Next week the Cathedral of Learning peregrine chick, C1, will fly for the first time. Meet me at the Schenley Plaza tent June 9 – 12 for the Pitt Peregrine Fledge Watch.
This Watch is 98% fun and only 2% rescue. The nest site is so high that only one fledgling out of 43 has ever been rescued from the ground.(*)
Stop by the tent and join the fun. Watch C1 walk on the ledges and exercise her wings. See her parents, Hope and Terzo, show off with some really cool flight demonstrations. Learn about peregrines and swap stories including news of Pitt peregrine alumni and the Downtown peregrines.
Here’s the schedule, weather permitting. The Watch will be cancelled for bad weather, so check my Events page for updates. NOTE THE CHANGES MADE BELOW!
- Tuesday, June 7, Noon to 2:00pm. Tuesday CANCELLED. I’ll be at Downtown Fledge Watch because those youngsters are fledging now and need observers in case of rescue.
- Wednesday, June 8, Noon to 2:00pm. Wednesday CANCELLED. Again, I’ll be at Downtown Fledge Watch because those youngsters need observers in case of rescue.
- Thursday, June 9,
8:30 to 9:30am +Noon to 2:00pm. Only a midday watch today. Will C1 be ledge walking today? If so she’ll be easy to see from Schenley Plaza. - Friday, June 10,
8:30 to 9:30am +Noon to 2:00pm. Only a midday watch today. - Saturday, June 11, 9:00 to 11:00am + Noon to 3:00pm. I’ll be covering the morning Watch. John English will cover noon to 3:00pm.
- Sunday, June 12, 11:00am to 1:00pm. Perhaps C1 will fledge today … or tomorrow.
- Monday, June 13, noon to 2:00pm. Check the Events page for updates to this schedule.
Plan on joining me at the Schenley Plaza tent for Pitt Peregrine Fledge Watch.
For more information, here’s a video from 2009 Fledge Watch and a Peregrine FAQ that describes what you’ll see on camera as the young peregrine leaves the nest.
(photo of the Schenley Plaza tent by Kate St. John)
(*) The one rescued fledgling (in 2015) was developmentally disabled and had defective wings. C1 is very healthy.
Nice! I will try to stop by during my lunch breaks for that week.
Was anyone else just watching when C1 scared one of the parents out of the scrape? At least that was my interpretation. Pretty funny. C1 was calling and calling (probably for food). Finally one of them (I think Hope) hopped into the nest toward the back, empty-handed and walked around. C1 flapped and lunged at her. Hope jumped back away from C1 to the front of the nest. C1 lunged again. Mom was like “alright alright, sheesh” and took off. Children are so demanding!
Looking at archive footage from this morning about 7:06 am (6/6/16) I saw C1 manage to get up on the now grassless perch at the front of the box. Lots of wing flapping but she finally managed it.
Is she old enough to feed herself? She’s been grabbing the prey away from Hope, running into the corner and mantling, and it takes Hope a while to get the prey back so she can feed C1. Looks like C1 tries, but I’m not sure I’ve seen her actually feed herself. Teenagers!
Claire, she’s old enough to feed herself. If she wasn’t the only chick they’d all rush their parents … who wouldn’t even try to feed them.
When will C1 get a name?
C1 already has her temporary name = C1. When she nests, those who monitor her can give her a new name if they wish.
Here’s the policy on naming: http://www.birdsoutsidemywindow.org/peregrine-faqs/question-how-do-peregrines-get-their-names/