Dori watches the city wake up, Downtown Pittsburgh, Wednesday, July 13.
Dori refused to use this nest in March but she likes it in July. Her nest site on Third Avenue faces south-southwest. This nest at the Gulf Tower faces north-northeast.
(photo from the National Aviary falconcam at Gulf Tower)
Hi
What a marvellous picture.
I am sending from Norwich where we also have Peregrines on our Cathedral spire, you may already be aware.
Our male still remains coming to the scrape but we have a lady who is called GA who came from Bath and saw off the incumbent female Cath to leave Norm to look after four chicks on his own, sadly we have lost three due to various reasons but are hopefully with everything crossed for the last remaining one.
If you are not aware and would like to look at our live webcam the website to visit is:-
Hawkandowl.org.
Kindest Regards
Julia
One of her youngsters was perched on top of Lawrence Hall again this morning.
I got a quick glimpse (from Liberty & Smithfield) last evening at 7:10 PM of a largish dark bird (too big to be a pigeon) flying past the Federal Bldg headed upriver. It was lower than the top of the Fed Bldg and my best guess would be PEFA departing GT. Anything on cam around that time?
Decisions, decisions, The Third Avenue apartment protects the family well from the elements but the penthouse at the gulf tower has the spectacular view!
So excited to see them again spending time at the tower. Fingers crossed they will nest there next season.
Are their any windows overlooking the Gulf Tower? If there are, human nature has proven people JUST HAVE TO LOOK. Dori and Louie would never allow their family to be intruded on. If there are no windows, these peregrine are just plain quircky as to where they nest.
Karen, they are just plain quirky. From 1991-2011 and in 2014 peregrines nested at Gulf. Dori herself nested at Gulf in 2010, 2011 and 2014. In 2012 and 2013 they nested at Third Ave. In 2014 they came BACK to the Gulf Tower. In 2015 they nested a department store loading dock only 7 floors up right across the alley from a whole bunch of windows (see how close they are through this window! –> http://www.birdsoutsidemywindow.org/2015/06/08/downtown-peregrines-fledge-watch-june-13-20/ ) In 2016 they made two scrapes at Gulf Tower (really looked like they’d stay!) and then left for Third Ave.
Sounds like the PAGC should consider offering a nest box on the south-west, or even the south-east side of Gulf Tower also, so that Dori may actually select an ideal nest site instead of being forced to choose a less than ideal location for nesting.
Sue, there used to be 2 nest boxes on Gulf, one on the north (the current one) and one on the south. The south one wasn’t used for many, many years so it was removed. It faced directly on the middle of the US Steel Tower (UPMC) so it had a very short view smack into the side of another building. Perhaps that’s why it was rejected. Here’s what it looked like. Notice the big building in the background: http://www.birdsoutsidemywindow.org/wp-content/uploads/2016/07/12_gulf_image003.jpg
So now, we have a Winter home,and our Summer place. Such celebrities.
Compared to the previous years that Dori nested somewhere other then the Gulf Tower, is she hanging out more there now after this nesting season? Or is this her normal behavior?
Lori, I think she’s hanging out at Gulf more this summer than she did in prior years. Fingers crossed!
This morning an adult peregrine (Dori I assume) was preening on the 3rd Ave nest ledge. Then she entered the nest. I guess she likes to keep her options open:-)
Goodness, what a strange year for peregrines. I followed up on Julia Hyland’s comment and took a look at the Norwich site. Rather amazing that dad was able to successfully raise all four chicks to fledging by himself after mom disappeared. Seems like a very determined and dedicated bird! And then an intruding female killing off two of the fledglings when it’s unusual for adults to attack young–at least according to the television commentator on the video at the Norwich site. Hope the fourth chick, now at a rehabilitation site, survives. Life in the wild is not easy!