Setting Up Housekeeping at the Gulf Tower

Dori arrives to join Louie in courtship at the Gulf Tower nest (photo from National Aviary falconcam at Gulf Tower)
Dori arrives to join Louie in courtship at the Gulf Tower nest (photo from National Aviary falconcam at Gulf Tower). Click on the photo for a bigger view.

Pittsburgh Peregrine Fans are pleased as punch that Dori and Louie have taken a new and intensive interest in the Gulf Tower nest.

For the past four years they’ve flipped from site to site instead of choosing the Gulf Tower that peregrines had used continuously since 1991.  In 2012 and 2013 they left Gulf for a nook on Third Avenue. In 2014 they returned, but last year (2015) they left for Macy’s Annex.

In December the PA Game Commission’s peregrine coordinator, Art McMorris, refurbished the Gulf Tower nest in hopes it would entice the peregrines back to stay.  Since February 24 the signs have been very good:

  • Louie and Dori both visit the nest area:  The photo above shows them about to court on February 27.  Click on the image for a bigger view.
  • Louie calls for Dori to arrive:  Amazingly, he even calls to her at night. Click here to watch him calling her at 2:00am on February 29.
  • The pair courts at the scrape by bowing and “chirping” to each other.  Click here to see their courtship at WildEarth.tv archives.
  • Dori frequently perches near the nest or at the scrape. (The scrape is the actual nest site, a shallow depression where she’ll lay her eggs.)
  • Dori has dug two scrapes and continues to enlarge them.  See photos below.
Dori digs the scrape on the left (photo from the National Aviary falconcam at Gulf Tower)
Dori digs the scrape on the left (photo from the National Aviary falconcam at Gulf Tower)
Dori walks over to the other side ... (photo from the National Aviary falconcam at Gulf Tower)
Dori walks over to the other side … (photo from the National Aviary falconcam at Gulf Tower)
Dori digs the scrape on the right (photo from the National Aviary falconcam at Gulf Tower)
Dori digs the scrape on the right (photo from the National Aviary falconcam at Gulf Tower)

Dori is setting up housekeeping at the Gulf Tower so we’re hoping she’ll lay her eggs here this year.  The real confirmation will be her first egg, due to arrive in mid to late March.

You can watch what she’s up to on the National Aviary falconcam at the Gulf Tower.

 

(snapshots from the National Aviary falconcam at Gulf Tower)

7 thoughts on “Setting Up Housekeeping at the Gulf Tower

  1. Even though I can only look at the snapshot camera while I’m at work, I have been able to tell that 2 scrapes were dug in the gravel over the past few weeks (I was really excited when I saw that!), and this week I’ve been seeing Dori in the scrapes and hanging around the nest, so looks like there is a good chance that they will be returning to the Gulf Tower this year, which is great!

    I’m wondering about the Pitt site. I know that since the snapshot camera is so tightly focused on the nest it’s difficult to see if there are any birds in the area, and it does look like there is a scrape in the gravel, but I haven’t actually seen the birds in the nest box much at all. I hope Hope decides to lay her eggs there.

    1. Mary Ann, Hope and E2 have been at the nest several times a day. Hope has been working on two scrapes too — the original one, plus another near the green perch. I hope she chooses the original scrape since it’s more sheltered.

  2. It is so exciting to see all the activity at both sites. Lots of courting, some food/gift exchanges, even a little mating caught on camera at Gulf. Very high hopes that we’ll have eggs laid at both locations this season.

  3. After much activity at the Gulf nest box, with Dori spending the last two nights (from March 9 to 10 and 10 to 11) on top of the box, it is eerily quiet now.
    Both were last seen on March 11 in the early morning. Since then, nothing!
    I would like to add that I saw Dori look at the window to the right (from my perspective) of the box on March 10.
    Are there people at the location who observe the falcons and could have more information?
    All and all it is very weird.

    1. Ingrid, I saw the same thing but then Dori sat there a lot longer and finally looked around in the sky before she left. This is the time of year when peregrine intruders appear on the scene and try to claim a territory. Big SPECULATION Here: At this point in the nesting cycle Dori relies on Louie to bring her food. It is possible that she was looking for him and he didn’t come because he was handling an intruder. REALITY: We really can’t know what’s going on in a territory by only watching the camera. From what I saw in Dori’s last visit at the nest the problem is not humans.

  4. Thanks Kate.
    I was so hopeful of seeing this couple nest here again. And she really looked very “pregnant” the last time I saw her on cam 🙁

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