This afternoon the Pitt peregrine chick flew for the second time and landed, unscathed, on the patio at Hillman Library.  Though Fledge Watchers were on the scene from noon to 2:30pm we missed him again, though we did see his parents.

Silver’s second flight was another straight down drop from the nest location, a vertical distance of 400 feet.  In the 14 years I’ve monitored this nest, we have never had a fledgling land on the ground on his first flight, let alone his second.

This unusual performance was puzzling to the PA Game Commission so they took a very close look at the bird.  Silver wasn’t injured by his two trips but his right wing has a feather-growth defect that explains why he can’t fly.  Officer Puhala called me to say he had recovered the bird at Hillman Library. The defect is sending the fledgling to rehab.

I looked for motion detection snapshots of the feather defect and was surprised it was so obvious.  It was there before he took his first flight.  We just never noticed. (All of the photos are from early morning June 21 before Silver left the nest.)

As you can see, his right wing is missing most of its secondaries, one of his primaries is flipped, and his upper wing coverts are short or missing.  Simply put, Silver’s wings are lopsided.  Of course he goes straight to the ground.

In this condition he cannot learn to hunt and would not survive his first year in the wild.  If it’s not a permanent defect — if he actually has the proper feather follicles — then he must go through a complete molt (a year from now) before he can begin to fly.  After the molt he will have to be taught to hunt before he can be released.  If his feather defect is permanent, he will become an education bird.  In any case, he’ll be in rehab for quite a while.

Below are more photos from before he ever attempted to fly.

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In late May we knew he was a special needs bird.  Now he’ll get the special attention he needs.

p.s. At this time we do not know what caused the defect.

(photos from the National Aviary snapshot camera at the University of Pittsburgh)

Some time yesterday morning while no one was watching — not even his parents — the Pitt peregrine chick made his first flight and had a big adventure.

He landed near Heinz Chapel and climbed the steps, was guarded by Pitt Police and returned to his nest at 2:40pm by a PA Game Commission Officer.

Two blocks away at Schenley Plaza, 10 to 12 of us had been at Fledge Watch since noon with a clear view of the airspace between the nest and Heinz Chapel.  We never saw him fly and his parents, Dorothy and E2, were acting normally, flying together, spending time near the nest and looking into the gully as if the chick was there. As Fledge Watchers we cue on the parents to find the “kids.”  Dorothy and E2 didn’t even glance toward Heinz Chapel.  None of us knew.  He flew under the radar.

Yesterday was Music Day at the Schenley tent so we couldn’t hear our cellphones ring but at 2:30pm we suddenly saw calls and text messages that Jody Rosenberg reported the chick on the ground with Pitt Police at Heinz Chapel.  Talk about confusion!  We’d been watching for 2.5 hours and saw nothing!  How could this be true?

And in fact, at that moment the bird was in the elevator on his way back to the nest.   I ran to the Cathedral of Learning and met the Pitt Police and PGC Officers when they came down to the lobby.  Apparently the bird was reported before noon and yes, PGC confirmed that he was banded “43/BR.”   We could see him on the webcam on our cellphones.

Back at nest, he yelled at his rescuer and his parents, had a big dinner and a good long afternoon nap.

Today he’s ready to try again.

(photo from the National Aviary snapshot camera at Univ of Pittsburgh)

Ever since the Pitt peregrine nestling jumped to the green perch, online watchers are a-buzz with this question:

When will the Cathedral of Learning nestling fly?

Answer: We don’t know.

It’s always difficult to predict Fledge Dates. Though the rule of thumb says they fledge 38-45 days after hatch, the timing depends on age, sex and physical condition.  Some break the rules, as did the early males this month at Neville Island Bridge and Downtown.

This year’s Pitt nestling is even more challenging to predict because:

• The chick has (or had) delayed development.  At 19-days-old it had 14-day-old feather growth.  Will it fledge 5 days late?  We don’t know.
• Fledge dates are earlier for male nestlings than for females because the males are lighter weight.  Is this bird a male or a female?  We don’t know.

Thoughts on the bird’s sex keep fluctuating.  The size of his legs/feet say he’s male (males have smaller feet), but when we see she’s nearly the size of Dorothy now we think she’s female.

And none of this matters anyway.  The bird will fly on its own schedule.

At the Cathedral of Learning here’s what peregrine chicks do as they approach Fledge Date:

1. First adventure: Nestling “Ledge Walks” off camera and/or explores below the nest.  You can’t see him but he has not flown yet.  (Online video watchers, for you the bird will simply disappear.  Click the links to see pictures and videos showing what actually happens.)
2. For several days: More adventures back & forth to the nest.  He has not flown yet.
3. At some point: Leaves the nest for a nearby ledge and doesn’t return.  On the day this happens he has not flown yet.
4. A couple of days after Step 3 the nestling flies for the first time and lands up high on the Cathedral of Learning.

WARNING:  During this period curious people can scare the chick into premature flight that will end his life in a crash.  No close view or photo is “innocent.”  If you’re in Pittsburgh, stay away from the nesting area.  You don’t want to be the one who scared the chick and killed him!

Online watchers, you will know the bird will fly in a few days when you don’t see him on camera anymore.  Your watching will end long before the bird flies.

In Pittsburgh our watching will be extended as we view the peregrines from Schenley Plaza and later watch the juvenile on campus into the month of July.

Pittsburgh Peregrine Fans, come on down to the Schenley Plaza tent and I’ll show you where to look.  Watch Dorothy and E2 do flight demonstrations and prey exchanges!  See Dorothy beat up turkey vultures, even bald eagles!   Click here for the calendar. p.s. I won’t be there in rain or thunder.

(photo from the National Aviary falconcam at University of Pittsburgh)

Late yesterday I received this summary of the Pitt nestling’s blood test results from the Pennsylvania Game Commission. Some of you have expressed an interest in this information so I am posting it here.

“When examined on banding day, the nestling was found to be significantly infested with blood-sucking ectoparasites and was given appropriate treatment.

Blood tests conducted by Dr. Wagner revealed that the nestling was anemic, probably due to the ectoparasites, but the complete blood count (CBC) and blood chemistry results were within normal limits. The only abnormality was a low packed cell volume indicating anemia.

Tests for West Nile Virus, Avian Influenza Virus and internal parasites were negative.”

The blood sample was taken on Banding Day, 29 May 2015, at the Cathedral of Learning when the peregrine chick was 19 days old.

(photo from the National Aviary falconcam at University of Pittsburgh)

Today the Downtown Pittsburgh nest is empty.  All three young peregrines are out in the wide world.

On Wednesday Lori Maggio captured a portrait of #3 waiting at the nest ledge for just the right moment to leave.

By midday Thursday the bird had already flown and been rescued when Lori saw her on the Frick Building near the rescue porch.

#3 didn’t linger.  She soon flew to join her brothers on another high building.  Read about her adventures here.

As I mentioned last evening, if the young peregrines stay up high the official Downtown Fledge Watch is over today.  (Official Fledge Watch ends when the birds have graduated to the upper air and are out of ground-based danger.). UPDATE AT 9:00AM: Rain and there are no peregrines near the ground. We’re done!

You can always watch the peregrines on your own schedule.  If you do please post a comment to tell us what you see.  We’d love to know!

Today I’ll be at two peregrine sites:  Downtown Fledge Watch (8:15am to 10:00am) and Pitt Peregrine Viewing (12:00pm to 2:00pm).

Join me at the Schenley Plaza tent in the days ahead to watch the peregrines at the Cathedral of Learning.  Click here for the complete Pitt peregrine calendar.  NOTE: I will not be out there in rain or thunderstorms.

(photos of Downtown peregrine fledgling #3 by Lori Maggio)

p.s. Don’t forget the Westinghouse Bridge peregrine banding on Monday, June 22 — full details here.

That was quick!  I thought we’d have to watch on Saturday, but if all goes well tomorrow Fledge Watch will end on Friday June 19.

Fledgling #3 flew so early today (June 18) that our early morning watcher, Doug Cunzolo, didn’t see it happen.  He found a silent nest and no parents.  Doug checked everywhere for #3 but found nothing.

I couldn’t find her either but her parents gave me a clue.  At 9:00am Dori plucked prey on the Macy’s roof, then flew with it up Grant Street toward the City-County Building.  On Grant Street Louie watched the front of the Courthouse from a high corner on Frick.  They must be looking for someone.  Was #3 on the Courthouse?  Marcia Cooper examined the Courthouse ledges from inside the Frick Building but found nothing.

#3 was not on the Courthouse.  She was in it.

Someone found her on Ross Street, put her in a box and took her to the County Sheriff inside the Courthouse.  The Sheriff called the Game Commission and PGC Officer Puhala delivered her to the rescue porch.  Frank Baker took her picture (above) just after she arrived.

Within 10 minutes #3 had jumped up to the parapet and was exercising her wings.  Within an hour she’d flown from Frick to another high building, perhaps to Citizen’s Bank where at least one of her brothers was hanging out.  Several of us saw Dori and Louie make food deliveries to that roof.

This photo by Terry Wiezorek shows a juvenile peregrine on Citizen’s Bank.  It might be #3 because she would still be exercising her wings on Day 1 of her flight career.

Up high is good!  With parents is good!

If the juvies continue to stay up high with their parents on Friday, then the official Fledge Watch ends at the end of the day June 19.

Thank you, everyone, for all your help!

(photos by Frank Baker and Terry Wiezorek)

We thought peregrine nestling #3 would make her first flight in Downtown Pittsburgh on Monday or Tuesday but she disappointed us and remained nest-bound on Wednesday, too. (June 17)

She’s showing promise, though.  Yesterday Marcia Cooper captured a cellphone photo of #3 perched on the railing.  Silly me, I thought all three nestlings would use that railing before they flew.  Her brothers skipped that step.

Exercise is exhausting.  Between bouts of wing flapping #3 sleeps on her belly like a baby.

Dori and Louie are doing their best to entice her to fly by feeding her less (she complains!) and perching in her sight line on the Union Trust Building.  “Come over here,” they say.

I hope she’ll fly today.

p.s.  The first two fledglings have graduated from Fledge Watch but #3 needs Watchers on Saturday.  Please leave a comment if you can help Downtown on June 20. (I can’t be there, alas!)

(photos by Mary DeVaughn and Marcia Cooper)

Yesterday at Downtown Pittsburgh Peregrine Fledge Watch fledgling #1 surprised us with his staying power, #2 graduated to the next level, and #3 refused to leave the nest.

Pictured above by Steve Gosser, Fledgling #1 spent more than 24 hours puttering on a ledge on 5th Avenue near Ross Street.  He’ll leave when he gets hungry.

#2 learned how to fly high with the wind.  On Monday Jamie Sunderland photographed him in an ironic place — the Union Trust eagle gargoyle.  By Tuesday he’d mastered that zone and flew up and away out of sight.  When a fledgling does that he graduates from Fledge Watch.  Congratulations #2!

We thought #3 would have flown by now but she has refused to leave.  At midday Tuesday Marcia Cooper reported that her father (Louie) brought food but only fed her half of it, then he flew away as if to say, “You’ll get the rest when you leave the nest.”  She was outraged.

I’m heading Downtown now for my morning Fledge Watch shift to see who’s “up” today.  If #1 has flown out of sight he, too, will have graduated from Fledge Watch. Update at 9:00am: Yes he did. Congratulations #1!

That leaves us with #3.  At the rate she’s going we need Watchers on the schedule Thursday, Friday and Saturday, June 18-20.  Please check  the Downtown Pittsburgh Peregrine Fledge Watch Calendar and leave a comment with your name, email address and the dates/times you’d like to volunteer.  I will see your message and add your shift to the calendar.

Thank You to all the volunteers and photographers!

Just one bird left to go.

(photos by Steve Gosser, Jamie Sunderland and John English)

p.s.  Here’s news from a really challenging Fledge Watch in Lancaster County, Pennsylvania.

Pitt Peregrines:

Because his development is delayed, we can’t predict when the Cathedral of Learning peregrine chick will fledge but we can always get together to watch his parents and talk about peregrines.

Beginning June 19 I’ll be at the Schenley Plaza tent (most days) during lunch hour to watch peregrines in my favorite setting.  Check the Pitt Peregrine Fledge Watch calendar for meeting times.   It’ll be a Peregrine Fan Reunion.

Westinghouse Bridge Peregrine Banding:

The PA Game Commission will band the two peregrine nestlings at the Westinghouse Bridge on Monday June 22 at 9:00am.  PennDOT and the banding team will use a bucket truck to access the nest.  The nest is under the bridge deck.  Norfolk Southern Railroad prohibits access under the Westinghouse Bridge.  Click here for a map showing a sidewalk viewing location on the nearby East-Pittsburgh-McKeesport Boulevard Bridge.

(Schenley Plaza tent photo by Kate St.John; Westinghouse Bridge 2014 banding photo by John English)