Dorothy has definitely not completed her clutch.
Peregrine falcons begin incubation — they cover the eggs continuously — when the female has laid her next-to-last egg.
Today before dawn Dorothy roosted near her eggs but did not cover them.
Does she expect to lay five eggs this year?
Only time will tell.
(photo from the National Aviary falconcam at the University of Pitsburgh)
I’ve been watching the falconcam the past few days while Dorothy has been laying her eggs. I never see her eat anything and I haven’t seen her partner. What and when does she eat? Looks lonely up there.
Beth, the falcons’ nest is their babies’ crib. Dorothy & E2 hunt, eat, court, and mate in other parts of their territory. Sometimes this is at the Cathedral of Learning, sometimes not. They don’t even sleep at the nest unless there are eggs or babies in it. Come down to Schenley Plaza — especially at Fledge Watch in early June — and you’ll see how very big their world is. The camera only shows a tiny part of it.
Also… Dorothy’s mate, E2, does visit the nest but he looks so much like her that it’s hard to tell when it happens. This blog shows him arriving and striding toward Egg #1. He has just brought her breakfast to her favorite dining ledge on another part of the building. While she eats away from the nest he guards the egg. In mid-morning he gave her another break. When she returns they bow and then he leaves and she takes over.
http://www.birdsoutsidemywindow.org/2013/03/14/more-pictures-of-first-egg-at-pitt/
Great question and answer. I have been wondering this myself. E2 seems like he is a great mate for Dorothy. Thank you for posting this info.