On Monday February 8 at 3:30pm, Scott Kinzey stopped by the boat launch at the Tarentum Bridge. As soon as he pulled into the parking lot a peregrine falcon flew over his car and landed on a low beam.
The bird was banded and Scott could see that the top of the band was black, the first digit was ‘6’ and the second digit was rounded — but that’s all. Fortunately, he had his camera with him.
Does this bird look familiar?
Scott watched as the peregrine “flew into the [structural] holes on the bottom beam of the bridge as if looking for something. Several times, maybe four different holes. It flew off towards the middle of the bridge before 5:00pm.”
This description resembles Hope (black/green, 69/Z) who made the Tarentum Bridge her home for six years before she moved to the Cathedral of Learning last November. Did she come back for a visit? Was she back to stay?
I checked the falconcam archives for her presence at the Pitt nest. Since the last big snowstorm (January 12, 4″-6″) she’d been on camera every day, usually several times a day, but on February 8 her last nest visit was at 12:15pm and she didn’t reappear until February 10 at 12:25pm, 48 hours later. Since then she’s been on camera every day.
I can’t prove a negative. I can’t prove that Hope was not near the Cathedral of Learning on the evening of February 8 because she may have been there, though not on camera.
On the other hand, Tarentum is only 15 miles from the Cathedral of Learning. A peregrine could fly there at a leisurely pace in only half an hour.
Rob Protz, who monitors the peregrines at Tarentum, examined Scott’s photos and says this bird’s facial features look like Hope.
Maybe Hope goes home to visit and then returns to Pitt. Maybe she spends her days at Pitt and her nights at Tarentum. We don’t know.
What we do know is that she visits the Cathedral of Learning nest nearly every day, sometimes several times a day, and she courts with E2.
For now Hope can hang out in two places if she wants to, but she’ll have to pick one nest when she lays her eggs next month.
In the meantime, stop by the Cathedral of Learning and the Tarentum Bridge at 5:00pm to count peregrines. Are there four different peregrines at these two sites — or only three?
(photos by Scott Kinzey)
Hmmm… what if she’s egg-nant, flies to Tarentum and lays E2’s egg there??? 🙂
And she’s still checking out the holes? what about the lovely nest box that was installed for her?
Had 1 PEFA in Tarentum Sunday afternoon between 1 & 2 PM, and again around 5:30. Looked like the tiercel and I saw him fly to roost on the back side of an I-beam up under the deck near the Tarentum-side upriver red navlight. Also one Monday between 5:20 and 5:35. Was gone @ 5:37, probably went to roost again, but I did not see where, because I was checking the rest of the bridge.
Could Hope have 2 mates?
Hope could have two mates, Janet, but she can only have one nest since she’s must incubate the eggs & can’t be in two places at once.
I spot falcons very frequently hunting at the Mills and in Harmarville. I have had the fly through traffic in front of my SUV near Target twice.
Could it be that Hope knows where she has a plentiful supply of food and was checking pigeon nesting holes for an easy catch?
Yes, Joyce. That’s been my theory. Hope left Pitt just ahead of bad weather and went to a place where she knows exactly where to find food. In the photos it looks to me as if she has a full crop. Do you think so, too?