Adult peregrine at Graff Bridge, Manorville, PA, 7 June 2018 (photo by Kate St. John)
Yesterday Patience Fisher and I went birding in Clarion County. On the way back I said, “Let’s go look at peregrines.”
Promising a view of peregrine falcons can ruin one’s credibility but I was hoping to see them at the Rt 422 Graff Bridge near Kittanning. I thought they’d be there but their nesting status hadn’t been confirmed yet. So why not try?
As soon as we got out of our cars in Manorville I heard and saw a begging juvenile calling from the power tower. Before I could get him in the scope he left the tower, pursuing another peregrine.
We walked the Armstrong Trail in the direction the two birds flew. Finding the adult pictured above was easy. She was perched on the bridge catwalk, looking down into the trees below, and kakking. Elsewhere under the bridge — not nearby — we heard another begging juvenile.
Success! I borrowed Patience’s cellphone to digiscope the adult.
We certainly saw one adult and one juvenile. I think the distant begging sound was a second juvenile. Here’s how I reached that conclusion:
Guess #1: The first juvenile pursued the adult to that area of the bridge but he landed below in a place she considered unsafe, so she was kakking to tell him to move. I’ve seen this kind of interaction at Pitt. Kakking means “I see danger.” Kakking without dive-bombing means the danger is not a predator to be driven away — so the danger is something else.
Guess #2: I think there are two juveniles. The other begging call was far away from the original action and its tone sounded like a juvenile who thought it couldn’t/wouldn’t fly to pursue the adult.
Guess #3: The adult was female. This is the shakiest guess of all. Could have been the male.
If you’d like to see these birds for yourself, visit the viewing area soon. Click here for directions.
(photo by Kate St. John; thanks to Patience Fisher for loaning her cellphone)
Hope leaves with prey while a juvenile lunges from behind, 2 June 2018 (photo by Peter Bell)
Peregrine nesting season is in transition. Some nests have fledged, others are still in progress. Here’s an update from last week’s most active peregrine sites in southwestern Pennsylvania.
Cathedral of Learning, University of Pittsburgh
Peregrine watching was exciting near Heinz Chapel last weekend.
Peter Bell’s video above (Pitt Peregrines Facebook page) shows how close the birds were. As he says, “The challenge of photographing peregrines … they’re comfortable up high and far away. This is Hope on Heinz Chapel – what is considered extremely low, about 250 feet up.”
Peter snapped the top photo around 3:30p on Saturday (June 2) as Hope flew away from two aggressive juveniles on the Heinz Chapel roof. She was carrying prey but she wouldn’t let them have it because it was part of her lesson plan. Ignoring the lesson, they rushed her.
I joined Peter at 4p and we walked — sometimes ran — to follow the action in the air. Overhead two really loud juveniles whined for food, flew at breakneck speed, and chased their mother. On the ground, wedding after wedding emerged from Heinz Chapel and posed for photos by the lawn.
Eventually the two dramas nearly collided. Dangling prey, Hope flew from Heinz Chapel toward the Cathedral of Learning urging a juvenile to flip upside down to receive it. He flipped, she dropped it, and … he missed! Good thing it hit the lawn and instead of the bridesmaids!
The two youngsters fledged May 29 and 31, spent the first few days landing on the Cathedral of Learning, then graduated to Heinz Chapel and Alumni Hall. By yesterday afternoon, June 4, the entire family was hard to find. They’re further away from home as the parents teach the young how to hunt.
Westinghouse Bridge over Turtle Creek, Monongahela watershed, Allegheny County
Young peregrine ledge walking at Westinghouse Bridge, 3 June 2018 (photo by John English)
John English and I visited the Westinghouse Bridge around noon on Sunday June 3 and found the juveniles ledge walking and shouting at their mother, “Feed me!” We eventually saw the entire family — both adults flying and three juveniles on the arch.
In the photo below, a juvenile has his head turned away to look at his mother. You can see the “eye spots” on the back of his head that are meant to fool predators.
With his head turned away to look at his mother, juvenile peregrine shows the “eye spots” on the back of his head, 3 June 2018 (photo by John English)
Elizabeth Bridge, Monongahela River, Allegheny County
Adult peregrine perched on the Elizabeth Bridge, 3 June 2018 (photo by John English)
John and I then drove up the Monongahela River to look for peregrines at the Elizabeth Bridge. From our vantage point at the waterfront we saw two adults and heard a youngster begging from the nest area but we didn’t see any juveniles. What we didn’t know is that a juvenile had flown recently because …
Around 2pm a young peregrine was seen on the road in the center of the bridge’s northbound lane but traffic in the construction zone was too intense to stop (reported here by Walter Marchewka). Fortunately Philip Tyler was able to retrieve the bird and take him to rehab. The youngster hit his head quite hard and is being treated for head trauma. (Click here for Philip Tyler’s report on Facebook.)
UPDATE, Tuesday afternoon, June 5: Sadly another juvenile peregrine was found dead on the bridge deck (road surface) this morning. Game Warden Doug Bergman retrieved its body.
Tarentum Bridge, Allegheny River, Allegheny-Westmoreland Counties
View of Tarentum Bridge nestbox area, June 2018 (photo by Amber Van Strien)
Amber Van Strien has good news from the Tarentum Bridge last weekend. Using her zoom camera from the nearby upstream park she photographed two chicks moving around in the nest box.
Peregrine nestlings at Tarentum, 3 June 2018 (photo by Amber Van Strien)
Three peregrines in one photo, 30 May 2018 (photo by Peter Bell))
May 31, 2018: includes 2 photos from yesterday’s update.
We were treated to quite an airshow yesterday at Fledge Watch.
Fledgling #1 made his first flight on May 29 and was flying so well on his second day out that we sometimes mistook him for an adult. He circled the Cathedral of Learning many times and soared into the wind. He also used many perches — the northwest roof merlon, a spot above the yellow lights, the Babcock Room roof and gutter. He even joined his brother on the railing in hopes that food would arrive. It didn’t.
Hope and Terzo circled, swooped and dove. They exchanged prey in mid-air. They put on the best flight show we’ve seen for years but youngster #2 wouldn’t budge. Hope even pulled food from the cache area and dangled it from her talons as she hovered over him. He shouted and flapped his wings … and he stayed put.
The yellow circles below show their locations while this was going on: #1 in the Babcock Room gutter (left), Hope hovering above, #2 on the railing.
Two juveniles and one parent peregrine at Pitt, 30 May 2018 (photo by Peter Bell)
If you can’t imagine how #1 got into the gutter, here he is as he makes that decision.
Fledgling #1 on the Babcock Room roof, 30 May 2018 (photo by John English)
By late afternoon one of them — probably #2 — was so tired that he slept on top of the nestbox.
Pooped out young peregrine takes a nap on top of the nestbox, 30 May 2018, 4:30pm (photo from the National Aviary falconcam at Univ of Pittsburgh)
Fifteen minutes later he was awake and ready for more.
Pitt peregrine youngster is ready to go, 30 May 2018 (photo from the National Aviary snapshot camera at Univ of Pittsburgh)
We’re in for rain and thunderstorms for the next four days. Fledge Watch is over.
But life doesn’t stop for the Pitt peregrines. #2 will fledge. The two juveniles will improve their flying skills. They’ll learn to hunt and by early July they’ll leave home.
Long life to both of them. (Don’t try anything dangerous near glass!)
Hope flies by her fledgling: “I’m looking at you” 29 May 2018 (photo by Peter Bell)
News from Tuesday May 29, 2018:
When I arrived at Fledge Watch I saw a peregrine on the parents’ favorite perch — a stone peak at 38SE on the Cathedral of Learning — but it wasn’t one of the parents. Through my scope I saw a dark brown juvenile. He’d made his first flight when we weren’t watching. Of course.
Juvenile peregrine on 38SE stone peak at the Cathedral of Learning (photo by Peter Bell)
He was the only one visible for about an hour. Then his brother appeared on the wall above the nest (on the “railing”).
Pitt peregrines: two juveniles near the nest — one flown, one to go (photo by Peter Bell)
Meanwhile their parents, Hope and Terzo, put on a flight show, swooping together, circling the building, climbing and diving. “Here’s how to fly!”
They flew close to their youngsters, “Come on out here!” In Peter Bell’s photo at top, Hope looks at the fledgling as she flies by. Below, he shouts and flaps like crazy when she approaches, but he stays put.
Young fledgling flaps his wings as his mother flies by (photo by Peter Bell)
When we left at 1:30p, all four birds were still in their places: the parents in flight and the two youngsters as circled in John English’s photo below.
Two juvenile peregrines, one flew and one to go (photo by John English)
Michelle Kienholz stopped by after work and the birds’ positions hadn’t changed.
Perhaps the second juvenile will fly today. Stop by Schenley Plaza for Pitt Peregrine Fledge Watch today — May 30, 2018, 11:30a to 1:30p — weather permitting. We won’t be there if it’s raining.
UPDATE, May 30, 2018, 2pm: As of 2pm the youngster who fledged yesterday was flying well and perching in many places at the top of the building. His brother was still on the railing and hadn’t flown despite great encouragement from his parents. In the photo below: #1 Fledgling lounges in the gutter of the Babcock Room roof, #2 is still on the railing and Hope flies overhead dangling food at them. No one budged.
Two juveniles and one parent peregrine at Pitt, 30 May 2018 (photo by Peter Bell)
UPDATE, May 30, 2018, 5pm: At 4:30pm one of the youngsters was so tired he took a nap on top of the nestbox.
Pooped out young peregrine takes a nap on top of the nestbox, 30 May 2018, 4:30pm (photo from the National Aviary falconcam at Univ of Pittsburgh)
Information about the stone peaks. They are actually called merlons. 38SE is shorthand for 38th floor, southeast corner — which is a gross approximation since the corner points south.
Two youngsters on the railing, 27 May 2018 (photo by Peter Bell)
Yesterday the Pitt peregrine chicks reached the milestone we’ve been waiting for: They started to ledge walk.
When we arrived at Schenley Plaza on Sunday morning we found both chicks on the “railing” — the wall above the nest. The railing is an excellent place to exercise their wings and eventually take off on their first flight.
Yesterday’s focus was exercise or “wing-ercise.”
One chick exercises his wings while the other one watches with his head turned upside down, 27 May 2018 (photo by Peter Bell)Wing exercises! 27 May 2018 (photo by Peter Bell)
The chicks like this location because they can see for miles and whine for food. Notice how their mouths are open in the photo at top. They’re shouting. We could hear them at Schenley Plaza!
Eventually their shouting paid off. One of their parents delivered a meal (parent on left holding black bird) and the two chicks raced over to eat it.
Adult peregrine delivers a meal to two chicks at Pitt, 27 May 2018 (photo by Peter Bell)
Join us at Fledge Watch, today through Wednesday (except in rain/thunder). Check the Events page for details and in case of cancellation.
Or come down to Schenley Plaza any time in the next couple of days and to see the young birds. Here’s where to look.
Pitt peregrines, juvenile and Terzo (yellow circles) in the vicinity of the nest, 25 May 2018 (photo by John English)
There wasn’t a lot of activity yesterday at Pitt Peregrine Fledge Watch.
Our most exciting moment was when Terzo landed on the bulwark above the nest and a juvenile hopped up to perch in one of the keyholes. Circled in yellow in John English’s photo above, the juvenile is on the left, Terzo is on top of the wall.
Here’s a closeup of the juvenile in keyhole#2 — very brown.
Pitt peregrines: Juvenile in keyhole#2, 25 May 2018 (photo by John English)
And here’s Terzo.
Pitt peregrines: Terzo on the bulwark, watching the “kids” below, 25 May 2018 (photo by John English)
The downy white feathers on the wall are probably fluff from a prey-plucking episode near Terzo’s perch.
You can see that the “gully” is quite long in the top photo. The juvenile in the keyhole walked from the area near Terzo (keyhole#5) to the spot where he’s perched (keyhole#2). The young have a lot of space to move around.
Based on their (lack of) activity on Friday, I think the chicks will wait a couple of days before they fly.
(photos by John English)
UPDATE on May 26, 2018, 9:30am: Both youngsters were back on the nest! Now that they know how to get up and down they’ll try both places.
Both youngsters are back in the Pitt nest, 26 May 2018, 9:30am (photo from the National Aviary falconcam at Univ of Pittsburgh)
Pitt Peregrine Fledge Watch, 2013 (photo by John English)
It’s been hard to schedule this year’s Pitt Peregrine Fledge Watch because I can’t guess when the chicks will fledge. Their first flight depends on their sex — males fledge earlier than females — and now I’ve learned that this year’s chicks are male.
Here’s the Pitt Fledge Watch schedule, then I’ll tell you about the male/female thing.
Pitt Peregrine Fledge Watch Schedule, 2018
When: Friday, May 25 through Wednesday May 30, 11:30a – 1:30p. (Sun. May 27 is 11a-1p) Click here for the calendar. Where: At the Schenley Plaza tent. Click here for a Google map. Parking is free on Sundays. Who: Join me and/or John English of Pittsburgh Falconuts to watch peregrines and swap stories. Except … We will not be there in rain or thunder. Also, Fledge Watch will end when they’re flying and hard to track. (Example: If they fly on Tuesday we won’t be there on Wednesday.)
! Check the Events page for updates before you come to Schenley Plaza !
Why the two “female” chicks are male:
Pitt peregrine chick on Banding Day, 11 May 2018 (photo by John English)
Are they male? Yes. Here’s why.
Among peregrine falcons, females are always larger than males. At banding age the weight of peregrine chicks indicates their sex. The rough rule of thumb is: Under 700 grams is male, greater or equal to 700 grams is female.
On Banding Day May 11 at the Cathedral of Learning, the Pitt chicks’ weights were borderline. In that case, chicks are given the larger (“female”) bands so that the rings won’t bind if they turn out to be female.
As time passed and we saw them mature on camera Dan Brauning and Art McMorris emailed me with a revision. Both chicks are male.
It doesn’t matter that they have larger “female” bands. These chicks are listed as male in PA Game Commission records.
I thought that the downstairs chick would eventually return to the nest but this morning the opposite happened. When the down-under chick got his breakfast the upstairs chick couldn’t stand missing out so he jumped into the gully to be fed.
Now they’re all off camera.
I doubt they’ll bother to come upstairs before they fly.
p.s. Dorothy, the previous female peregrine who lived at the Cathedral of Learning for 15 years, did not feed chicks in the gully. Apparently she wanted all of them together upstairs — and coincidentally on camera. Hope doesn’t play by Dorothy’s rules.
Schenley Park, Flagstaff Hill in summer (photo from Wikimedia Commons)
If you’re in town for Memorial Day weekend — and if it isn’t thundering — join me for one or both of these events in Schenley Park on Sunday, May 27, 2018:
11:00am: Pitt Peregrine Fledge Watch. Meet at the Schenley Plaza tent.
Parking is FREE on Sundays.
Note! The 10-day weather forecast calls for thunderstorms on May 27 but that could change. If it’s storming these outings will be canceled. I don’t do lightning.
Schenley Park Bird and Nature Walk, May 27, 8:30a – 10:30a.
Rose-breasted grosbeak (photo by Cris Hamilton)
Join me for a bird & nature walk in Schenley Park on Sunday, May 27, 8:30a – 10:30a.
We’ll meet me at the Schenley Park Cafe and Visitor Center to see what’s popping in the park since our birdless walk in April. Dress for the weather and wear comfortable walking shoes. Bring binoculars and field guides if you have them.
Rose-breasted grosbeaks nest in Schenley Park. Will we see one? I hope so!
Click here for more information and in case of cancellation.
… and then …
As soon as the bird walk is over, I’ll adjourn to Schenley Plaza to look for peregrines. (I will start the watch immediately when I get there. The 11a start time insures that peregrine fans will find me even if our bird walk runs late.)
Pitt Peregrine Fledge Watch, May 27, 11a – 1p.
Pitt Peregrine Fledge Watch, 2017 (photo by John English)
When will the Pitt peregrine chicks fly from the Cathedral of Learning? I don’t know but I’m sure they’ll be fun to watch on Memorial Day weekend.
Join me at the Schenley Plaza tent on Sunday May 27 11a – 1p for a Pitt Peregrine Fledge Watch. We’ll swap peregrine stories and get close-up looks at the peregrines through my scope.
Schenley Plaza tent
Click here for a Google map of Schenley Plaza. Don’t forget to check the Events page for last minute updates before you come. Fledge Watch will be canceled if it’s raining or thundering.
p.s. A complete Pitt Peregrine Fledge Watch schedule will be posted later this week. This year it’s harder than usual to predict when these birds will fly!
(photo of a rose-breasted grosbeak by Cris Hamilton, photo of Pitt Peregrine Fledge Watch 2017 by John English, photo of the Schenley Plaza tent photo by Kate St. John)
Peregrine chick at Humane Animal Rescue, 15 May 2018 (screenshot from Humane Animal Rescue Facebook page)
This week was a busy one for nesting peregrine falcons. Here’s a long report from our nine peregrine locations in southwestern Pennsylvania. Today the blog is All Peregrines, All The Time.
1. Downtown Pittsburgh’s peregrines: formerly at Third Avenue
Humane Animal Rescue, Update, May 15 at 6:22pm: Rehabilitators at our Wildlife Center continue to provide care for the four chicks removed from a Third Avenue building in Downtown Pittsburgh last week. While the birds are still reliant on staff members wearing our Peregrine puppet for food, they’ve begun to show interest in eating on their own.
Meanwhile, Dori and Louie are rarely seen at their former Third Avenue nest site. Click here for the entire story.
2. Cathedral of Learning, University of Pittsburgh
Feeding the topside chick, 17 May 2018 (photo from the National Aviary falconcam at Univ of Pittsburgh)
Hope looks at the underside chick in the gully, 16 May 2018 (photo from the National Aviary falconcam at Univ. of Pittsburgh)
Two chicks were banded at the Cathedral of Learning on 11 May 2018. On Wednesday, May 16, one was bumped off the nest into the gully a few feet below, so now one is topside and the other is underside.
The underside chick’s movements are easy to follow from Schenley Plaza because his mother and father, Hope and Terzo, perch above him along the bulwark.
Yes, the chicks are being fed. There are no photos of the underside feedings but here’s one, above, from topside yesterday. Watch topside activities on the National Aviary’s Cathedral of Learning falconcam.
3. Westinghouse Bridge over Turtle Creek, Monongahela watershed, Allegheny County
Peregrine adults at Westinghouse Bridge, 10 May 2018 (photo by April Sperfslage, PGC)
Three chicks at Westinghouse Bridge, 10 May 2018 (photo by April Sperfslage, PGC)
On Thursday May 10, Dan Brauning and April Sperfslage of the PA Game Commission visited the Westinghouse Bridge to check on nesting activity. They found three chicks too young to band — about 15 days old — and two protective parents. The male’s bands were confirmed as black/green, 19/W, nicknamed George. The female is unbanded, nicknamed Rose for her rosy cheeks.
If you’d like to watch onsite, click here for a map of 3 viewing locations. The best one is Elder Street (yellow X).
4. Elizabeth Bridge, Monongahela River, Allegheny County
Peregrine perched on Elizabeth Bridge, 6 May 2018 (photo by Dana Nesiti)
Our newest peregrine family is nesting at the Elizabeth Bridge over the Monongahela River at Elizabeth, PA. Click here for details and where to watch.
5. McKees Rocks Bridge, Ohio River, Allegheny County
McKees Rocks Bridge with ALCOSAN in foreground (photo from Wikimedia Commons)
On May 11, PGC’s Dan Brauning and April Sperfslage checked the McKees Rocks bridge for signs of nesting activity but only found two unattended eggs at last year’s nest site. When John English and I stopped by on Tuesday May 15, we saw no peregrines on the bridge but two soaring together downriver. It appears that this nest has failed.
6. Neville Island I-79 Bridge, Ohio River, Allegheny County
Peregrine at Neville Island I-79 Bridge, 10 May 2018 (photo by April Sperfslage, PGC)
Whenever you visit the Neville Island I-79 Bridge you are likely to see a peregrine but it’s always on the Glenfield side. Dan Brauning says the nest is on that end of the bridge this year, though he couldn’t get up there to check when he and April visited on May 10. We can’t be sure of the adults’ identities but they were confirmed three years ago as Magnum (Canton, 2010) and Beau (Cathedral of Learning, 2010, son of Dorothy and E2).
7. Monaca-East Rochester Bridge, Rt 51, Ohio River, Beaver County
Monaca East Rochester Bridge, 2012 (photo by PGC WCO Steve Leiendecker)
When John English and I visited Rochester’s Riverfront Park on May 15, we were surprised to see an osprey nesting on top of the Monaca-Beaver railroad bridge. I’d assumed the peregrines would nest there this year but Scott Gregg reports that they have moved to the Monaca-East Rochester Rt 51 bridge because of conflicts with the ospreys. On 4/26 Scott found the peregrines nesting on the same platform under the Rt 51 deck as in prior years. However on 5/6 and 5/13 he couldn’t confirm chicks. John and I saw no peregrines there at all on May 15.
If you’re in the vicinity, look for peregrines on the power towers near the bridge. Let me know what you see.
8. Tarentum Bridge, Allegheny River, Allegheny-Westmoreland Counties
Tarentum Bridge showing peregrine nestbox, 14 May 2018 (photo by John English)
Peregrine incubating or brooding at Tarentum Bridge, 14 May 2018 (photo digiscoped by Kate St. John)
The Tarentum Bridge is one of our newest success stories. Several years before she moved to Pitt, Hope used to nest in cubbyholes in the arch of the Tarentum Bridge but her nest sites were always over water and dangerous for fledgings. In 2015 the PA Game Commission installed a nestbox on the bridge pier. Hope never used it but this year a new peregrine couple has taken up residence.
On Monday May 14 when John English and I visited the bridge we found the female in the nestbox. John’s photo above shows the location of the nestbox. My digiscoped photo shows the female inside it. Stand on the sidewalk on 1st Avenue with a scope or high-powered camera for this view.
On Tuesday evening May 15, Rob Protz reported the first food delivery to the box at 5:40pm. The eggs have hatched!
If you’d like to see this family for yourself, click here for a map.
9. The Graff Bridge, Route 422 Kittanning, Allegheny River, Armstrong County
Peregrine falcon at the Graff Bridge, Kittanning, 29 Mar 2017 (photo by Anthony Bruno)
This photo by Tony Bruno in 2017 shows there are indeed peregrines at the Graff Bridge, Rt 422 Kittanning, but now they are hard to see. On Monday May 14 John English walked the Armstrong Trail at Manorville to get under the bridge for a better view. We moved upriver a bit and were pleased to see a peregrine arrive with prey and pluck it vigorously on the West Kittanning side. We think they’re nesting.
Peek through the trees along the Armstrong Trail, upriver from Manorville, and you might see a peregrine. Bring a scope or a high-powered camera!
(photo credits:
1. Downtown: screenshot from a video on Humane Animal Rescue’s Facebook page,
2. Cathedral of Learning: photos from the National Aviary falconcams
3. Westinghouse Bridge: photos by April Sperfslage, PGC
4. Elizabeth Bridge: photo by Dana Nesiti, Eagles of Hays PA
5. McKees Rocks Bridge: photo from from Wikimedia Commons
6. Neville Island I-79 Bridge: photo by April Sperfslage, PGC
7. Monaca-East Rochester Bridge: photo by Steve Leiendecker, PGC
8. Tarentum Bridge: photos by John English and Kate St. John
9. Graff Bridge, Rt 422: photo by Anthony Bruno)
