16 October 2019:
Good news for Pitt Peregrine Fans!
The new female peregrine, first seen in September by Dr. Alan Juffs, has made an important step at the Cathedral of Learning. On Monday evening 14 October 2019 she visited the nestbox for the first time.
Pete Bell of Pitt Peregrines Facebook page sent me the photo at top from the snapshot archive. I pulled the archived video and cropped it to the time span of her visit.
Isn’t she beautiful!
By visiting the nest she’s laying an even stronger claim to the Cathedral of Learning. I don’t know if a second female is still annoying her … but so far so good!
Thank you, Pete Bell! (See his Pitt Peregrines Facebook page here.)
(photo and video from the National Aviary falconcams at the Univ of Pittsburgh)
Morela
She took her time and seemed a bit tentative. She is gorgeous
Yes, she is beautiful. It would be wonderful if she decides to stay! Thanks, Kate, for the update.
Her post-malar pattern is clear white — definitely distinguishable from 69Z.
She did everything but measure for drapes!
🙂 I hope she stays.
Oh how exciting!!!!!!
Oh how exciting! I am so happy for this turn of events.
She is lovely, and I do hope she stays. It sure looked like she wants to.
How do you know the sex of this bird?
Nan, I am able to recognize the new bird when it’s perched on the Cathedral of Learning. One day last week I saw both peregrines perched side by side on the Cathedral of Learning. This proximity among adult peregrines is something that only a pair (male + female) would do. I was able to identify which of the two was the new peregrine and she was clearly *much* larger than the other one — therefore female.
I have lots of curiosity about what’s happened with the former Pitt Peregrines? Did they give up the site and move on?
Tom, we don’t know what happened to the former female resident, Hope. She may be out there somewhere … or not. Similarly we don’t know if Terzo is still the resident male until he appears on camera at the nest. The male is unlikely to visit the nest until late December or early January. … No news is no news.
If this new lady stays, that would potentially mean we’d get a boost the the number of surviving juvenile peregrines every year, right? As long as this new lady is *ahem* less selective about her offspring than Hope was…
Andrew, yes we will! Hope’s behavior is extremely unusual. I expect the new female won’t do it.
Hurray! Poor sad, strange Hope.
I am hoping Hope is just on a fly about. It is early in the season, and other pergerines will be on fly about also. No secret that I have always liked Hope. (bev)
Reply
Can this female be scouting for nest boxes for next year?
Yay!