We’re still searching for the peregrines who nest in Downtown Pittsburgh. They left the Gulf Tower in March and we know they’re nesting … but where? Two weeks ago I posted this blog asking folks to… Look for Perching Peregrines.
Last Wednesday Diane P. left a comment saying she’d found a pair of falcons nesting in the facade of a building on Fifth Avenue across from Chatham Center. Within a few hours I was Downtown checking the area for peregrines.
From Duquesne University’s campus I saw a small bird of prey perched high on Chatham Center but the light was so poor that I couldn’t identify it. On Fifth Avenue I found this hole in the 1904 building.
The next morning I stopped by Chatham Center plaza and saw the bird in better light on the same perch. It’s a small falcon, an American kestrel (Falco sparverius).
By luck Diane was out on the plaza, too, so we chatted about her discovery. Suddenly we heard a kestrel calling and both adults swooped into the nest. Then we heard the sounds of baby birds being fed. It’s a family!
Diane was so good at finding these small falcons that I hope she finds the big ones, too. (And I do hope the peregrines leave the kestrels alone!)
Remember to keep looking for perching peregrines when you’re Downtown.
(photo by Cris Hamilton)
And look, beside the nest hole, is a stone owl!
Do kestrels normally nest in cavities?
KC, yes they do. Sometimes people put up nestboxes (wooden boxes) to encourage kestrels to nest.
There is a wonderful Boise kestrel cam. I have watched it the past two years. Great for watching these small falcons up close while they raise their families.
While I am glad the kestrels found a cavity for their nest, it does look as though that building needs some serious work to prevent future deterioration. Maybe they would put up a kestrel box, if they had to close up the current nest hole. Or figure out a way to renovate around that nest area, but still reinforce the building facade.
Thanks for sharing info. on these beautiful small falcons.
Norca, thanks for the info on the Boise kestrel cam. If that building ever gets renovated there are quite a few others with similar holes so the kestrels will be OK for a few years.
When do you think the eggs of Louie and Dori would hatch? I know there isn’t much to go other than their behavior when they were at the Gulf Tower in March.
Some time in May. It’s a long month.
I’ve spotted them both swooping past my window in Chatham Two, which faces the arena. I’ll have a look for their nest, the next time I’m out on the plaza. Thanks for the info!
Kate, the kestrel eggs in Boise hatched yesterday, if you are interested in checking in on them.