The Threesome Continues

27 July 2020

Last Friday Mary Ann Pike noticed that Terzo and Morela were spending a lot of time at the Pitt peregrine nest and commented:

Seems like Morela and Terzo have been swapping shifts at the nest today. I saw Morela this morning, then Terzo early afternoon for a while, now Morela is there again. What a strange situation with Ecco in the mix. I wonder if he hangs around Oakland somewhere when he’s not on camera. It seems like the other 2 must be spending most of their time in Oakland but under normal circumstances they wouldn’t let a third Peregrine hang around.

Mary Ann Pike, 24 July 2020, 4:33pm

We didn’t realize it on Friday but Terzo and Morela were probably vigilant because Ecco was nearby. He appeared on camera before dawn.

In the video below Ecco arrives at 5:33am to bow with Morela. After he leaves Morela pauses for 45 seconds, then we hear a peregrine wailing at 3:28 in the video. The wailing continues intermittently over the next three minutes. Was it Terzo complaining that Ecco was there?

The rest of 24 July was very busy. Morela and Terzo bowed at 8:30a and 3:30p.

Morela and Terzo court, 24 July 2020, 8:30am

Terzo sunbathed and watched for two hours.

Then Morela hung out and preened for three hours. I’m happy to see that Morela’s flipped primary feather is gone.

Terzo and Morela courted at dawn on Sunday morning. There was no sign of Ecco but I’m sure he’ll return.

However, the threesome continues at the Pitt peregrine nest.

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

p.s. The National Aviary falconcam streaming service ends on 31 July 2020. It will resume next February.

9 thoughts on “The Threesome Continues

  1. Since I don’t get to watch the cam very much, I am extremely grateful for all of the updates! Thank you! What an interesting 2021 we have to look forward to!!

  2. Have you considered all of your observations on this to a birding organization like the one at Cornell or the Audubon? Your info and write-ups could be a whole new chapter in the book on peregrines.

  3. Hi, I haven’t been on-line for a while. Are the chicks on their own now?
    When did Ecco come into the picture? E-mail me. Thanks.
    I’ll try to go back to Falconcam.

    1. Gerri, I’ve been so swamped that I’ve forgotten to email you. The short answer is there were no chicks this year at Pitt, just eggs, because of the dynamics of the threesome.

  4. I’m going to miss the camera when it goes down this week. I want to thank you Kate for your posts about this nesting season. We didn’t get any babies but it was still a very interesting look into nature. We’ll see how it all shakes out next spring!

  5. Ditto with Melanie: will miss the camera and THANK YOU Kate. Any chance the Aviary might extend the camera streaming service? We are all learning so much during this unusual year …

    1. Linda, because the Aviary had to close during the COVID shutdown and must limit visitors even now, their revenue stream is much lower than it needs to be. Extending the falconcam is one of the “extras” they must forego right now.

  6. Does the new female take ownership of the nest site. I would think it still belongs to Terzo and he could take another female, if Morela does not choose him. If Ecco did not show up, it would have stayed with Terzo and Morela. The season started too early in the season and Ecco is young. I think 1 egg was from both the males. Not sure if that made a difference. Thanks for all the updates. Utica peregrine follower.

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