Messy Nest

Terzo and Hope hold a black-feathered prey item, C1 looks on (photo from the National Aviary falconcam at Univ of Pittsburgh)
Terzo delivers a black-feathered prey item to the nest. Hope retrieves it. C1 watches (photo from the National Aviary falconcam at Univ of Pittsburgh)

In years past, Pitt peregrine watchers were used to seeing a very messy nest on camera. Dorothy, the previous resident female, usually plucked prey at the nest soon after she was done brooding.  In those years the nest normally looked like this.

This year the nest has been amazingly clean … until yesterday.  At 6:45am Terzo brought a black-feathered prey item to the nest.  Hope took it from him and plucked it while C1 watched.  (It was a male red-winged blackbird.)

Hope plucks the prey item - a red-winged blackbird -- at the nest (photo from the National Aviary falconcam at Univ of Pittsburgh)
Hope plucks the prey item – a red-winged blackbird — as C1 looks on (photo from the National Aviary falconcam at Univ of Pittsburgh)

I finally figured out there’s a good reason for making a mess.  C1 will soon be old enough to eat on his own and will need to know how to pluck prey and tear it up. The best way to learn is by watching. Yesterday Hope showed him by example.

By the end of the month C1 will be grabbing the food and plucking it himself.  In the meantime I’m sure he’ll watch more food preparation demonstrations.

Breakfast is served amid the feathers (photo from the National Aviary falconcam at Univ of Pittsburgh)
Breakfast is served amid the feathers (photo from the National Aviary falconcam at Univ of Pittsburgh)

Breakfast is served.

 

(photos from the National Aviary falconcam at Univ of Pittsburgh)

15 thoughts on “Messy Nest

  1. That makes sense. I saw him playing with a bit of bone lying the nest yesterday. Today, he is calling for mama. Dad just isn’t cuttin’ it for him!

  2. I was watching after the plucking, and am still watching that
    “Pink” object that C1 played with, and moves around the nest … do you think that is plastic or bone?

  3. Oh, Robin! Don’t you know puns are the lowest form of humor? (Only to those who can’t make ’em!) BTW, your name is appropriate!
    Back on point, when I saw the messy nest yesterday, I thought Dorothy had been reincarnated!
    Anne

  4. I just watched Mom bring in a meal for baby. It’s so different feeding this chick than it was last year’s chick [Fuzzy]. The meal was gone in several minutes. Baby was surely hungry. Made my day

  5. That red plastic piece come in the box just before Dorothy left in asked Kate about it. Now I think it is something that was left by Dorothy. I have been watching it ever since.

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