No Mate In Sight

Morela with eggs, calling from the nest, 17 May 2020, 18:15 (photo from the National Aviary falconcam at Univ of Pittsburgh)

18 May 2020

Yesterday at the Cathedral of Learning peregrine nest, Morela incubated her eggs most of the time but took breaks in the morning and afternoon. This timelapse video gives you an idea of much time she spent on the eggs.

At 9:03am Morela stood up and bowed to an unseen male peregrine who was out of camera view. He never came down to the nest.

Morela bows to a male peregrine who is off camera, 17 May 2020, 9:03am

In the 6 o’clock hour Morela called but neither Terzo nor Ecco showed up.

Incubation was intermittent and no mate arrived to help. With this sort of treatment, Morela’s eggs are not going to hatch.

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

14 thoughts on “No Mate In Sight

  1. I feel bad for Morela. Those two males should support her. The way Nature works is not always the way we would like. Good luck Morela

  2. Guess she’s doing what she can to hatch those eggs. At least she knows what to do. Just wish the males could settle things one way or another. How long will she brood the eggs before she calls it quits?

  3. Morela is doing just what nature wants her to do. It’s a shame that she has no support. One day, when she has a suitable supportive mate, I suspect she’s going to make a wonderful mother as she seems to have the correct tools for it.

    In the meantime, I agree with the other posters that it is sad to see her all alone. She’ll get through this better than we humans will!

  4. Does the female Peregrine choose her mate, or is it a matter of one suitor dominating all others?

  5. Ecco was in the scrape with Morela when I checked in at 6:51 pm. How long he’d been there, I don’t know. They bowed to each other, with Morela chirping softly. Ecco opened and closed his mouth but I’m not sure if he was making any noises. He moved away from Morela, looking skyward. And came back to her for more bowing, again with her chirping and with him appearing to be noiseless. He jumped up onto the green strip at 6:58 and stayed until 7:01, when he moved up on the roof. Morela continues to chirp until 7:07, when she settled down on the eggs.

  6. I looked in on the Pitt falcon cam at 18:39 (cam time) and Ecco was in the nest chirping with Morela. He was there – off and on till about 19:01. He spent most of the time nervously looking around up in the sky and jumping up on the green perch, then on to the roof. I’m assuming he was on the lookout for Terzo. It seems that he only shows up every couple of days and since he isn’t bringing Morela food, or sharing in the incubation duties, it does seem like he doesn’t have any interest in being her mate. I haven’t seen Terzo for at least a week, but I was really hoping that once she laid the eggs he would step up and help her, just like he did with Hope when E2 died.

  7. Will Morela eventually just give up on the eggs, and then what will happen to the eggs? I feel bad for her

    1. Yes, eventually Morela will give up on the eggs, perhaps move them to the side. They will wait until it’s time for us humans to do fall/winter nest & camera maintenance. Because of COVID restrictions and how unpredictable it’ll be next fall/winter I am not sure when that will be.

  8. 5/19, she’s been in the scrape on the eggs the few times I’ve checked in today. I haven’t seen either of the tiercels though.

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