Today, 14 May 2019, is banding day for the peregrine falcon chicks at the Cathedral of Learning. The event is closed to the public (the room has a very strict occupancy limit!) but you’ll see some of the action on camera.
The first hint will be the sound of “kakking” as Hope and Terzo react when Dan Brauning of the Pennsylvania Game Commission goes out on the ledge to retrieve the chicks.
The chicks will receive health checks and leg bands and be returned to the nest in less than half an hour.
Stay tuned for photos and an update on who’s who.
p.s. In this photo from Sunday May 12 you can see that the chicks are getting a lot to eat. The dark bulge on each chest is “dinner” stored in the crop. When the crop is full it expands so much that the skin shows between the feathers.
(photo from the National Aviary falconcam at Univ .of Pittsburgh)
Thank you for the head’s up on banding of the chicks. Hope they get a clean bill of health. Will be looking for the photos after it’s done.
Accidentally tuned in at the perfect time! QQ: Did Dan previously use a bag for the little ones or was it always a box? Did he remove the third egg?
Thanks for all your insights!
Just saw them returned to the nest. Thank goodness he took that old rotten egg away. Bet that stunk up the place.
Can I assume Dan took the egg? I don’t see it anymore.
Yes, Dan took the unhatched egg. Some years he uses a box to collect the chicks. Some years he uses the bags. This year a box was handy.
Well, I saw one band on Ch 2 Noon news – looked like 75/AP, so I guess that was a male.
Lisa Washington’s piece on KDKA.com says both are male.
https://pittsburgh.cbslocal.com/2019/05/14/cathedral-of-learning-peregrine-falcons-chicks-banded/
A couple inconsistencies I noticed in the story: Reporter said the chicks haven’t been named yet. This implies they will be named. They won’t, unless they are observed nesting somewhere. Also, they said only 2 of 5 eggs hatched; no mention of what actually happened to the other 3…
WPXI piece on PEFA Banding.
https://www.wpxi.com/news/national/photos/pittsburgh-peregrine-falcons-chicks-nesting-on-the-cathedral-of-learning-to-get-health-exam/949149104