Monthly Archives: June 2015

Lunchtime Excitement

June 12, 2015PeregrinesKate St. John

PGC WCO Kramer rescues Fledgling#1 (photo by Michael Leonard) — *PGC Wildlife Conservation Officer Kramer rescues Fledgling#1, Downtown 11 June 2015 (photo by Michael Leonard)*

Lunch hour in Downtown Pittsburgh was extra exciting yesterday when one of the three peregrine nestlings made his first flight. Fledgling #1 landed safely on BNY Mellon’s plaza at Fifth and Grant and was rescued promptly by PGC Officer Kramer who placed him high on a nearby building to start over.

Michael Leonard, an Aviary volunteer and Pittsburgh Falconut, was passing by the area and helped guard the bird until the PA Game Commission arrived. Then he snapped this rescue photo. Great job, everyone!

Fledgling#1 is just fine so he’s ready to make his second flight from a much higher location than his inaccessible nest. WCO Kramer put him on the “rescue porch” where he immediately and actively(!) checked out his surroundings. He was not banded (no bands available at time of rescue).

Downtown Pittsburgh, first fledgling on the "rescue porch," 11 June 2015(photo by Kate St. John) — *Downtown Pittsburgh, Fledgling#1 on the “rescue porch,” 11 June 2015 (photo by Kate St. John)*

His June 11 flight was two days earlier than I expected but weeks of preparation paid off.

Knowing that Fifth and Grant was likely to be Ground Zero for fledglings, I circulated this flyer with the PGC phone number to nearby businesses and security guards. Perhaps someone used the flyer to make the call.

I also knew that rescued fledglings would need a higher zone than the 7th floor nest for their second take-off so I proposed a location, Art McMorris approved it, and Larry Walsh cleared the way. Thanks to John Conley who handles on-the-ground details and to The Business Most Affected By This (whom I won’t reveal for privacy of the porch & fledgling.) Many thanks to all!

Meanwhile two youngsters were still waiting for take off yesterday afternoon. The brown one looks like he might fly today. The other is younger and will wait a while. But who knows how long? I’m afraid to predict at this point.

Two remaining peregrine nestlins at Downtown Pittsburgh nest, 11 June 2015 (photo by Matt Digiacomo) — *Two remaining peregrine nestlings at Downtown Pittsburgh nest, 11 June 2015 (photo by Matt Digiacomo)*

Downtown Fledge Watch starts tomorrow where Fledgling#1 landed. Chances are there will be some excitement this weekend. Click the link for details.

C’mon down!

p.s. Check Matthew Digiacomo’s Flickr page for recent photos from the nest.

(photo credits: PGC rescue by Michael Leonard, Fledgling#1 on the “rescue porch” by Kate St. John, two nestlings by Matthew Digiacomo)

Almost The Same

June 11, 2015Peregrines, SongbirdsKate St. John

*Downy woodpecker juvenile and adult (photo by Marcy Cunkelman)*

In most bird species by the time baby birds leave the nest they resemble their parents, but they don’t look quite the same. The young are still in juvenile plumage.

Peregrine falcons, for instance, are the same size and shape as their parents but the juveniles are brown and cream colored where the adults are charcoal gray and white. The juvenile plumage lasts two years and may protect young peregrines from attack by territorial adults. (“I’m too young to breed. Don’t hit me!”)

Comparison of adult and juvenile peregrine plumage (photos by Kim Steininger) — *Comparison of peregrine plumage: adult (left, looking at photographer) and juvenile (right, looking down) — photos by Kim Steininger*

Pictured at top, the two downy woodpeckers are parent and child. You can tell who’s who by their behavior — the parents feed their kids. You can also tell by plumage.

On Throw Back Thursday, learn the color differences between juvenile and adult male downy woodpeckers at They Almost Look Alike (from 2008).

(photo credits: downy woodpeckers by Marcy Cunkelman, peregrine falcon photos by Kim Steininger)

Below The Nest

June 10, 2015Nesting & Courtship, PeregrinesKate St. John

The chick almost matches the nest, 8 June 2015 (photo from the National Aviary falconcam at Univ of Pittsburgh) — *Peregrine chick gazes toward the sky, 8 June 2015 (photo from the National Aviary falconcam at Univ of Pittsburgh)*

10 June 2015

Some of you watching the Cathedral of Learning falconcam have worried that a chick is missing (sometimes) or that one will fall off the nest. Here’s why neither of those things have happened and what you can expect in the future.

Peregrine falcon nestlings will not step off the edge until they are fully feathered and ready to learn to fly. This inherited safeguard is hard-wired because all of today’s peregrines are descended from birds who would not step off the edge.

At 28 days peregrine nestlings move around the nest area but they’re speckled and hard to find. If you don’t see them, they probably didn’t fall.

At 35+ days they’re fully feathered and ready for wing practice. At this point they have to move to nearby ledges (off camera) or they’ll never learn to fly.

Stepping out can be dangerous at bridge sites . Bridges have water below, no lower ledges, and the wind blows hard. If a fledgling lands in the water he can swim, but not forever. If he lands on the ground he may be killed by predators or vehicles. Bridges have higher fledgling mortality than good cliffs.

None of these hazards apply to the Cathedral of Learning. There is no river below, there are many ledges for landing, and it’s impossible for a young bird to fall directly from the nest to the street.

The nest box stands on a floor surrounded by walls. A chick that jumps or bumps to the floor cannot get to the street. The front wall is so tall that the parents use it to perch above the nest (above the camera). You see them arrive and depart from that direction. Here’s an overhead diagram of the site.

*The Cathedral of Learning nest is surrounded by high and low walls (diagram by Kate St. John)*

The box itself is elevated about 3 feet with room to explore underneath it. If a chick reaches the floor, his mother teaches him to come back to the top by waiting for him to climb up on his own. This is an important learning experience for the chick. The explorer always resurfaces.

Nestbox looks like this if it stood alone (diagram by Kate St. John) — *Nest box is elevated (diagram by Kate St. John)*

Our most famous under-nest explorer was Green Boy in 2010. One of five in an active crowded nest, his brother bumped him off the front perch. Green Boy spent many hours exploring the gully and then came topside in this video footage.

Read all about his adventure and see additional footage here.

So, no worries about the gully.

The only First Flight hazard for a young peregrine at the Cathedral of Learning is this: Curious People.

Curious people think “It won’t hurt if I sneak up close to take a look/picture.” But it will.

Before a peregrine learns to fly it walks off the nest to nearby ledges and practices flapping its wings (off camera). Adult peregrines teach their kids that humans are dangerous. If a youngster sees a human near him while he’s ledge walking, he may try to fly away before he is able and crash below.

So, curb your curiosity. Stay away from peregrine nests while youngsters are learning.

You don’t want to be the one who scared the chick and ended his life in a crash!

(photos from the National Aviary falconcam at University of Pittsburgh. Diagrams by Kate St. John)

p.s. You cannot see the nest from inside the building nor can you see it from the street. To see the Pitt peregrines, come down to Schenley Plaza.

How Deforestation in Central America Affects Your Wood Thrush

June 9, 2015Migration, SongbirdsKate St. John

Wood Thrush (photo by Steve Gosser, 2008) — *Wood Thrush (photo by Steve Gosser)*

9 June 2015

Though you may not have noticed, wood thrushes aren’t as plentiful as they used to be. According to the Second Atlas of Breeding Birds in Pennsylvania, “they are down by almost half since 1966 … though they remain widespread.”

The change is due to loss of breeding habitat (suburban sprawl for instance), acid rain (which affects their breeding success), and an interesting fact we learned a few years ago.

A team from the York University, Toronto, Canada headed by Bridget Stutchbury has conducted a long term study of wood thrush migration. Using geolocators they’ve tagged wood thrushes on both their breeding and wintering grounds to find out where the birds go and how long it takes them to get there. In 2009 they reported that wood thrushes take their time going south but are quick to return in the spring taking only two weeks to get ‘home.’

The data also revealed that regional populations of wood thrushes stick together on both their wintering and breeding grounds. Birds that breed in Crawford and Erie Counties, Pennsylvania spend the winter together in a small section of eastern Honduras and Nicaragua. Birds that breed in Vermont spend the winter at one location in Nicaragua. The map below from the study’s press release shows a star for each tagging site and round circles for the birds’ destinations. Notice that Pittsburgh’s birds spend the winter in Belize.

Breeding-wintering connections for wood thrushes. Each star is a site where geolocators were deployed on wood thrushes. Round circles are birds’ sites in the opposite season.
From: Connectivity of Wood Thrush Breeding, Wintering, and Migration Sites Based on Range-Wide Tracking. Conservation Biology, 2014
Credit: Image courtesy of York University

Now that we know where the wood thrushes go it’s easier to find out what’s happened. If the one place your region’s wood thrushes spend the winter is logged, fewer will survive to return in the spring.

That’s how deforestation in Central America affects your wood thrush.

Check the maps for yourself on page 9 of the study –> here.

p.s. for Louisiana: This study also found that in the spring all wood thrushes cross the Gulf of Mexico and land at one specific spot near New Orleans. If that spot goes bad, it’s bad news for wood thrushes!

(credits: Wood thrush photo by Steve Gosser, map courtesy of York University press release via Science Daily)

Downtown Peregrines’ Fledge Watch, June 13-20

June 8, 2015Books & Events, PeregrinesKate St. John

Dori guards while a nestling explores, 5 June 2015 (photo by Matthew Digiacomo) — *Mother peregrine, Dori, guards while a nestling explores, Friday June 5, 2015 (photo by Matthew Digiacomo)*

In less than a week three peregrine nestlings will make their first flight in Downtown Pittsburgh. Because their nest is low they might need our help.

In the first 24 hours of flight, fledgling peregrines lack the wing strength to take off from the ground. If they land on the street they just stand there and may be hit by vehicles.

Last Friday’s photo shows they were speckled with white down and brown feathers.

Downtown Pittsburgh peregrine nestlings, 5 June 2015 (photo by Matthew Digiacomo) — *Downtown Pittsburgh peregrine nestlings, Friday June 5, 2015 (photo by Matthew Digiacomo)*

By the time they fly they will be all brown with dark cheek stripes like the bird circled in red (and like this bird yesterday at Neville Island).

Comparison: red-tailed hawk & juvenile peregrine (photos by Katie Cunningham & Kim Steininger) — *Comparing red-tailed hawk & immature peregrine. Click on this photo for more details*

What you can do: If you see a peregrine on the street, call the PA Game Commission (PGC) at 724-238-9523. If you can safely do so, carefully corral and guard the bird until PGC arrives.

You can also volunteer for Fledge Watch June 13-20 during daylight hours in the vicinity of Fifth Avenue at Grant Street. (The Watch will end before June 20 if the last bird has flown for 24 hours.)

The #1 purpose of this Watch is to educate the public so lots of people know to call the Game Commission if they find a downed peregrine. Yes, we’d love to believe trained volunteers would find every bird, but the reality in Downtown Pittsburgh is that peregrines in trouble are found by people who’ve never seen a peregrine. People often tell building security guards about the birds so I’ve notified management/security at the nearby buildings.

The second purpose of the Watch is to station a few trained volunteers in the vicinity of Fifth Avenue and Grant Street to watch and wait just in case. This area is made up of sidewalks and private property so we cannot congregate as we do at the annual Pitt Peregrine Fledge Watch in Schenley Plaza. Two to four people at a time is all we need.

You can participate by formally signing up for a shift or by informally checking the area as you pass through on your way to work.

Learn what to do: Get training before you participate! I’ll conduct two basic training sessions at Mellon Square on Saturday June 13 at 10:00am and Monday June 15 at noon. You’ll recognize me by my hat and binoculars and bright fluorescent yellow backpack.

How to sign up: To volunteer for a shift, click here to see open times on the Downtown Pittsburgh Peregrine Fledge Watch Calendar (click on an appointment to see its time span). Then leave a comment on this article with your name, email address and the dates/times you’d like to volunteer. I will see your message and add your shift to the calendar.

If you cannot commit to a date/time but will be Downtown to watch informally, leave a comment with name, email and the location where you’ll be watching.

Meanwhile, though the nest doesn’t have a webcam Matthew Digiacomo is documenting the nestlings’ progress in photographs on his Flickr site. Click here or on this photo to see how beautiful they are.

Two peregrine nestlings, obviously different ages,Downtown Pittsburgh, 5 June 2015 (photo by Matthew Digiacomo) — *One of the three nestlings, Downtown Pittsburgh, 5 June 2015 (photo by Matthew Digiacomo)*

I hope to meet you at Mellon Square.

(photo credits:
Downtown peregrine photos by Matthew Digiacomo.
Comparison photos of red-tailed hawk and peregrine by Katie Cunningham (hawk) and Kim Steininger (peregrine))

See this link if you have questions about the weather.

At Neville Island: 1 Down, 1 Up, and 2 to Go

June 7, 2015PeregrinesKate St. John

Peregrine fledgling from I-79 Neville Island Bridge, 7 June 2015 (photo by John English) — *Peregrine fledgling near I-79 Neville Island Bridge, 7 June 2015 (photo by John English)*

The peregrine situation looked sad yesterday at the Neville Island I-79 Bridge when site monitor Anne Marie Bosnyak checked for fledglings. She found one far below on the river’s edge — dead. Apparently it had landed on the ground and a predator killed it(*). … 1 Down.

But things looked much better today. One of the remaining two birds had fledged to a tree. … 1 Up.

His parents Beau (top left) and Magnum (bottom right) kept a close eye on him.

*Beau and Magnum monitor their fledgling, 7 June 2015 (photo by John English)*

Meanwhile two nestlings remain at the nest, though only one was seen today. The youngest, a female, will fly last because she has less feather development and is heavier. … 2 to Go.

(*) In the first 24 hours of flight, fledgling peregrines lack the wing strength to take off from the ground. If they fledge to the ground they just stand there and may fall victim to predators or vehicles.

(photo by John English)

Color With Thorns

June 7, 2015Phenology, Plants & FungiKate St. John

*Nodding thistle flower head (photo by Kate St. John)*

7 June 2015

Lots of big thistles are blooming now by the road to Duck Hollow in Pittsburgh. At first I couldn’t identify them but my guess was that anything growing so well by the road was probably alien and invasive. I was right.

Nodding thistle or musk thistle (Carduus nutans) is a biennial from Eurasia that came to this continent by accident, perhaps in ballast water. It thrives in disturbed soil at roadsides and landslides and in heavily grazed pastures. It’s a thorn in the side for cattle farmers and an alien invasive.

A view of the entire plant shows many thorns and the reason why its called “nodding.”

Nodding thistle nods (photo by Kate St. John) — *Nodding thistle by Old Browns Hill Road (photo by Kate St. John)*

Despite its mean reputation, I think it’s beautiful. The buds look like reddish-purple star bursts as they open.

*Nodding thistle bud opening (photo by Kate St. John)*

And the color of the flower is outstanding. My favorite view is too wide for this blog’s narrow format so click here for a closeup of color without thorns.

(photos by Kate St. John)

Photos Solve The Mystery

June 6, 2015PeregrinesKate St. John

*Male Peregrine at Westinghouse Bridge, Blk/Grn 19/W, 30 May 2015 (photo by Dana Nesiti)*

When you want to identify a banded peregrine it pays to find a good photographer.

In the old days we read peregrines’ bands using scopes and binoculars but it was notoriously difficult and nearly impossible at high nest sites like the Westinghouse Bridge.

*Westinghouse Bridge (photo by Kate St. John)*

We usually learn the females’ bands on Banding Day because mother peregrines guard the nest, but the males always remain a mystery because they never come close.

However… when the Hays eagle’s nest failed this spring, Dana Nesiti (Eagles of Hays PA) was casting about for a subject to photograph. Site monitor John English invited Dana to the Westinghouse Bridge.

Right off the bat, Dana documented an unusual changeover. Early in nesting season his photos showed the resident female was still Hecla (black/red, 68/H) but on April 12 the bands looked different. His photo of black/green, 66/C revealed that the former resident Storm had ousted her rival. We would never have known this without Dana’s photos.

Then on May 30 the PA Game Commission’s Art McMorris visited the Westinghouse Bridge to check on the peregrines’ nesting status. Dana took photos from below while Art found two 5-day-old chicks and three unhatched eggs. Several photos of the male were good enough to read the bands: black/green, 19/W.

It took a while to find out where this bird came from but it was worth it. He hatched on Cobb Island in 2006, a barrier island on Virginia’s Eastern Shore, and was hacked at the New River Gorge, West Virginia as part of the peregrine restoration program. He had no name.

A Google map of Cobb Island is embedded below (zoom out to see more). Click here for information on the New River Gorge peregrine program.

Now that he’s nesting this bird gets a name. John English named him “George” for George Washington of Virginia, George Westinghouse of the Westinghouse Bridge, and the gorge (almost george) of the New River Gorge, West Virginia.

Thanks to Dana Nesiti we now know that Storm and George are at the Westinghouse Bridge.

Photos solved the mystery.

(peregrine photo by Dana Nesiti, map embedded from Google Maps, bridge photo by Kate St. John)

How To Find A Raptor

June 5, 2015Bird Behavior, Birds of PreyKate St. John

Red-tailed hawk mobbed by crows (photo by Dori via Wikimedia Commons) — *Red-tailed hawk chased by crows (photo by Dori via Wikimedia Commons)*

5 June 2015

Are you looking for a hawk, owl, or fledgling raptor? Have you seen a juvenile peregrine fly around the corner but now that you’ve made that walk (or run!) you can’t find him?

Stop, listen, and watch other birds. They’ll tell you where he is.

Small birds sound the alarm when a bird of prey is near. In the breeding season they surround and mob the raptor if they think they can get away with it. They’re trying to drive the raptor away from their nests.

Robins are my favorite hawk-alarms because they’re so loud and persistent. Other species join them and they all get louder and louder. When the crows show up it becomes a chase.

So if you need to find a raptor (at Fledge Watch, for instance) listen for the smaller birds, look where they’re looking and you may find the raptor, though perhaps not the individual you’re looking for.

(photo by Dori via Wikimedia Commons. Click on the image to see the original)

p.s. American robins’s eyes look sideways, not straight on like ours, so you’ll have to pick one side of the head and follow the sight-line from there. Confusing!

Don’t Make Me Lower My Voice!

June 4, 2015Bird Behavior, SongbirdsKate St. John

4 June 2015

When observing songbirds closely, I sometimes notice that a bird is singing softly. He sings his species tune but he’s whispering.

Among American robins I’ve seen soft song used in courtship but with song sparrows it’s not a sweet activity.

In a study conducted by Duke University, researchers found that song sparrows use soft song only in aggressive male-on-male interactions. In fact, “the amount of soft song produced is the only singing behavior that can be used to reliably predict a subsequent attack by the singer.”

In other words, if a male song sparrow stops shouting he’s really angry. “Don’t make lower my voice!”

Click here to read the study.

(photo by John Beatty. Click on the image to see the original)

Outside My Window

A Blog of Birds & Nature with Kate St. John