A horrific peregrine falcon fight in Ohio last Friday reminded me that life isn’t always rosy for Dorothy’s daughters.
In the thirteen years she’s nested at the University of Pittsburgh’s Cathedral of Learning, Dorothy has fledged 42 young. Eleven chose nest sites where observers were able to identify them. Six of those are Dorothy’s daughters. Here are their stories.
Beauty, pictured above, hatched in 2007 and flew north to Rochester, New York. There she nests on the Times Square Building with DotCa. For two years her life was like Peyton Place with a territorial fight and DotCa’s philandering. This spring is considerably calmer and she’s already laid three eggs. Follow her news and live video at RFalconcam.
Belle, hatched in 2003, flew west to the bell tower at the University of Toledo, Ohio. Now 11 years old she was in a life-threatening territorial fight on Friday that scattered her four eggs and left her with injuries around her eyes. Belle returned to incubate but as you can see below, she’s not in good condition. Her mate, Allen, collected their four eggs and is incubating more often and providing more food. We hope the intruder is gone and Belle recovers soon. See photos of the fight and follow news of Belle and Allen at the Toledo Peregrine Project Facebook page.
Belle’s same-year sibling, Hathor also flew west where she nests at the Macomb County Building in Mt. Clemens, Michigan. Barb Baldinger checked the nest last week and counted four eggs. Here’s Barb’s photo of Hathor and her mate Nick in March. Their nest is not on camera but you can follow their news on the Peregrine Falcons Southeast Michigan Facebook page.
Maddy, Class of 2004, nests at the I-480 Bridge at Valley View near Cleveland, Ohio. It’s a tough site to monitor but Chad+Chris Saladin observe at the bridge when they get a chance. Here’s one of their photos of Maddy at home in 2011.
Yellow, Class of 2009, has nested at the Killen Power Station in Wrightsville, Ohio since 2011 but has not been confirmed yet this year (and there are no photos of her).
And finally Blue, Class of 2011, tried to nest at the Green Tree water tower in 2013. The nesting attempt was discovered during a construction project and, though the project was delayed, the nest failed. Identified by Shannon Thompson who took her photo above, Blue and her mate are gone this year, replaced by a completely new pair. Perhaps we’ll hear of her somewhere else some day.
Six daughters, six different lives.
(photo credits:
Beauty in Rochester, New York, photo from RFalconcam
Belle, injured in Toledo, Ohio, photo from Univ of Toledo falconcam via Toledo Peregrine Project
Hathor and Nick at Mt. Clemens, Michigan, photo by Barb Baldinger
Maddy, I-480 Bridge, photo by Chad+Chris Saladin
Blue, Green Tree water tower, photo by Shannon Thompson)
Thanks for the update, Kate. What a story of nature in all its shadings.
Wow, it’s painful looking at Belle’s injuries. But Nature is harsh. Just think what it would be like if we all had to survive under those circumstances.
Great report, Kate. I so love hearing about them all.
Beauty has some “big shoes” to fill, as the saying goes. She dethroned our long time resident female Mariah. Mariah like Dorothy fledged over 42 young. Beauty has already proven to be a “tough” falcon. May she be as successful as her mother and Mariah.
Thank you for the update on Dorothy’s girls. Belle seems to be getting better as each day goes by. She has a great mate who is providing for her and many fans who are rooting for her.
Beauty is a warrior and has endured much disruption since her time in Rochester. It’s a busy area with many peregrines coming through and she has held her own throughout it all. She’s successfully raised 6 offspring so far and has just laid her 4th egg this morning. We are all looking forward to watching her raising another brood this year! Long may she reign over Rochester!
Just wanted to post a note that Beauty & Dot.ca had all 4 eggs successfully hatch between Saturday and Monday. Now the fun begins!
Congratulations to Beauty and DotCa.