Wishing for peregrine season? Here’s a 2017 slideshow of Pittsburgh’s Downtown peregrines, Dori and Louie, to get you in the mood.
The Downtown nesting season began with one big question: Where will Dori lay her eggs? Years ago she always nested at the Gulf Tower, but now she sometimes uses a Third Avenue site and in 2015 she nested at the old Macy’s building.
We weren’t sure where she’d nest until the last moment. On March 8 she laid her first egg at the Gulf Tower. How happy!
We watched the family on the Gulf Tower falconcam for the rest of the season. Highlights included:
- First egg on 8 March 2017. Dori ultimately laid five eggs.
- First pip and first hatch on 19 April.
- The fourth egg tried to hatch, but failed.
- Three healthy female chicks were banded on 16 May.
- They started to ledge-walk in late May and fledged on Memorial Day weekend.
- On June 1, one of them landed on the sidewalk and was returned to the nest to start over.
- Though not often at the Gulf Tower, Dori and Louie courted there in October.
Enjoy the show! Click on any photo to see the slideshow in its own lightbox.
(photos from the National Aviary falconcam at Gulf Tower, Lori Maggio, John English and Kate St. John)
I sure hope that they nest here again this year. They are such a joy to watch.
Hello – Thank you for this blog! We live in an apartment in downtown Pittsburgh and have an open rooftop area that might be a nice option for a Peregrine pair to nest. Would this be a good idea? If so, how do we get started?
Thank you!
Jill, peregrines (and all hawks) don’t like to nest near people — especially this pair of peregrines. They left the Gulf Tower when they saw workmen on the roof. So no it wouldn’t be a good idea.