Morela Laid An Egg!

Morela with her first egg, 9 May 2020 (photo from the National Aviary falconcam at Univ of Pittsburgh)

Oh my goodness! At 3:40am Michelle Obosky left a comment on the blog:

Did you see the egg ? at the nest. I saw it this morning May 9 at 3:39am. Maybe I’m crazy

Michelle, you’re right! It’s an egg! Morela’s first. It looks white snapshot of the infrared light.

She laid it at 12:42am on Saturday 9 May. (Thanks to Bev Fullbrandt for reporting the time.)

Morela lays an egg, 9 May 2020, 12:42am

Here’s another glimpse in a video from 3am.

With the ongoing contest between Terzo and the new guy I’ll admit I’d given up on any eggs this year. This is such great news!

Watch the National Aviary falconcam at Univ. of Pittsburgh for more developments. Be sure to watch for her mate to come see the egg. I don’t know who it will be.

Oh my!

p.s. It is probably above freezing in the Cathedral of Learning nest. The lowest temperature in my city backyard last night was 33 degrees at the thermometer away from my house.

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

29 thoughts on “Morela Laid An Egg!

    1. Kate, I don’t know much about incubation of eggs by Falcons. Bald Eagles usually incubate almost constantly once the first egg is laid. Morela does not seem to be incubating the egg much, and she is gone a lot from the nest completely. Is this normal for Falcons?

  1. Yes! I have been watching her on and off in the last month and saw her acting like she was going to lay an egg. So exciting to watch!

  2. So excited about the new egg. Praying that Terzo will come in soon and take back his nest and claim his new family.

  3. Amazing! Last evening, she was acting (again) like she was trying to lay an egg. Is this the latest an egg has been laid by a peregrine falcon in the Pittsburgh area? Maybe there’s still a chance? Thanks for keeping us updated, Kate.

  4. Dear Kate, I thought that she might lay an egg. The last couple of days that I have been watching she acted like she was going to. I am happy and I hope that Terzo will come to see the egg.This year has been strange for a lot of different birds that I have been watching. And I have learned never say never to anything because mother nature will surprise us. I know from watching Harriet and M15 the eagles in Fort Myers this year.

  5. She isn’t sitting on the egg. Does that mean she might lay another? I thought they only started incubating after the last egg is laid, though I recall previous years where there was some early egg-sitting during cold spells to prevent freezing.

    1. Incubation for PEFAs starts after the penultimate (next-to-last) egg is laid.

    1. sorry, ;probably 1:43am your time. it should show on video.

      bev.

    2. Thanks, Beth, for the great videos. I missed both occurrences and am so happy to be able to see them.

    1. I suspect the unbanded male is young in which case he’d be maybe 2-3 yrs old.

  6. Kate this is such wonderful news late in my day. I am just getting on line now, and this is what was waiting….. I don’t know if I am more happy for Morela or for you!!! I am so glad you did not have to go without this joy this year.

  7. Thank you, posters, for providing info/video on Terzo. I have had no luck in seeing him for several weeks and thought he was gone. It’s great to see that he is still around, although who knows what that means for egg(s) at the Cathedral. It’ll be interesting, for sure, with two males and Morela. Who knows, we may end up with a trio like the eagles on the upper Mississippi River refuge?!

  8. Someone is sheltering the egg at 20:45. I can’t tell who it is since it’s the night mode camera.

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