On June 10, 2019 the PA Game Commission (PGC) rescued, banded and MOTUS nano-tagged one of Downtown Pittsburgh’s five peregrine fledglings. As of June 27 our bird was one of eight Pennsylvania peregrines fitted with a tracking device for a PGC study that will learn where urban-born peregrines go and how many survive their challenging first year of life.
The video above, narrated by PGC’s Patti Barber, shows what the tagging process was like. She fit a young peregrine with a MOTUS tag and released it near its rooftop nest. The peregrine wore a falconry hood during the fitting to keep him calm.
Tagged birds rejoin their families immediately. On June 20 Lori Maggio photographed our Downtown MOTUS peregrine hanging out with a sibling more than week after he was released.
Hawk Mountain Sanctuary is assisting PGC with the study as described here.
p.s. The video was not filmed in Pittsburgh. It’s in Harrisburg. (Thanks to John English for telling me the location.)
(video by PA Game Commission, photo by Lori Maggio)
Harrisburg
Especially informative!
I remember when Quest was fitted with a transmitter in 2008, in Rochester. So many were up in arms about it. I have to say that I was really concerned as to how it would impair her. Well…..it did not! She did just fine, and it was wonderful to be able to track her and know she was flourishing. We were able to identify her when she mated in Canada. I think it was just a couple of years ago that the transmitter actually fell off. I am anxious to be able to track this new fledgling. It will be just fine!!