Are the Downtown peregrines changing their minds about where they want to nest?

In February they spent a lot of time courting at the Gulf Tower, so much so that Downtown monitor Lori Maggio said they were completely absent from their other nest site on Third Avenue.  She captured this photo of Dori perched at the Gulf Tower during that period.  (The triangular shape and tube are the nest box roof and perch.)

On Thursday March 2 Dori was at the Gulf nest before dawn but later that day, at 4:00pm, Lori found a peregrine near the Third Avenue nest (photo at top). It was the first time they’d been there since February 17.

And the next day, they were both at the Third Avenue site at noon when Lori took this photo of Dori leaving the nest area.

Why do they visit the Gulf Tower nest if they aren’t going to use it?

Will they come back to Gulf?  We’ll find out this month.

(photos by Lori Maggio)

As Pittsburgh’s peregrine nesting season ramps up, here’s a resource guide for falconcam viewers.  It’s everything you wanted to know and much, much more.

Who is who on camera?

• Click on the photo above for tips on identifying Hope and Terzo on the Cathedral of Learning falconcam.
• Click on the photo below for identification tips on Dori and Louie on the Gulf Tower falconcam.
• Though I’ve provided band numbers the bands are very hard to see.  Use the tips!

Frequently Asked Questions: FAQs about Peregrines

Do you wonder …

• Why are they bowing?
• When will they lay eggs?  How will we know it’s nearly laying time?
• Why doesn’t the nest have sticks in it?
• How many nest sites are there in the Pittsburgh area and where?
• Is there any news of the offspring from these nests?
• and more …

These questions and many more are answered at the Peregrine FAQs link.  If you lose track of today’s blog post you can always find the FAQs on the navigation bar at the top.

We’re ready now. Let the season begin!

p.s. There are two cameras at Pitt. The second one only shows snapshots but gives you another view of the Cathedral of Learning nest.

(photos from the National Aviary falconcams at Cathedral of Learning and Gulf Tower)

As nesting season approaches female birds often roost close to their future nest sites.  Last night two of Pittsburgh’s peregrines did just that.

Above, Hope roosts at the front of the Cathedral of Learning nest box.  Below, Dori sleeps on the perch near the Gulf Tower nest.

“Close” to the nest is literally true. Neither bird is actually in it.

The peregrine’s nest is a bowl scraped in dust, gravel or dirt on a high cliff ledge. The bowl’s shape prevents the eggs from rolling off the cliff and provides an edge to keep in the heat during incubation.  Both the male and female help make the nest by hunkering down in the scrape and kicking the gravel back and out with their feet.

At the Gulf Tower there are two scrapes to choose from. In the photo below Dori is standing up to her ankles in the left one.

The first eggs at these nests are typically laid between March 12 and March 20.  Watch for them online at the National Aviary’s Cathedral of Learning falconcam and the Gulf Tower falconcam.

However, keep in mind that Dori is fickle about her Downtown nest site.  Last year she paid a lot of attention to the Gulf Tower but disappeared on March 12 to nest at Third Avenue.  I hope she’ll stay at Gulf this year.

The one thing we do know is that peregrines are closer to nesting when they stay close to the nest.

(photos from the National Aviary falconcams at the University of Pittsburgh and the Gulf Tower)

2016 was another successful nesting year for the Downtown Pittsburgh peregrine falcons even though they didn’t choose the Gulf Tower nestcam site.

• Dori and Louie began the year at the Gulf Tower nest and visited frequently until mid-March. Then they disappeared. What a bummer!
• We knew they were nesting Downtown but couldn’t find them for almost two months.
• On May 9 Lori Maggio saw them bringing food to their old nest site on Third Avenue. (This location is inaccessible for banding.)
• The chicks appeared at the nest opening on May 31 so we ramped up Fledge Watch.
• Four chicks fledged within three days: June 6-8.
• One fledgling landed on Wood Street and was taken to the Rescue Porch. He flew successfully the next day.
• After the chicks were independent, Dori and Louie spent the rest of the year visiting all three of their former nest sites.

Watch the 2016 slideshow below. Click on any photo to see it full-screen.

Which nest site will Dori and Louie pick this year?

Dori was at the Gulf Tower this morning (above).

Stay tuned.

(slideshow photos by the National Aviary falconcam at Gulf Tower, Peter Bell, Matt Digiacomo, John English, Ann Hohn, Lori Maggio and Amanda McGuire)

This morning at dawn I saw a peregrine falcon at the Gulf Tower nest. It was 7:20am.

Then she woke up and…

I think the bird was Dori, the female of the Downtown pair.

There’s nothing to watch right now but if you’d like to check on the nest, here’s the link to the Gulf Tower falconcam.

(photos from the National Aviary falconcam at the Gulf Tower)

The weather turned cold and snowy last night but Pittsburgh’s peregrines are warming up for nesting.  Here’s the news from nest sites around our area.

Downtown Pittsburgh:

The Downtown peregrines own the entire city with many potential nest sites from the rivers to the Hill District.  This week they’ve been visiting the Gulf Tower nest.  That doesn’t mean they’ll nest there but it does mean they haven’t rejected the idea so we have our fingers crossed.  Watch for peregrine activity at their three known nest sites to get a clue as to which site they’ll choose next month: Gulf Tower (on camera), Third Avenue between Smithfield and Wood Streets, and Fifth Avenue at Scrip Way.   As far as we know this pair is still Louie and Dori, but things could change.

Cathedral of Learning:

Hope and Terzo have been courting in flight and on camera at the University of Pittsburgh’s Cathedral of Learning.  Hope often visits the nest alone and calls to Terzo to join her.  They’re warming up to egg laying next month.

McKees Rocks Bridge:

Peregrines are usually hard to see at the McKees Rocks Bridge but Leslie Ferree got lucky.  She saw one perched on the bridge abutment on January 30, above, and on the bridge structure on January 25.  Maybe the pair will be more visible this year.

Neville Island I-79 Bridge:

Anne Marie Bosnyak reports that two peregrines were perched on a tree near the Neville Island Bridge on January 29. The pair at this site are Magnum and Beau, confirmed in May 2015.  However, that could change. Magnum tried to claim the Cathedral of Learning last June.

Tarentum Bridge:

Rob Protz reported two peregrines perched on the up-river navigation lights on the evening of January 29.  Who are these birds?  We don’t know.  The male is definitely a mystery.  The female, however, is sometimes Hope who visits her old home at the Tarentum Bridge.  We’re hoping for photographs of the Tarentum birds so we can read their bands.

Watch for peregrines at these nine sites in western Pennsylvania.  Let me know what you see!

1. Downtown Pittsburgh
2. Cathedral of Learning, University of Pittsburgh
3. Westinghouse Bridge, Allegheny County
4. McKees Rocks Bridge, Allegheny County
5. Neville Island I-79 Bridge, Allegheny County
6. Monaca-E.Rochester Bridge, Beaver County
7. Tarentum Bridge, Allegheny-Westmoreland County
8. The Graff Bridge, Route 422 Kittanning, Armstrong County
9. Erie, PA Waterfront, Erie County

(photos from the National Aviary falconcams at the Gulf Tower and University of Pittsburgh, McKees Rocks photo by Leslie Ferree)

When the female peregrine Hope moved from Tarentum to the Cathedral of Learning, I thought 2016 would be calm and joyful.  Instead it was filled with drama.

Here’s a recap of last year’s Pitt peregrine activity, complete with a slideshow of 2016 highlights.

• Nesting season started with Hope (2008) and E2 (2005) as the resident pair.
• Hope laid her first egg on March 13.
• But on March 15 E2 died in a car accident.  Hope was alone.
• Hope laid two more eggs and then …
• A new male peregrine arrived on March 23.  His name is Terzo.
• Hope laid a 4th egg on April 2.
• The 1st egg hatched April 29 (nicknamed C1).
• But Hope killed and ate chicks 2 & 4 as they hatched.  Chick 3 died, too, and she ate it.
• C1 grew up, was banded, and fledged on June 13.
• Female peregrines intruded many times at the Cathedral of Learning: April 8, April 23, June 22, August 2, August 12, November 14.
• Meanwhile Hope commuted to her old home in Tarentum:  Feb 8, several times in August, November 22.
• At the end of the year, Terzo and Hope bowed at the nest. Perhaps 2017 will be better.

Watch a slideshow of 2016, the year of drama. Click on any photo to see it full-screen.

(snapshot from the National Aviary falconcam at the University of Pittsburgh’s Cathedral of Learning)