Can you spare five minutes to look at the back of a building in Downtown Pittsburgh?

This year’s peregrine nest is 12 stories high so it’s likely that a few of the chicks will land on the street on their first flight just as they did last year.  I’d like to schedule a Fledge Watch but I don’t know the age and number of chicks because no one’s ever seen them. That’s where you come in.

A couple of days before young peregrines fly they appear at the nest opening, as shown with a red arrow above.

It only takes five minutes to stop by the Third Avenue sidewalk at the edge of the Carlyle parking lot and look up at the nest opening.  Is there a juvenile there?  If so, leave a comment on this blog.  And take a picture.

Look for brown-and-cream-colored birds at the opening like those in this closeup from last year’s nest.  (The one on the left is old enough to fly immediately.)

If they’ve already flown, check the area nearby. They might need your help.

In the first 24 hours of flight, young 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.  If you see a peregrine on the ground 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.

There’s no need to linger.  All it takes is five minutes.

(photo of Third Avenue site by Kate St. John. photo of peregrine chicks by Matt Digiacomo)

p.s. Here’s what the Downtown peregrine parents look like.