Beginning this weekend — yes, Memorial Day weekend — the four young peregrines at the Downtown nest will prepare for their very first flight.  They’re older than the Pitt nestling so they may fly as soon as May 29.

The Downtown nest area doesn’t have space for a Fledge Watch party but you can still watch from the sidewalk.  It’s only a third as high up as the Cathedral of Learning so you’ll get great views.  This photo — taken without a zoom lens — shows the nest opening last year with a chick standing at the edge.  The red arrow points to him.  He’s brown with white fluff on his head.

Where to watch:  Third Avenue between Wood and Smithfield on the sidewalk near the Carlyle parking lot.  Look up and see this view.  After they fledge they’ll be on buildings in the vicinity of Point Park University. For more information, contact me by leaving a Comment below.

Normal behavior:  A fledgling perched on a building is safe — and loud.  He begs for food, his parents feed him, and he waits to digest his food before he leaves.  He may wait overnight if he feels safe.  This is normal.

If you find a fledgling standing on the ground, it’s in danger.  Protect it from being hit by a car(!) and call the PA Game Commission at 724-238-9523.  A Wildlife Conservation Officer will be dispatched to rescue it because…

In their first day of flight young peregrines don’t have the wing strength to take off from the ground.  If they become grounded they must be delivered to a high place so they can start over.

IMPORTANT:  Before you do anything else, read this description –> Falcon or Hawk <– so you know what a young peregrine looks like. They are tricky! and resemble red-tailed hawks who often stand on the ground to eat (and don’t need to be rescued by the Game Commission).

Please monitor the Downtown peregrine chicks beginning May 25 until (probably) June 5.  See them on camera at the nest here at aviary.org.

Call this phone number if you find a peregrine in trouble:  724-238-9523

(photo by Kate St. John)

p.s. Parking is free Downtown on Sundays.  If you plan to spend some time watching bring a lawn chair, water, and binoculars to make your stay more enjoyable. Don’t forget your camera!

This morning at the Cathedral of Learning Dorothy and E2’s chick was weighed, measured, given a health check, and banded.  He’s in great health and, yes, he’s a boy.

Above, he shows off his enormous feet, normal size for a 22-day-old peregrine.  Notice the fleshy nobs on the insides of his toes.  In a couple of months he’ll be using them to capture and hold his prey.

Peregrine experts Dan Brauning and Art McMorris of the Pennsylvania Game Commission braved Dorothy’s wrath and collected the chick and the unhatched eggs.  None of the eggs had pips; they may have been infertile.  As is typically done at banding sites, the eggs will be analyzed for contaminants.

Back indoors Art showed us the chick and explained interesting facts about peregrine biology.  I was amazed to learn that their tail feathers grow 2 mm per day beginning at 13 days after hatching.  This chick’s pin feathers confirmed he’s 22 days old  — but we knew that from the camera.

Art has so much experience with peregrines that he knew this one was male even before he weighed him!  Here Art lifts the nestling to show his emerging feathers.

The chick was silent most of the time though he complained about the health check.  Soon he had his new “bling” and was ready to go back to Mom and Dad after one more photo opportunity.

I was honored that Art asked me to stand between him and Dan for this photo with Dorothy and E2’s newly banded chick.  Dan (on the left) is the one who told me to look for Dorthy and Erie’s nest in 2001.  That simple request started me on my odyssey with this charismatic bird.

For more photos, click here for the Banding Day album on the University of Pittsburgh’s Facebook page.  Thanks to Rose Huber for sharing the photos!

(photos by B. Rose Huber/University of Pittsburgh)

This peregrine family at the Cathedral of Learning is in for some excitement.  Dorothy and E2’s chick will be banded this morning.

Yesterday the Pennsylvania Game Commission’s Dan Brauning and Art McMorris visited peregrine nests at two bridges.  Today they’ll venture out on the Cathedral of Learning ledge.

So don’t be shocked when you hear Dorothy and E2 “kakking” and their chick disappears just after 9:00am.  The chick will receive a health check and some new jewelry.

And we’ll learn for certain whether Baby is a “she” or a “he.”

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

p.s.  I don’t announce the banding in advance because the event is not open to the public.  The room is too small to allow for uninvited guests.

Yesterday Dan Brauning and Art McMorris of the Pennsylvania Game Commission ventured out in PennDOT bucket trucks to band peregrine nestlings at two Pittsburgh area bridges:  Tarentum and Westinghouse.

Observers Rob Protz at Tarentum and John English at Westinghouse had pinpointed the locations on the bridges where the peregrines were nesting so Art arranged the site visits with PennDOT.

PennDOT was very helpful and the bucket trucks were impressive.  Unfortunately the news was not good.

At Tarentum, pictured above, Art McMorris leaned back to look into the nest hole but there were no nestlings, just one abandoned egg.

At Westinghouse there was one nestling too young to band and handicapped by convulsions and a deformed beak.  Not good.

This was not what anyone expected. Such a disappointment!

The adult peregrines will continue at their respective bridges, as shown below at Tarentum, but there won’t be a fledge watch at either site.

Alas.

(photos by Sean Dicer)

p.s. Click here for this news from the Tribune Review.

UPDATE, Friday afternoon, May 17:  Dan and Art visited the McKees Rocks Bridge peregrine nest where they found one unhatched, abandoned egg.  Make that “Disappointment at Three Bridges.”