29 May 2024

While the male chick, Yellow, spent most of yesterday off camera, the National Aviary adjusted the falconcam to view the female chick (Blue) on the green perch. When she wasn’t preening or snoozing she flapped a lot to exercise her wings. See and hear(!) the flapping in this 2-minute video.

When Blue stops flapping she does a very juvenile thing. She doesn’t close her wings and tuck them up. She just lets them droop.

Young wings get tired.

p.s. Come on down to Schenley Plaza to watch the peregrines getting ready to fly.

Click here for the Fledge Watch Schedule, 5/30 through 6/4 near Schenley Plaza tent

• Morning slot — 11:30am to 12:30pm on 5/31 and 6/3
• Afternoon slot — 4:30pm to 5:30pm on 5/30, 6/1, 6/2, 6/4

Fledge Watch is weather dependent and will be canceled for rain or thunder. If no one shows up I might stay only 30 minutes, so come at the beginning not at the end. Before you come, check my Events Page for cancellations.

28 May 2024

Yesterday evening the smaller of the two Pitt peregrine chicks, “Yellow”(*), jumped up to the nestrail and out of camera view. This sequence from the snapshot camera shows where he went.

Peregrine chick “Yellow” hops up out of camera view, 27 May 2024, 7:06pm

The streaming camera never saw it. Meanwhile the remaining chick, female “Blue”(*), remained on the green perch.

Sometimes she wasn’t visible on the streaming camera but you can see the entire area here on the snapshot page.

As I was writing this, Yellow came back down to the nest. Visible on the snapshot camera (top) and streaming camera (bottom).

In the next couple of days the number of chicks at the nest will fluctuate until both are gone. Don’t worry. They are stepping up to the nestrail — the “runway” — where they’ll learn to fly.

Yellow’s first step happened much sooner than I expected. Fledge Watch might be too late to see him!

(*) Names: Yellow and Blue are temporarily named for the colored tape placed on their USFW bands when they were banded last week. Yellow is the smaller one, likely male. Blue is the larger and definitely female.

26 May 2024

Though the Pitt peregrine chicks are turning brown, they still have tufts of down and white pantaloons on their legs. It’s hard to believe that by the end of the week they will ledge walk off the nest and out of camera view. One of them will make his first flight next weekend. The second will follow shortly thereafter.

Yesterday the youngsters spent a lot of time exercising their wings — “Wingercize” — flapping frequently in this snapshot video. The larger chick, female Blue, used the gravel like a runway. It won’t be long before they fly.

After the chicks walk out of camera view the best place to see them is from Schenley Plaza. I plan to stop by once a day to check on their progress.

Pitt Peregrine Fledge Watch, Schenley Plaza, selected times May 30 to June 3, 2024.

Meet me at the tent at the dates and times below.

Pitt Peregrine Fledge Watch is a drop-in event to see the Cathedral of Learning peregrine family and watch young birds learn to fly. I’ll have my scope on hand for a zoomed in view of the youngsters exercising their wings.

Where: Schenley Plaza near the tent, pictured above.
When: Fledge Watch is weather dependent and will be canceled for rain or thunder. Check the Events page before you come in case of weather cancellation.

NOTE: If no one shows up I might stay only 30 minutes, so come at the beginning not the end.

• 30 May, 4:30pm to 5:30pm (Thursday)
• 31 May, 11:30am to 12:30pm (Friday)
• 1 June, 4:30pm to 5:30pm (Saturday) I’m not available on this date. John English will be there.
• 2 June, 4:30pm to 5:30pm (Sunday) John English and I will both be there.
• 3 June, 11:30am to 12:30pm (Monday)
• 4 June (Tuesday) CANCELED BECAUSE THEY FLEW!

If we’re lucky, here’s what we’ll see:

In 2009 Stephen Tirone filmed the chicks standing on the nest railing and flapping like crazy.  Their parents encouraged them by flying back and forth overhead. Then one of the chicks made its first flight — straight out — at the 0:56 second spot.

See you at the tent later this week.

21 May 2024

This morning two peregrine chicks were banded at the University of Pittsburgh’s Cathedral of Learning by Patti Barber, Endangered Bird Biologist from the PA Game Commission (PGC).

As soon as Patti began collecting the chicks, the parents Carla and Ecco strafed the building to drive her away. Carla herself is banded but this was her first time experiencing it as a mother. She was fierce in protecting her chicks.

Indoors, the chicks were given health checks (they are very healthy!), weighed to determine their sex, and given two leg bands: a black/green color band that can be read through binoculars and a silver USFW band.

Patti put colored tape on the silver USFW bands so we can identify the birds by color on the falconcam. The smaller chick is yellow, the larger chick is blue.

Interestingly the larger of the two youngsters (blue) is clearly female, weighing in at over 1000g. The smaller bird (yellow) weighed 730g, just above the borderline that designates males as less than 700g and females as more.

Yellow was officially listed as “sex undetermined” but my guess is that he’s male. The Cathedral of Learning has seen a few male peregrine chicks weighing 710-720g. (Dorothy’s in 2009, 2010 and Morela’s in 2022). We humans won’t know for sure if this bird is male until we see him nest.

“Blue” calmly waited while we all took photos.

In less than half an hour the chicks were back at the nest and their lives returned to normal.

Meanwhile we got a glimpse of the unhatched egg which Patti collected for testing.

The chicks will grow up rapidly in the next two weeks and leave the camera view by the end of the month.

Stay tuned for the Fledge Watch schedule at Schnenley Plaza at the end of this month and early June.

p.s. A Big Thank You goes out to everyone who made this day possible. (Apologies to anyone I’ve missed in this list.)

• The University of Pittsburgh for being such a great peregrine landlord, for publicizing the peregrines, and for hosting the banding.
• The PA Game Commission for their commitment to banding the peregrine chicks at the Cathedral of Learning. (Peregrine banding in PA is rare nowadays because the birds are no longer endangered / threatened.)
• The National Aviary for broadcasting the Pitt peregrines’ nest from their falconcam and for organizing the banding.

(photo credits are in the captions)

12 May 2024

On this Mothers’ Day, Carla at the Cathedral of Learning peregrine nest is a first time mother who’s been learning fast.

Today her chicks are 20 days old. Most of the time they eat and sleep but as mealtime approaches they get restless. Carla babysits while Ecco hunts for food.

On Friday the chicks were mighty cute as they explored the nest under Carla’s watchful eye. This day-in-a-minute video shows their antics and Carla’s busy schedule.

Watch the Cathedral of Learning peregrines on the National Aviary falconcam at Univ of Pittsburgh.

Happy Mothers’ Day!

8 May 2024

Loads of news from peregrine falcon nests in the Pittsburgh area. Here are the highlights.

Tarentum Bridge, Allegheny River:

Yesterday at the Tarentum Bridge Dave Brooke found the peregrine chicks exploring the ledge and exercising their wings. Their estimated hatch date was 1 April so these three would have been 36 days old yesterday.

Peregrines at Tarentum Bridge, 7 May 2024 (video embedded from Dave Brooke on YouTube)

Dave Brooke also wrote:

Views from the Tarentum Bridge Park are excellent. The fourth spent the whole time I watched on the ledge of the nest box. Mom fed the three then retreated to the railing of the back pier. I have not seen the male in more than a month.

— email from Dave Brooke on 7 May 2024

The fourth chick is at least two days younger than the others so it hadn’t reached the ledge walking stage. Meanwhile, even if the male is absent as Dave suggests, this has not adversely affected the chicks’ growth and development as you can see in the video.

These youngsters have not fledged yet but it won’t be long before they’re gone. Visit the Tarentum Bridge for great looks at this peregrine family. Click here for a map.

Cathedral of Learning, Univ of Pittsburgh:

Yesterday’s Day-in-a-Minute (actually 90 seconds) shows the two chicks sleeping, eating and motoring to the front of the nest.

Why do we see them sleeping with one leg extended? It was hot yesterday with a high of 81°F! The chicks are wearing down coats but their exposed legs are bare skin that allows them too cool off.

Tune in to watch them at the National Aviary falconcam at Univ of Pittsburgh.

East Liberty Presbyterian Church, Pittsburgh:

We had a scare on 29 April concerning the East Liberty Presby peregrines when I received a report from Elizabeth Rudzki (@ZoomingBio) that she saw an adult peregrine strike a window in Shadyside. The bird was stunned, paused on the ground, then flew away before she could retrieve her rescue equipment.

I asked Adam Knoerzer whether he’d seen both adults at the church and by 2 May he confirmed that both are present. Whew! The male is shown perched on the steeple above.

Downtown Pittsburgh: On 29 April 2024 I went to Mt Washington again to look at the Third Avenue nest through my scope. (No photo, alas.) The female was standing up in the nest area, perhaps sheltering young from the sun. If so, they ought to be at the front of the ledge in the next two weeks. Visit Third Avenue soon to see if my hunch is correct. Click here for information and directions.

Clairton Coke Works, Monongahela River:

Dana Nesiti received this photo from USSteel on 25 April that confirms peregrines are again breeding successfully at Clairton Coke Works. The pair skipped last year but raised three young in 2022. Click here and scroll down to read about their nest in early June of 2022.

Spruce Run Bridge, Ohio River:

Jeff Cieslak confirmed on 1 May that both peregrines are still present at the Spruce Run Bridge though they don’t seem to be breeding, perhaps because the male is still in immature plumage.

Rt 40 Bridge, West Brownsville, Monongahela River:

Fred Kachmarik checked on the Route 40 bridge in West Brownsville and found both adult peregrines at home. He wrote:

Two adults flew into the bridge screaming. It appears as if this year’s scrape is very near last year’s. There are probably eggs or nestlings but I’ll wait until a future visit to verify it.

— Fred Kachmarik, eBird

PEREGRINE SUMMARY FOR SOUTHWEST PA: This table lists all the potential sites butmany of them are not breeding sites. Help fill in the blanks by visiting one of them.

5 May 2024

Late last week the Pitt peregrine chicks had grown enough to begin walking across the nestbox.

Carla’s reaction to this activity seemed to be “What are you doing out here?” Often she stepped in to herd the chick to the back wall of the nestbox.

Yesterday, 4 May at 5:30pm, Carla and the chicks were waiting for Ecco to make a food delivery when one chick became impatient. It motored to the front where Carla was perched, begging along the way.

The entire “motoring” episode is excerpted in the 5.75 minute video below.

Carla knows they’re hungry so she checks for food scraps on the gravel but none are available. To calm the chick she pulls it toward her and shelters it under her breast. The chicks don’t have long to wait. In less than six minutes Ecco brings food to the nestbox but he is not an expert baby-feeder. Carla arrives with a large prey item and feeds the chicks. Lots of food!

Turn up the sound to hear both chicks begging, one high pitched and one scratchy-sounding. The high-pitched sound comes from the smaller chick, who is likely male. The scratchy sound comes from the larger (walking) chick who is likely female. The size difference is how we tell the sex of the peregrine chick.

The chicks are growing fast. Check out their progress at the National Aviary falconcam at Univ of Pittsburgh.