The Contest Continues

Morela watches the new male peregrine scan for Terzo. Terzo was out there! 3 March 2020 15:15

4 March 2020:

Yesterday there were many turnovers and surprises in the contest between Terzo and the unbanded male peregrine vying for the Cathedral of Learning nest. By the end of Tuesday there was still no clear winner. Here’s the play-by-play in snapshots on 3 March 2020. All photos are from the National Aviary falconcam at Univ. of Pittsburgh.

7:08-7:19a: Terzo brings food for Morela which she holds as they bow at the nest.

Morela and Terzo bow at the nest, 3 March 2020 7:09a

7:52-9:49a: Morela waits in the rain. (The blob is a raindrop on the camera cover.)


11:50-11:53a: New male briefly visits the nest and bows with Morela who raises her tail high.

New male and Morela bow at the nest, 3 March 2020, 11:52

12:29-12:34p: Surprise! Terzo in the gully, jumps up to bow with Morela.

From the gully: Morela and Terzo at Cathedral of Learning, 3 March 2020, 12:33
Proof that it was Terzo: Black/Red band, 3 March 2020, 12:34

2:38-2:43p: Morela at the nest alone.

Morela alone at the nest, 3 March 2020, 14:41

3:11-3:29p: New male bows with Morela, then scans the sky for Terzo (photo at top). Terzo is still out there, as he proves later in the day!

New male bows with Morela, 3 March 2020 15:11
New male is vigilant while Morela watches, 3 March 2020, 15:42

5:33-5:35p: Terzo calls to Morela and they bow at the nest. After he leaves she remains at the nest.

Terzo calls Morela, “Come bow with me.” 3 March 2020, 17:33
Snippet showing Terzo bands, 3 March 2020, 17:33
Terzo and Morela bow at the nest, 3 March 2020, 17:34

Lingering until 6:18p: As the day ends Morela leaves to roost elsewhere on the building.


The contest between Terzo and an unbanded male will continue until someone wins.

Watch today for the latest developments at the National Aviary falconcam at Univ. of Pittsburgh.

p.s. Today (4 March 2020) at 6:55am Terzo and Morela bowed at the nest.

Wednesday morning, Terzo and Morela, 4 March 2020, 6:55a

(photos from the National Aviary falconcam at Univ. of Pittsburgh)

p.s. the new male was later named Ecco.

10 thoughts on “The Contest Continues

  1. Will this end with a fight to the death between the males or will one just go away? I’m hoping there won’t be any more blood shed at that nest. But I guess we are observing nature.

  2. And we thought that with Hope gone, we were in for a less dramatic season. Boy, were we mistaken. Guess the new male heard about how “livable” our city has become so he moved in to a great studio apartment with a killer view. The saga continues…

  3. I’m going to say that she will mate with both in her hopes of producing eggs. Will we or won’t we know? Stay tuned for the next episode of “How the Nest Turns!”

  4. Evening traffic leaving Schenley toward Greenfield has afforded me the opportunity once last week and again today to spot what I’m pretty certain was a peregrine flying overhead near the Greenfield bridge. Couldn’t get a long enough look to determine whether they were banded, but interesting considering the contest afoot / aflight.

    1. Deane, I’m glad to hear the traffic has a silver lining. Next time you see the bird, check out its tail (when the sun shines through is it rusty?) and look for patagial marks on underside of wings (the dark front edge of wing as seen from the underside). (Patagials are a red-tail characteristic.) A pair of red-tailed hawks is very actively patrolling the airspace over the Greenfield Bridge because they’re going to nest near it. Probably the same nest site as last year. … I saw the red-tails a lot yesterday.

    2. Speaking of seeing what you want to see. Spotted again yesterday and this morning, first over the Greenfield Bridge, then a couple minutes later briefly visiting a nest near the intersection of Hobart and Greenfield. 100% red tail hawk.

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