Meanwhile, A Caution Across Town

Dori with her first chick at the Gulf Tower, 19 April 2017, 3:27pm (snapshot from the National Aviary falconcam)
Dori with her first chick at the Gulf Tower, 19 April 2017, 3:27pm (snapshot from the National Aviary falconcam)

Since yesterday we’ve been having a joyous time as we watch five peregrine eggs hatch at the Gulf Tower (shown above).  Dori and Louie are excellent parents who’ve raised 27 young in Downtown Pittsburgh. We’re looking forward to a happy healthy season at this nest.

Meanwhile across town, the Cathedral of Learning peregrine eggs are due to hatch soon … but you might not want to watch.

4 eggs at the Cathedral of Learning, 19 April 2017 (snapshot from the National Aviary falconcam)
4 eggs at the Cathedral of Learning, 19 April 2017 (snapshot from the National Aviary falconcam)

Hope and Terzo’s eggs are due to hatch this Sunday April 23 (give or take a day or two) but Hope shocked us last year by killing and eating two of her four chicks as they hatched.  This type of behavior is very rare and upsets nearly everyone who sees it.

We don’t know if Hope will repeat the behavior this year but my word to the wise is this:

Caution!  Don’t watch the eggs hatch at the Cathedral of Learning if it upsets you to see a mother kill her young.  Again, we don’t know if Hope will do this, but she might.

 

 


p.s.  Yesterday some of you were confused between the Gulf Tower and Cathedral of Learning nests.  Here’s an easy way to tell the difference.

The Gulf Tower camera view always has a window ledge on the right side of the image (see yellow area).

Comparison camera view at Gulf. Notice the window ledge on the right.
Comparison camera view at Gulf. Notice the window ledge on the right.

 

The Cathedral of Learning camera view always has a green perch at the bottom right.

Cathedral of Learning nest view. Notice the green perch at the bottom right corner.
Cathedral of Learning nest view. Notice the green perch at the bottom right corner.

 

(snapshots for the National Aviary falconcams at Gulf Tower and University of Pittsburgh)

14 thoughts on “Meanwhile, A Caution Across Town

  1. maybe due to the turmoil last year with Hope losing her Mate after eggs laid then starting over was the cause of her odd behavior..let’s hope it was just a one time thing since she did well with the one chick..But I will still be on cautious when watching.

  2. Thanks for clearing up my confusion watching both of these nests. Hoping for awsome results from both nests this year. Your words of caution are greatly appreciated. Dori and louie have lots of mouths to feed now. Lots of new babies to watch.

    1. Kate,
      I know you already tried to answer this question but I am still curious.

      If Terzo was sitting on the eggs as they began to hatch, how protective would he be?

      If Hope stopped in to do her part incubating, If she gobbled down a newly hatched chick in front of Terzo, what would be his response to this insanity?

    2. Karen, during hatching time the female takes over at the nest. You’ve seen that this week at the Gulf Tower as Louie comes to relieve Dori and she turns him away.
      Terzo will not be in charge at hatch time even if he is watching. Since the female is in charge, the male does not interfere/intervene.
      So if you are wondering if Terzo will jump in and stop her, no.

  3. Thanks for the reminder of watching the Pitt nest with caution when the eggs start to hatch. I have been watching Hope and Terzo almost every day for a little over a year now and maybe I’m wrong, but they seem like they have bonded very well with each other. I’m pretty fond of both of them, especially Hope, and I’m hoping we don’t have a repeat of last year. One thing I think we all have to remember is these are wild creatures that we are watching, not pets, and a lot of disturbing things can happen on a wild nest. I’ve seen plenty of eagle sites where they actually have warnings posted on them. I think it’s a great privilege to be able to watch them in their day to day lives and if anything too bad or stressful should happen, I’ve learned to just turn the cam off for awhile and check back later. Good luck Hope and Terzo – I’m rooting for you!

  4. Just looking now at the Gulf Tower nest cam. Notice what appears to be an unattended egg at the very far left of the screen. Almost looks like it has a pip as well. Can anyone else confirm, or is this just an egg shell from one of the already hatched young?

  5. Hope, was a great Mom to her one surviving chick last season. There was a lot going on, with her first mate not coming back, and having died, Terzo didn’t seem to know what he had to do once he became her mate. Both Hope and Terzo did a wonderful job after all the drama. I wish them all the best for this season.

  6. Another great falcon scrape is in Harrisburg, PA. It’s located way up on a ledge of the Rachel Carson government building. Here’s a link to their cam (4 eggs laid, one not viabel, all three chicks hatched this past week!). This pair has been here for a number of years.

    http://www.dep.state.pa.us/dep/falcon/falcon-cam-popup_v2.html

    I’ve never heard of a bird eating its young. That’s sad and awful.

    Happy spring to everyone!

    Mollie

  7. this has probably been asked before..but why do they eat the pebbles in the nest.?
    whoever is sitting now (11:56) is really eating

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