A lot has happened at the Cathedral of Learning peregrine nest in the past two weeks.
- On June 21 a new female peregrine, Magnum, appeared on the falconcam. She came to the nest several times through June 23 and bowed with Terzo, the resident male. Her presence meant that the previous female, Hope, was gone.
- At midday June 24 Hope returned to the nest and has been bowing with Terzo ever since.
- On June 27 this year’s fledgling, C1, visited the nest and made loud begging sounds.
- On July 2, Chad Steele photographed Magnum at her own nest site, the Neville Island I-79 Bridge.
During these changes I was off the grid and couldn’t answer your questions. Here are some long awaited answers.
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Did anyone see Hope and Magnum fighting?
No. We never saw anything, stuck on the ground with our poor field of view. My guess is that Hope and Magnum chased each other without making physical contact.
I see two peregrines at the nest. Please tell me if it’s Hope and Magnum and if they are fighting.
Magnum is gone for now. However, you can tell the difference between courtship and fighting by observing the birds’ postures and actions:
Courtship: Two peregrines standing apart from each other, chirping and bowing low = male+female strengthening pair bond. This is good.
Fight: Two peregrines with talons locked (feet are connected), trying to peck at each others’ throats, wings open, leaning backwards to avoid each others’ beaks = 2 birds of the same sex fighting. Here’s a slideshow of a fight in 2007 between two males at the Cathedral of Learning.
Why are the females competing now outside the nesting season? Are they competing for Terzo?
They’re not competing for Terzo at all. They’re competing for the Cathedral of Learning, a prime nest site worth winning at any time of year. It’s better than a bridge.
Does Terzo’s preference determine which female wins? Since Hope was there first, will Terzo leave if he prefers Magnum?
No. Unlike humans who bond with their mates and then find a place to live, peregrines bond to the nest site and then mate with whoever is there. If another female wins the site — no matter who it is — Terzo will mate with that female. He will not leave the site unless a new male ousts him.
Will Hope keep the Cathedral of Learning site?
We don’t know. We can tell that Hope is a weak owner because other females have made it to the nest three times in April & June. A strong owner would never let other females get into the nest. It never happened during Dorothy’s reign.
Has anyone seen Magnum recently?
Yes. On July 2 Chad Steele, peregrine monitor from Canton, Ohio, photographed Magnum at her home nest site, the Neville Island I-79 Bridge. His photos confirm her identity.
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How is this year’s fledgling, C1?
C1 is so mobile that it’s hard to keep track of her. Anne Marie Bosnyak saw her this morning, July 5, on St. Paul’s steeple. We also know she visited the nest on June 27, whining loudly. Is she as loud as her mother? Perhaps.
p.s. As you watch the falconcam, here are band colors and numbers to look for:
Hope: black/green 69/Z + Green on right leg
Terzo: black/red N/29 + Silver on right leg
Magnum: black/red 62/H + Purple on right leg
C1 (juvenile, brown and cream-colored plumage): black/green 06/BR + Silver on right leg
(nest photos from the National Aviary falconcams at Univ. of Pittsburgh. photo of Magnum in flight by Chad Steele)
Many thanks for these updates Kate! Greatly appreciated!
And C1’s bands are Black/green, 06/BR + what on her right leg?
Steve, I revised the blog to add C1’s bands. She has Silver on the right leg.
Thanks, Kate, for answering those outstanding questions succinctly, and for sharing that screenshot from C1’s visit.
This is really fascinating. Thanks so much for the information.
The drama continues for this nest. I am sure all of us will be quickly returning to this website early next year to find out who will be nesting here. Dorothy was amazing and her story just gets better as we see all the interesting and strange things happening. It is an unstable time for this nest. How did Dorothy keep this location all those years? She was a tough bird and a wonderful mom.
Kate had to laugh about the comment about the COL being a prime nest site. My Dean once said roughly the same thing 🙂
Thanks for the great information.
Beautiful close up of little one-I`m sorry I missed her visit. I know Hope has made it abundantly clear that she still considers this nest to be her home and Magnum and Terzo are not welcome!
Tonight, Wednesday, on PBS` Nature @8pm, a new episode entitled “Masters of the Sky” featuring creatures such as the sparrowhawk, the booted racket-tail hummingbird, the Japanese rhinoceros beetle AND THE PEREGRINE FALCON!
I tried to send this using the contact us form but for some reason it kept coming back with an error message saying “message not sent”!
Kate,
I wonder why you refer to Hope as a weak owner? If she is so weak as an owner, does that mean those other potential rivals who visited the nest are weaker? If she is so weak of an owner, why didn’t any of those other potential rivals take over? Is it perhaps that Hope has a different style, being lax on “visitors”, but maybe being dominant in other areas? She certainly did not act weak during the banding of C1. In fact, it seems, if memory serves me correctly, she may have been more fierce in trying to protect C1. The individuals going out to get C1 on banding day had to make an extra effort to keep her at a distance. I’m just curious how one attribute makes Hope a weak owner. I can understand that as a weakness with potential consequences for Hope. I also do not think it is a coincidence that Hope remains in charge of the COL after visits by multiple potential rivals. Thank you.
stan, A strong owner would never let other females get into the nest. And a strong owner would not lose control of the site for 2 days and have to win it back. (Magnum occupied it June 21-23.)
Kate,
Thank you for your reply. I continue to learn from the information you post on this site. I may question you from time to time. I do respect the knowledge and information that you take time to share here.