For peregrine fans there’s happy news at the Tarentum Bridge today.
Back in the spring of 2010, a pair of peregrines nested here over the Allegheny River. The female’s bands indicated she hatched at the Benjamin Harrison Bridge near Hopewell, Virginia in 2008, so we nicknamed her Hope. The male’s bands identified him as a hometown bird hatched at the Cathedral of Learning in 2008, son of Dorothy and E2.
Unfortunately their nest must have failed. It was never found and no young were observed.
In early 2011 Hope was still present at the bridge but she had no mate. In late spring she disappeared too.
After many months without a peregrine sighting, Rob Protz saw one perched on the bridge yesterday afternoon. He called Steve Gosser who came over with his camera.
After waiting and watching for 20 minutes, Steve checked the navigation beam and found a pair! Here they are, the female above the male. We don’t know their identity yet but I’m sure we’ll find out as birders and photographers flock to see and document them.
If all goes well, Tarentum will have peregrine nestlings this year.
Just when you thought winter was dreary, peregrines spice it up. 🙂
(photo by Steve Gosser)
Wouldn’t it be wonderful if it turned out to be Hope and the son of Dorothy and E2 again?! What a Christmas present and a Happy New Year’s event!! I’ll be down there soon, told Rob I’ll probably be seeing him again : ) We’ll all be waiting for them to come closer as Hope did last year so Steve (or any one of us) can get a look at and capture on camera a band or two!
Yippee!!! Great news, Kate.
Thanks for posting this Kate. Great news.
Thanks, Steve, for the photo!
Awesome. I’ll be in Tarentum for the holidays and I’ll go check them out.
Well if we are not going to have snow there’s nothing better than a beginning Peregrine family. Happy Holidays. Look forward to you camera buffs keeping us informed.
We have snow here in New Mexico.
White Christmas in the desert!
Update:
I spent 4:15 to 5 PM in the marina Monday afternoon and saw nothing. . . nothing as in no Peregrines, no pigeons, nothing!
I only had time to make a quick check from the marina before dark at 4:40 PM Tuesday, and nothing again.
Update 2:
Nothing seen Wed., but I did have the male PEFA on the upriver nav lite horizontal beam Thurs from 3:49 (from the park) til 4:07 PM at the marina (when I left to avoid the coming rain).
Today (Friday) I checked from long range at 9:55 AM and nothing, but I got a phone call from Marge Van Tassel around 11, and she was in the marina and both PEFAs were there. I went down to the marina and met her there. She took pix and we both left with both PEFAs on the nav lite bracket and guide wire at 11:40 AM.