Have you noticed the transition at the Pitt peregrine nest in the last two days? This boring picture demonstrates it.
Brooding is over. The chicks can regulate their own body temperature so their parents don’t need to shelter them all the time. Here they are asleep, surrounded by the feathers and body parts (wings) of this morning’s breakfast.
Where’s Mom? She’s guarding them out of camera view or is out hunting while Dad stands watch. She knows her nestlings will be fine alone.
For more information on peregrine falcon behavior see the Peregrine FAQs page on this blog.
(photo from the National Aviary webcam at the University of Pittsburgh)
If i were a betting person, i would bet there are two pushy females and two lay back males in Dorothy’s nest of babies!
And for all you nestling watchers, the females are bigger. You’ll be able to see the difference in a couple of weeks.
Then, there is Tasha 2 at the Gulf Tower who seems to be waiting for the other eggs to hatch. Poor Tasha!! I don’t think Louie is all that attenative.
I think Tasha 2 has rolled at least one egg away from underneath her. Her last chick didn’t make its appearance until the 28th of April so maybe she is still in “brooding” mode?
I was wondering why Dorothy was leaving them alone for so long especially when it was rainy & cold out yesterday. Thanks for the info. I do feel sorry for Tasha though-it seems as though she is waiting for the other eggs to hatch or she doesn’t want to leave her babies for too long. It seems like she doesn’t want Louie to help out either-I saw her talking or yelling at him the other day & it looked like she was telling him to leave her & the babies alone.
>…maybe she is still in “brooding” mode?
Yes, Tasha is probably still brooding her chicks because her last one hatched later than all the others.
>…seems like she doesn’t want Louie to help out either-I saw her talking or yelling at him the other day & it looked like she was telling him to leave her & the babies alone.
Among peregrine falcons the usual division of labor is that the female rules the nest and the male rules the territory. Within that, each pair is different. If Tasha decides she wants Louie to leave her alone right now, she “tells” him. This is perfectly normal.
(p.s. She might be telling him to bring food.)
Mom and Lil Dad in Harrisburg have their squabbles too, and it’s obvious that they’re fine, attentive parents. At least Tasha only has two so it won’t be as hard to care for them, although they might need more brooding in this cool weather. Also, just because they’re off-camera doesn’t mean that they’re both not lurking near the scrape. All these peregrine parents amaze me with the level of their devotion.
This is totally off the current subject as I have been away and am excited to catch up on things “outside your window” A lot has happened. Wow!
Part of my excitement this morning is that I had my first ever Rose-breasted Grosbeak at my feeder. Lo and behold you had a post about them in April and I listened to their call. Now I will be listening for sneakers squeaking on the gym floor as I work in my yard.
Thank you for all the wonderful information you supply. Now I am going to go back and read a month’s worth of your posts.
Have a lovely day.
It looks like one of Dorothy’s chicks wants to test it’s wings-it looked for a minute like it wanted to take off but Mom or Dad quickly got in it’s way since they are feeding the young one’s. Can’t tell if it’s Dorothy or E2 since the sun is out & they are in the shade.
Sun. AM 5/10 I see only 3 nestlings in Dorothy’s nest this AM. Thought maybe she lost one yesterday but I am hoping I just can see the 4th. Faith Cornell.
awhile later Sun. morning. I saw the 4th chick. Feel like a shepherd who found his lost sheep. Faith Cornell
PS: I enjoy the site & your site so much I don’t have words.