I will be Downtown June 9 at 11:25 am to 12:25 pm, then at Schenley Fledge Watch 1:00 pm to 2:00 pm. Check the Events page for many updates.
News of the Downtown peregrines:
As of yesterday morning all four nestlings had flown.
7:30am to 10:30am: 3 fledglings visible simultaneously.
11:00am to end of day: 2 fledglings visible simultaneously. The others were perched out of sight.
For most of the day a fledgling perched and screamed from a 7th floor windowsill at 309 Smithfield Street (above). The screaming meant “Parents! Bring me food!” but his parents ignored him because they wanted him to fly to a better perch. Concerned observers called the Game Commission. No worries. A high-up screaming peregrine is OK, just annoying.
At noon, Tuesday’s rescued bird ran along the edge of the porch and flew 1.5 blocks to the top of the Art Institute.
At 4:10pm Lori Maggio found this fledgling on an arch at the Pioneer Building, Wood Street at Boulevard of the Allies.
Today the Downtown fledglings will be harder to find because they’re flying everywhere.
UPDATE June 9, 12:20pm: Today is the last day of Downtown Fledge Watch. The youngsters are flying so well that it’s really hard to keep up with them.
Around noon I found 1 adult on the Third Ave gargoyle, 1 youngster on top of the Art Institute and another (apparently The Screamer) on a 6th floor ledge on Third Avenue. The Screamer is really good at flying now. He moves fast!
(photos by Lori Maggio)
If you stop by Downtown Fledge Watch check the ground. If you find a fledgling, corral it to a safe zone and call the PGC “rescue” number (724-238-9523).
Can the camera at the Pitt falcon nest be adjusted so we can see C1 standing on the perch? She’s really active this morning and spending most of her time on the perch.
Helen, no, the streaming video camera is pulled back as far as it goes. To see a wider view, look at the still camera here: http://birdsoutsidemywindow.org/birdblog_slideshows/Cathedral_refreshCam.html
Great pictures. Thanks for posting them.
Hi Kate, I know C1 will be fledging soon. I’ve been following Pitts nest sites for years. This year was especially interesting. I wrote a little short story about Hope, Terzo and C1 to remember them by. I thought maybe you, or other readers would find it interesting or entertaining. (I hope you can open the file. I’ve been having trouble getting it uploaded somewhere. The link is also on my FB page) Again, thanks for all the information and updates you’ve provided throughout each season.
https://cdn.fbsbx.com/v/t59.2708-21/13286991_10207980473608648_544292605_n.doc/A-story-of-Hope-and-Terzo.doc?oh=7e330a9192181e142e8ca400323e4fc6&oe=575B6A57&dl=1
Unrelated to peregrine watch, but Kate, have you noticed today’s bird-y Google doodle?
Peggy, yes I have seen it … honoring Phoebe Snetsinger who, for her time, saw more birds than anyone else.
Sorry, this is a corrected link.
https://cdn.fbsbx.com/v/t59.2708-21/13298922_10207980813937156_1505849017_n.rtf/A-story-of-Hope-and-Terzo-Word-Online-Doc.rtf?oh=167bbf487265460772d09d16d27484d8&oe=575C5C8C&dl=1
Debbie, nice story … but there are factual errors. Please don’t be offended that I’ve provided the corrections below.
* “Dorothy successfully fledged a total of 42 chicks.” <– Actually 43 chicks. See bottom of page 5 here http://birdsoutsidemywindow.org/birdblog_slideshows/PeregrineFalcon_History.pdf
* Last year [2015] Dorothy’s “eggs with E2 were not fertile and did not hatch.” Actually 1 very disabled chick did hatch. He flew as well as he could but he had defective wings and went to rehab. Here is information about his first flight: http://www.birdsoutsidemywindow.org/2015/06/24/on-his-way-to-rehab/
* “Since both Hope and Terzo were young and inexperienced” Terzo was inexperienced but at 8 years old Hope is middle-aged and had already raised 4 chicks prior to this spring. Here are two of her chicks on Banding Day 2014: http://www.birdsoutsidemywindow.org/2014/05/23/two-at-tarentum/
* “The only thing we can think of is that the first three eggs from E2, who had died, were not incubated properly.” Actually, the first 3 eggs to hatch on 4/29 and 4/30 were E2’s. Incubation lasts 38-40 days so it must have started around 3/22 in order for the eggs to hatch on those dates. The 4th egg, Terzo’s, was laid on 4/2 and was thus C4, the last one to hatch. In other words, C1 is E2’s daughter.
* “C1 will move on to a new nest site next season” <– Actually C1 will move to a new nest site when she grows up at age 2 years old. Here's information on what the young peregrines do for 2 years: http://www.birdsoutsidemywindow.org/peregrine-faqs/question-where-do-young-peregrines-go-when-they-leave-home/
** Getting permission to use the photo of my hands holding the chick (from my blog): Snapshots and screen grabs from the webcams are OK to use publicly (as far as I know), but the photo of my hands holding the chick is owned by Peter Bell — I used it with his permission. You’ll have to get Peter’s permission to use it publicly, post it on FB, etc. I can put you in touch with Peter if you plan to continue using the photo.
Debbie I love your short story. This little family sure has drawn us all in. I am not sure how it happened, since I have never been fond of or interested in birds, but I have become attached to Hope Terzo and C1 and can’t wait to see what the future holds for them. 🙂 Thanks for sharing!
You say that today is the last day of the fledge watch but C1 still has to fly. Will someone be watching out for her if she lands in the ground?
Mari, Today is the last day of Fledge Watch DOWNTOWN. C1 is in Oakland at the University of Pittsburgh. Check the Events page for her Schenley Fledge Watch dates: http://www.birdsoutsidemywindow.org/events/
Kate, I meant to add that I knew the story wasn’t all factual. It started out just to be a cute little story for a friend of mine that was bored at work and doesn’t watch the nest cams. She knows that I do. Then I thought it would be a nice “story” for other falcon lovers too. I would be willing to change what you added, or put a disclaimer that its is just a story – not factual. I will just remove it from my FB page until I decide what I want to do. Thank you for all the facts though. I copied them to my computer. Again, thank you so much for all the work you do and your love for wildlife. I’ll understand if you need to remove my previous links.
Thanks for your kind words, Debbie. I’ll leave your links there. Let me know if you’d like me to remove them.
I just saw C1 leave his nest 7:23 am
Good spotting, aspasia!
So I just checked the cam at 7:36 AM…and I’m not seeing C1 at all. I saw her about an hour earlier perched on the ledge…so I’m guessing she flew off?
Sam, no she did not fly. She walked.
Nevermind, I missed aspasia’s comment. Man, I’m so bummed that I missed it!
So where did she go then if she walked? O_o Is there like a lower edge nearby?
Sam, it’s a big area. Here’s what it looks like + a description: http://www.birdsoutsidemywindow.org/peregrine-faqs/question-where-should-i-be-looking-to-see-the-peregrines-at-pitt/
Just an update on the downtown peregrines…this morning a juvie was perched on top of Lawrence Hall then took off. Several minutes later I could hear her (even over all of the traffic!!) and looked up. She was flying after an adult.