Many thanks to all of you who helped with my questions. I didn't realize you were not allowed to talk about Pigott's site. Does that mean any eyasses there would never be reported to the forum? Or rescued if they come to the ground as fledglings in need of help? That's very sad.

Dot in PA

And it doesn't exactly say never. And it's just that we can't discuss it in a public forum. Need to make believe we distant watchers don't know anything.

So last night, as most nights, I had a dream about what's going on in my life. This one had a pretty clear message for a change.

In my dream I was reminded that I had never even heard the term egg-bound until I met Beauty. We have had a discussion about whether a PeFa can get egg-bound every single season we've watched her.

This bird requires an abundance of patience.

Good morning Beauty!

The floofy cape makes me vote this is Beauty...



Yup

 

He brought her dinner 

Very likely Dot here too

I think it's uscream, but...Ei

A quick sketch I did of a male Greater Prairie Chicken

I love it! Reminds me of another chicken picture you did.

Scratch... 

How did you guess?

I met Scratch...twice...best falcon watching hen EVER!

[[edit-hope this doesn't break the rules-please fee free to edit if I said too much]]

I am confused and hardly know where to start with the questions. I know they boarded up Pigott's scrape with the broken glass, but now where is the cubby you all refer to? Is it suitable for nesting? And has Beauty been copulating with both Dot.ca and the newly arrived unbanded tiercel? And did she not also copulate with the UT who was around before DC came back from migration? If Beauty lays eggs, how will anyone know who the male parent is?  Maybe this is one way of broadening the gene pool for peregrines but it might make a real mess of the family tree.

Dot in PA

Pigott's cubby-I don't know the actual layout, but I recall it being described as a sheltered nook. Sounded like a reasonable scrape site, but no one has seen the actual spot. [edit-hope this doesn't break the rules-please fee free to edit if I said too much]

-It appears this UT is the same UT Beauty was with in the week before Dot returned from migration. Have they copulated? One instance that MAK saw today is all we know for sure.

-Doesn't really matter who the Daddy is in the end. As long as one or both support Beauty.

I took Cornell's Courtship & Rivalry in Birds course this winter. A young male sneaking into an established pair and adding himself into the gene pool is quite common in smaller birds. Before so many pefas were banded, who knows how often this might have happened.

Looks like Dot to me

Looks like it's Dot. Ei

A quick sketch I did of a male Greater Prairie Chicken

I love it! Reminds me of another chicken picture you did.

Scratch... 

She's looking straight up. 19:19 Ei

heard tiercel before she flew 19:14 Ei

B on ledge above the nest box