10 May 2020
Welcome to the strangest peregrine nesting season I’ve ever seen at Pitt’s Cathedral of Learning. Since late February an unbanded male has been challenging Morela’s mate Terzo for ownership of the Pitt nest. Neither male has won and the contest continues, so when Morela didn’t lay eggs by the end of April I thought she never would … until she laid one at 12:42am on Saturday 9 May.
Here’s the moment the egg appeared. (Thanks to Bev Fullbrandt for reporting the time.)
Naturally we wondered, “Who’s the father?”
For peregrines, the biological father doesn’t matter at all but an active participating father is key to egg and chick survival. The male provides food from courtship through brooding, shares incubation duties, and hunts for the entire family after the eggs hatch. A solo female will eventually abandon her eggs if her mate does not return.
Morela has the opposite problem but I figured we’d learn which male is the active father by watching who showed up to examine the egg. They both did.
Terzo visited from 1:38 to 1:43pm on 9 May.
Ecco, the new unbanded male, made several visits in the 5pm and 6pm hours and bowed with Morela.
Here’s a video of his first two visits: 5:38pm and 5:47pm.
Meanwhile, who is feeding Morela? Who will incubate the eggs? Will there be more eggs?
We still don’t know what’s going on, but with your help we’ll find out. Watch the National Aviary falconcam at Univ. of Pittsburgh and let me know what you see.
A big Thank You! goes out to everyone who’s left comments on the activity at the nest. Keep up the good work! It’s much appreciated.
(photos from the National Aviary falconcam at Univ of Pittsburgh)
p.s. What an unusual title for Mother’s Day!
The latest saga in “As The Scrape (World) Turns.”
This is just like “Mama Mia”!
Welcome to the strangest peregrine nesting season I’ve ever seen at Pitt’s Cathedral of Learning.
And we thought *last* year was crazy!
There is a Bald Eagle nest at Stewards of the Upper Mississippi. The nest consists of 2 males and 1 female. Both males mate with the female and all 3 take care of the eggs and eaglets. This year there are 2 eaglets. They are known as the Trio. Could this be happening at this Falcon nest?
I was going to mention the Trio. At first I couldn’t believe it. Last year there were 3 babies One for each adult. Got crowded. One of my favorite nests. Hays is #1
Has anyone seen Terzo or Morela’s Mystery Man bring her a food offering?
At 12:48 pm the unbanded male joined Morela in the scrape. There was some bowing, along with his looking upward quite a lot. Wonder if he saw Terzo flying around up there?! He left at 12:54.
Happy Mother’s Day, everybody!
Unbanded Male made about a 7 minute visit at 12:50. He sure kept looking up at sky.
There was intermittent off-camera vocalizations from approx 11:26am to approx. 12:34pm. (Camera time and my computer time aren’t quite in sync – computer time is about 1-1.5 min. faster. Earlier times are computer time). At approx . 12:34pm, Morela flies into nest – cheeupping and bowing. Approx. 12:37 falcon shadow moves over nest. Approx. 12:41pm Morela rolls egg and vocalizes while standing over egg. Approx. 12:49pm unbanded bird arrives – Morela bows and cheeups, but the male is more concerned with looking at the sky. Male vocalizing a little. Approx. 12:54pm (camera time) male leaves. Morela looking around, moves from egg, a few cheeups, watches sky. 1:04pm Morela back at egg, brooding. 1:11pm Morela on perch, much vocalizing and bowing (or just looking below the perch). 1:12pm Male on perch, then flies to top of box. Morela bowing and cheeuping in front of egg. 1:17pm Morela backa at egg, some vocalizations at times, acted like another bird was nearby. 1:18pm: unbanded male back, cheeuping but mostly watching the sky. Morela initially cheeuping but mostly silent – standing between egg and male. Morela starts dancing from one foot to the other, and then flies to perch and then leaves the nest at 13:21. Unbanded male still at nest but also leaves a few seconds after Morela.
Around 1:23 PM, Morelia at the nest chupping. The unbanded male flew in. Morela chipping and bowing, but he was distracted and looking at the sky. Morela left, the male stayed a couple moments more then flew off.
Morela brooding egg beginning 14:03.
You have to give her credit for determination. She really wanted to lay an egg!
I think Morela thought “It’ll be a cold day in hell before I have a family with either of these jokers”. Then we had a that record cold so she laid the egg. You can’t argue with Mother Nature.
Happy Mother’s Day to Morela! Hoping for good outcome with whoever the father is, that one of them will take good care of mom and young! Thanks for all the updates!!