But on the other hand I see the pure beauty of Dorothy simply listening to Nature and following its direction. She has listened well and requires nothing but to continue to live out her days till Nature tells her no more. She has had an amazing life and I feel so grateful to have witnessed a part of it.
Hi Kate
I have a couple of questions as we look back and celebrate Dorothy’s life and fledglings.
How long has Dorothy resided at Pitt? How many fledglings?
Hi, Kitty, good to hear from you.
Dorothy has been at the Cathedral of Learning since before 2001 (she probably arrived before then but we didn’t identify her before 2001).
Dorothy’s first successful nest was in 2002. She has fledged 43 young. This year’s youngster counts as “fledged” because he did fly, though not successfully.