Midday Saturday, Jun 6:  Six of us watched this morning but nothing exciting happened.  It was foggy until 8:45am and boring by noon because…

The male chick who fledged yesterday perched on 38th floor east.  His parents brought him a nice meal and he went to sleep. 

The three sisters were on & off the nestrail and flapped a little but only got a tidbit.  Dorothy and E2 were not feeding them much, so they whined and whined about food but they didn’t fly.  Instead they went to sleep. 

We did get to see Dorothy warn away a kettle of vultures, but that was all that happened between 11:00 and noon.  It was like watching water boil.

Sunday late afternoon, Jun 7:  I stopped by at 4:00pm and still nothing had happened.  Three peregrine chicks on the nestrail and one on the roof.

Sunday night:  I wasn’t at the tent but others were there.  See many comments below.  Another one fledged.

Monday morning, Jun 8:  A third peregrine chick has fledged.  They are getting harder to keep track of because they can be anywhere now.

OK, so I used an exclamation point in the title but the event was far from dramatic. 

When I arrived at Schenley Plaza at lunchtime I saw three peregrine chicks on the nestrail (pictured here) and both adults on the lightning rod.  I couldn’t find the fourth chick but I figured he was behind the nestrail.  Except for run-and-flap exercises by the “girls” on the nestrail, all the birds were calm and almost bored under the gloomy, chilly, overcast sky. 

My friend Karen came over from Alumni Hall and we sat and chatted about current events and peregrines in other cities, and then she said, “Oh, by the way, one fledged.” 

“Where?  Here at Pitt?”

“Yes, look at the stone peak to the left of the southeast dining ledge.” 

And there he was, just sitting there minding his own business – even before we arrived.  Dorothy and E2 could tell he was fine and were busy watching the three girls to see if they were about to fly. 

Karen and I continued to watch for another half hour but nothing happened.  

As I said in an earlier post, Fledge Watch can be hours of boredom punctuated by moments of excitement.  I guess we were all at work when today’s exciting moment occurred.

(photo of three peregrine chicks on the Cathedral of Learning nestrail yesterday, courtesy of Mark Klingler.)

p.s  This fledge event was so understated that I forgot to mention it to “J” who was sitting on the other side of the tent.  Sorry, J!

p.p.s. Check my Peregrine FAQs for more information.  Today I posted an entry about the fledging process.

Today was a great day for Fledge Watch at Schenley Plaza.

The weather was good, the chicks walked the nest rail and the parents flew nicely for us.  Well actually they flew for their own reasons, but it was nice.  Best of all we got to see Dorothy and E2 fly acrobatic maneuvers, bring prey and feed the chicks.

Morning shift (before work):  All four chicks waited on the nestrail while both parents were out hunting.  E2 arrived with heavy prey in his talons and flapped hard to bring it up to the nest area.  He and the four “kids” ate breakfast, then Dorothy arrived with more food.  “Incoming!”  They weren’t hungry so she cached it for a later meal.  Suddenly E2 kakked and dive-bombed the roof while the chicks cowered.  He saw something dangerous but it went away and he calmed down.  Still, he gave me a start! – and I was late for work.

Midday shift (lunchtime):  The chicks flapped a lot and the parents flew in great acrobatic demonstrations.  This inspired the “kids” to flap even more, but no one fledged.

Evening shift (after work):  What a crowd we had tonight!  I had so much fun I stayed until 7:45pm.  Again all four chicks walked and flapped but no one fledged.  At first only Dorothy was babysitting, then E2 called “Incoming!” and arrived with dinner.  Rather than drop it off, he and Dorothy did a mid-air prey exchange.  While she and the chicks ate he loafed on the lightning rod until he saw a pigeon he thought might be tasty.  He stooped off the building like a shot, the pigeon flew an evasive maneuver, put on a burst of speed and got away.  Wow!  I don’t know about the pigeon’s heart but ours were racing! 

Thank you to everyone who came to the tent.  It’s been great to meet you and fun to watch peregrines with you.  

Come to Fledge Watch at the tent.  Maybe they’ll fly tomorrow!

(photo by Kim Steininger)

Surprise!  After months of watching peregrines on camera the babies have walked away, leaving only “Dad” in sight.

Here’s E2 looking up to the nestrail where his youngsters are perched.  Today all four graduated to the ledge-walking phase.  As far as I know they haven’t flown yet. 

At Fledge Watch at lunchtime I saw three of them on the nestrail flapping like crazy.  By the time I got back to my desk and had a chance to check the camera, the fourth had left the nest and was probably up there too.  That’s a surprise!  I didn’t expect them to be so active when it’s cold and sprinkling and very, very gray.  

Perhaps one of them will fledge later today. …Wish I could be out there watching!

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

Life gets in the way of my plans sometimes.  I will NOT be able to do Fledge Watch AFTER WORK on Wednesday June 3.  All other times still hold – weather permitting. 

See the schedule here.