Sometimes a peregrine falcon shows up in the most unlikely place.  This one was hanging out at the Landside Arrivals area at Pittsburgh International Airport.

On October 10 Ed Shott left a comment on my How Old Is That Peregrine? post.

My wife [Becky Shott] is an Allegheny County Police officer at the Pittsburgh International Airport. Yesterday [Oct 9, 2017], she saw an adult Peregrine Falcon on the public arrivals area sitting on a wall between the Landside Terminal and the parking garage. Using her cell phone, she got a video and several still pictures of the bird. She was not able to get close enough to see if there were any leg bands. She also said she has seen possibly the same bird for the past six months. It has made repeated passes around the area possibly trying to grab one of the numerous pigeons that roost in the steel beams. However, she has not seen any evidence of a nest.   — Ed Shott

When Becky sent her photos and video she wrote:

I was pretty close to this bird & could not see any bands. I have been seeing a peregrine (maybe more than one) around here for at least 6 months. Sometimes I see it chasing pigeons around the Landside terminal. Always a beautiful sight.

Indeed this is a gorgeous bird.  Here are more views of it on October 9, 2017.  And no, I don’t see any bands either, even when I zoomed in.

Wow!  This bird doesn’t seem to care that people are nearby as long as they don’t disturb it.

Many times at the airport I’ve thought about the large number of pigeons and starlings at the parking lots and garage, especially the huge flocks in winter.  But it never occurred to me that a peregrine would show up to eat them.

Thanks to the Shotts for alerting me to this peregrine.

If you’re waiting to be picked up at the airport, watch across the driveway for a peregrine falcon.  You never know what you’ll see.

(photos and video by Becky Shott)