As of 8:25am this morning, 12 June 2019, Lori Maggio reports that the peregrine nest at Third Avenue in Downtown Pittsburgh looks empty. She found 4 of the 5 youngsters and — great news! — the one on the Rescue Porch this morning has a MOTUS nanotag so we’ll know where he goes!

The tagged bird is probably the one rescued from 304 Wood Street on Monday. Because he’s tagged & returned we know he isn’t injured.

Thankfully everyone waited for the Game Warden to arrive & rescue the bird. Thanks to MOTUS we will know where he goes. Click here to read more about the nanotags.

(photo by Lori Maggio)

UPDATE at 11:15a, 12 June 2019 (while I wait in an airport): 4th bird found down in a bus shelter on Boulevard of Allies & taken to Rescue Porch at 11:10am on 12 June 2019.

UPDATE at 5:15p, 12 June 2019: 5th downed peregrine found standing on Dollar Back steps on Third Avenue. PGC called to rescue. I’m waiting to hear if this one gets nanotagged.

So as of 13 June 2019 there have been 5 rescues of 5 birds. They could still land on the street so keep an eye out for downed peregrines in Downtown Pittsburgh.

Tomorrow I’m leaving town on a two-week birding trip so here’s the latest Downtown peregrine news just before I go.

3 fledged, down, and rescued. 2 to go. As of Monday 11 June at 5pm, three of the five nestlings have flown, but all of them landed on the ground and had to be rescued. Frankly, this site is way too low for a peregrine nest. The rescues were …

Saturday 8 June, 2:15pm

Fledgling #1 flew from the nest and eventually landed on Third Avenue. Retrieved by Animal Control, the bird was returned to Downtown Pittsburgh by Deputy Game Warden Bob Fickley and placed on the Rescue Porch. As of noon on Monday June 10 this bird was flying from rooftop to rooftop. More info and photos of him here.

Sunday 9 June, 8:30pm

Fledgling #2 left the nest and made it to the Boulevard of the Allies where he was found standing on the roof of a car at 8:30pm. The owners of the car wanted to leave but the bird just stood there. Point Park Police corralled the bird and placed him on the Rescue Porch. Thank you, Point Park Police!

Monday 10 June, 4:30pm (At Fledge Watch we saw 4 peregrines including the adults but couldn’t find Fledgling #3.)

Early Monday morning Lori Maggio saw Fledgling #3 on the third floor ledge of Lawrence Hall but he wasn’t seen again until evening rush hour, standing near the bus lane at 304 Wood Street. The PA Game Commission dispatched an officer at 4:24p. Meanwhile the bird attracted a crowd. Volunteer Michael Leonard guarded the bird until Deputy Game Warden Jonah Thompson arrived. Thank you, Michael!!

There are two more to go and some may need to be rescued multiple times. Keep an eye out in Downtown Pittsburgh and call PA Game Commission Central Dispatch at 1-833-PGC-WILD if you find a peregrine on the ground. Corral the bird and wait patiently until the officer arrives.

By the way, it is really important that the PGC retrieves these young peregrines. If they are healthy PGC will fit the bird with a MOTUS nanotag and we’ll find out where they go. Read more here.

Dori and Louie confirmed in Downtown Pittsburgh.

Lori Maggio’s photos have confirmed that the adult peregrines at this site are still Dori and Louie.

Dori’s bands were confirmed by photos on June 9 and May 20. Dori’s bands are black/green M/93.

Louie’s bands were confirmed on Sunday June 9 while he was feeding a fledgling on Lawrence Hall.

Bands with sideways numbers are more than a decade old so a single sideways 4, above, is enough to know it’s Louie. He’s black/green 4*/E*.

Louie is 17 years old — very old for a wild peregrine falcon. He must have inherited his longevity from his mother Dorothy who lived to be 16 at the Cathedral of Learning.

UPDATE AT NOON, 11 June 2019: 4 have fledged, 1 still at nest.

(photos by John English and Lori Maggio)

Since May we thought there were four chicks at the Downtown peregrine nest on Third Avenue. We’ve counted them several times and several ways but we were fooled. Yesterday we found out there are five!

On Saturday morning the first chick flew from the nest and eventually landed on Third Avenue. A passerby called Pittsburgh Animal Control … who took the bird to a rehabber … who confirmed he had no injuries and called the Game Commission. Deputy Game Warden Bob Fickley retrieved the fledgling from the rehabber, took the bird back Downtown, and placed him on the Rescue Porch. (Thank you, Bob Fickley!) By the time the bird got home he’d been to the suburbs and back.

Peregrine fledglings who land on the ground must be placed up high to start over. The Third Avenue fledglings go to the Rescue Porch because (1) the nest is inaccessible, (2) the porch is as close as we can get to the nest — across the street and within sight of it, and (3) the porch is a better place to start over because it’s 70 feet higher than the nest. Sometimes the parents perch on the railing to watch the nest. They definitely notice when a fledgling is there.

At 2:30p Lori Maggio stopped by Third Avenue and found the fledgling perched on the railing (photo above). Then she went to Mt. Washington to take long distance photos of the bird on the railing and the remaining chicks at the nest.

I arrived at 5pm and expected to see 1 bird on the porch (yes) and 3 birds at the nest opening but I counted four. 1 + 4 = 5!

Lori’s photos also show one on the Rescue Porch and …

… four at the nest.

Oh my! It’s going to be a busy week.

(photos by Lori Maggio)

Yesterday during Downtown Fledge Watch all four peregrine chicks lined up at the nest opening. One of their parents was visible so they whined … of course!

The adult (we think it was Dori) stopped by for a visit. Lori Maggio captured her leaving the nest.

Where did she go?

She was high atop Oxford Center, just out of sight of the nest ledge. No more whining.

Stop by Third Avenue any time to watch the peregrines. We expect them to fledge in the next week, June 8-15.

If a juvenile lands on the ground during its first day of flight (normal at this site, unfortunately) it will just stand there and attract a crowd. Keep an eye out for a juvenile on the ground, usually in the vicinity of Wood St – Third Ave – Smithfield St – Blvd of Allies – Fourth Ave. 

UPDATE, Sat June 8, 2:15pm: The first fledgling landed on the ground. It’s healthy and in good condition so Deputy Game Warden Bob Fickley placed it on the Rescue Porch at Lawrence Hall.

If you find a downed peregrine call the PA Game Commission Central Dispatch 1-833-PGC-WILD (used to be 724-238-9523) so they can come rescue the bird and put it up high to start over.

Official Fledge Watch continues and is weather dependent. You can show up anytime on your own.

Download the flyer here.

(photos by Lori Maggio and John English)

Downtown Pittsburgh’s four young peregrines are getting ready to fledge. Here’s what three of them looked like yesterday when Lori Maggio stopped by. One of the adults watched from above on the Lawrence Hall gargoyle.

Join us today, 7 June 2019, noon-1p, at Downtown Pittsburgh Peregrine Fledge Watch. We’ll be on Third Avenue between Wood & Smithfield. Click here for more information.

Tarentum Bridge, Allegheny River

The Tarentum Bridge peregrines have three very active chicks this week, walking and wing-exercising on the bridge pier.

Susan Krouse, who watches them often, writes: “I first saw a chick standing on the front ledge of the nestbox on Sunday June 2. Then on Monday morning June 3 I saw two outside it, one near the box opening and one on the middle of the pier, far from the box. I eventually saw 3 chicks all outside the box. These 3 are exploring out on the pier more each day. There’s also a significant amount of wingercise….wing spans seem huge!“

Dave Brooke stopped by last evening to photograph them. Their mother paused with the chicks, below. (You can recognize the mother because her breast is very spotted.)

The Tarentum nestlings will fledge around June 15. For best looks, visit the Tarentum Boat Launch while they’re still in sight before they fledge. Click here for a map.

(photos credits: Downtown Pittsburgh by Lori Maggio, Tarentum by Dave Brooke)

Yesterday, 5 June 2019 at around 4:20pm, Michelle Kienholz watched both young peregrines flying at the Cathedral of Learning. “Yellow” landed on the 30th floor balcony. “Red” flew so well that he chased his parents, trying to grab food from them.

Michelle noticed the birds because they were so vocal. If you hear squawking in the air near the Cathedral of Learning, look up and you may see the peregrines.

p.s. Michelle posted videos on Facebook, available to Pittsburgh Falconuts members at this link: https://www.facebook.com/michelle.kienholz/videos/10157333049422767/

(photo by Michelle Kienholz)

No Fledge Watch on Wed 5 June 2019. Pitt Peregrine Fledge Watch has ended.

Yesterday at Pitt Peregrine Fledge Watch we were confused for about half an hour when we thought both youngsters had fledged. We saw one on Heinz Chapel steeple and another on the 16th floor at the Cathedral of Learning. It was the same bird. Red is flying so well that he fooled us.

His brother, Yellow, flapped from the nest rail and perched in the keyhole, below.

There will be no official Fledge Watch today though you are welcome to watch on your own. Leave a comment to let me know what you see.

Neville Island I-79 Bridge (also called the Glenfield Bridge), Ohio River

Laura Marshall reports that this year’s scrape is located under the first catwalk on the Neville Island side. Though she has seen only one chick being fed on the I-beam ledge there are probably more. Stop by here on Neville Island to watch them fledge. Let me know what you see.

Tarentum Bridge, Allegheny River

Rob Protz reports that on Monday evening, June 3, he saw, “a downy feathered nestling on the pier exploring – mostly right in front of the nestbox. The nestling stayed out for quite a while, even went behind the box but when Mom flew up to the railing at 7:04 he was on the downriver side of the bridge foot and scrambled back behind the box.”

Ledge walking is a good sign that these chicks will fledge in mid-June. They’re easy to see from the Tarentum boat ramp. Stop by and let me know what you see.

(photos by John English. Neville Island I-79 Bridge from Wikimedia Commons)

UPDATE, 4 June 2019, 9:50am: For a short time we thought both had fledged. But only Red flew — back and forth to Heinz Chapel steeple. Yellow was still on the nest rail as of 1:15pm.

Yesterday at the start of Pitt Peregrine Fledge Watch, we figured out that a youngster had flown because his parents were perching and flying to unusual places. About 10 minutes later Hope and Terzo flew together — kind of crazy — and John English saw a third bird flying with them. Alas, I missed seeing that third bird.

But I found him on the 25th floor corner in the shade.

Eventually the sun moved.

He warmed up and flap-walked to the corner of 25 (top photo) and then disappeared, probably down to the patio. His parents flew above and perched nearby to check on him.

Youngster #1 kept going. By 3:40p, Peter Bell saw him on the edge of 16 facing Heinz Chapel. He’d already completed the circle tour of the Cathedral of Learning.

Meanwhile his brother was still on the nest rail when Fledge Watch ended at 1pm. He will probably fly today.

Come on down to Pitt Peregrine Fledge Watch today at Schenley Plaza, 11a to 1p. I predict this will be the best day to watch.

CANCELLATION UPDATE: We are canceling tomorrow’s Fledge Watch for Wed 5 June. Thunderstorms are in the forecast and the birds will be flying too well to find them. I chased ‘Red’ around the building twice today. This means that Fledge Watch ended today, Tues 4 June.

p.s. In case you haven’t noticed it’s All Peregrines, All The Time this week.

(photos by John English)