It’s getting hard to keep track of the Gulf Tower peregrine chicks even though two were still at the nest as of this morning.
Anne Marie Bosnyak and Sharon Leadbitter have been doing their best to find the fledglings but it’s a challenge. The youngsters are always on the move.
On Monday, Sharon got lucky. She watches from inside the US Steel Tower so she can see the birds at their own level. When they fly near Gulf and Koppers they come within her view.
Pictured here is a peregrine fledgling Sharon saw on the roof of the 34-story Koppers Building. (I added the red arrow.)
Who knew the building had posts atop its copper roof? I didn’t until a peregrine chose to land there.
(photo by Sharon Leadbitter)
p.s. June 22, 3:00pm: I was lucky to see three peregrines at Pitt this afternoon. Dorothy was roosting in her favorite nook on 32East and one of the juveniles was eating on the ledge at 10East. A second juvie showed up and tried to take the meal from his sister. No dice! She mantled over it.
Just got a call from a friend who says that a peregrine is in front of the Federal Reserve Branch on Grant Street in a planting by an red abstract steel sculpture. She says that a guard is observing and several people are taking photos.
I called the PA Game Commission’s Dispatch Office only to be told that the peregrine was DOA. What a horrible loss.
Kate
How long before the they young ones leave the area and find their own territory?
I was waiting for a bus home at 5:15pm at the corner of Smithfield and Liberty Ave, when I noticed one of the fledglings sitting on the corner of the roof of the August Wilson building. Looked confused and was constantly looking up in the air ! It’s a looong way up to the top of the Gulf Building ! Good luck little fellow !!
I am awaiting news from the Game Commission about “a peregrine in front of the Federal Reserve Branch on Grant Street,” mentioned by Jennie above.
No news is no news.
GOOD NEWS just in from the Game Commission. The bird downtown near the Federal Reserve Bank was indeed a juvenile peregrine and it was stunned. Observers called the Game Commission. People stood around and looked at the bird.
When the Game Commission officer arrived and reached over to pick up the bird, it got up and flew away to the top of the bus station. The juvenile peregrine was reported back to Dispatch as G.O.A. = “Gone On Arrival”
All’s well that ends well.
What a relief. Please, everyone, accept my apology.
I think the Game Commission should not use acronyms which sound so similar, yet are so contradicting!
I think it was an acronym/lingo that only a few officers use, not all of them. That happens a lot in my line of work (computers).
Thank you for having this site, photos and info available. I look forward to it each year. Happy flying babies!
thank you for using my picture … I keep looking for more opportunities. Hopefully we’ll have more antics that I can report on. How soon will they start to learn to catch there own food?
They start learning within days of first flight but it takes a while. They’re hard-wired to chase their parents until they know how to hunt, so their parents will teach them as soon as possible.
Dori returned to the nest briefly this afternoon, making soft eechupp sounds, then went to the scrape and laid down in it, pushing out with her legs. She did this a few times, each time for just a few seconds. She poked around a bit, then left. The hotspot called “Dori visits the empty nest” captures her actions. Can you explain what she was doing?
Oh Jennie! I was just going to write and ask! I got screen captures of her doing that – but had to run and pick up my child from Karate!
I personally, like to think she was planning ahead for next year!! 🙂 And congratulating herself on a job well done!!! 🙂 🙂
It’s pouring with rain. Haven’t seen any of the babies this evening. Does anybody know if they are all gone? I saw two last night but wasn’t able to get online today from work. Gosh, we’ll miss them when they are all gone….
Dori at nest at Gulf: I’ve seen Dorothy do this year after year but the cameras I’ve used do not have audio so I don’t know if she makes noise. This is a fairly typical behavior shortly after all the young have left the nest but I’ve not been able to find out what it means.