Peregrine activity begins to wane in July but there’s still news from western Pennsylvania’s nine nest sites. Some have active families, others do not.
1. Downtown Pittsburgh:
In early June Dori and Louie fledged four youngsters from the Third Avenue nest but observers have seen only two Downtown since mid-June. At the end of June (while I was in Montana) I heard from Art McMorris that a seriously injured fledgling with infected wounds was found on Grant Street and had to be euthanized.
Happily, Lori Maggio saw two healthy youngsters yesterday, July 7, perched on Point Park University’s Lawrence Hall. Their parents seem to be avoiding them.
Dori and Louie have been visiting the Gulf Tower nest on the other side of town since June 24. In the top photo, they bowed during a gorgeous red sunset. On July 6, Ann Hohn at Make-A-Wish confirmed their identities. Yes, they are Dori (in Ann’s photo above) and Louie.
2. Cathedral of Learning, University of Pittsburgh:
On June 21 the female resident Hope briefly lost the Cathedral of Learning to rival Magnum but regained it within a couple of days (read more here). Since then Hope visits the nest frequently to bow with Terzo. Their fledgling C1 is doing well. Peter Bell saw the whole family yesterday (July 7) when he heard C1 shouting as she chased one of her parents. I’m sure C1 is learning to hunt but would prefer to mooch from Terzo.
3. Westinghouse Bridge:
John English and I visited the Westinghouse Bridge on June 23 and found the resident female, an unbanded one-year-old. She “owns” the place but has not nested this year.
4. McKees Rocks Bridge:
The McKees Rocks Bridge is hard to monitor but Joe Fedor got lucky. Joe works at the nearby ALCOSAN plant where on June 7 he saw a peregrine fly and land unsteadily on a pier of the McKees Rocks Bridge. On June 9 he saw two peregrines, one of which appeared to be “flying unsteadily as it landed on the ladder on our tall smoke stack. I have never seen a fledgling fly, so I am wondering if it was a fledgling.” Art McMorris says, “Yes, it sounds like a fledgling.” That’s good news for McKees Rocks.
5. Neville Island I-79 Bridge:
This year the nest at the Neville Island I-79 Bridge was so hard to see that site monitors could not confirm if the pair was still Magnum and Beau. Two young fledged in early June but one died and the other disappeared within two days. All was quiet until Magnum appeared at the Cathedral of Learning on June 21 and ousted Hope for a couple of days … and then she disappeared. One of her fans, Chad Steele of Canton, Ohio, came to Pittsburgh to check on her. He found her at the bridge on July 2.
Those who know Magnum recognize her purposeful hunched walk along the beams.
Chad’s photos of her bands confirmed her identity. Magnum is back home for now.
6. Monaca-E.Rochester Bridge, Beaver County:
Several people looked for peregrines in the Beaver-Monaca area this year including long time peregrine watcher Scott Gregg. Scott says the peregrines chose the Monaca East Rochester Bridge this spring but their nest — if they had one — was unsuccessful.
7. Tarentum Bridge:
Rob Protz continues to monitor the Tarentum Bridge where he’s seen a pair of peregrines but no evidence of nesting. He photographed one having a meal on the bridge on June 28, above. Rob also saw one of the peregrines dragging its talons in the river as if to catch a fish. Unusual behavior, but not unheard of.
8. The Graff Bridge, Route 422 Kittanning, Armstrong County:
Great news! In their second year at this new nest site, the peregrines have successfully fledged two youngsters. Tony Bruno visited the Graff Bridge several times last weekend to capture these beautiful photos. The best place to watch is from the bike trail on the Manorville side.
9. Erie, PA Waterfront: Mary Birdsong reports that the peregrine pair is still hanging out at the DonJon building but they have not nested. Alas. Better luck next year.
(See the captions for photo credits. Webcam photos from the National Aviary falconcams at Gulf Tower and Univ of Pittsburgh. McKees Rocks Bridge photo from Wikimedia Commons. Remaining photos by Ann Hohn, John English, Rob Protz, Chad Steele and Anthony Bruno.)
Love the update,
Thank you, Kate, for the update on all the PEFA sites. Much appreciated. And thanks to the watchers for their wonderful pictures.
terrific to have this update! love the picture of Magnum, looks like she should have a cigar in her mouth!!!!
as always, thank you so much for all you do!
Wonderful summary of all the pefa activity in our area! Aren’t we lucky to be able to observe these amazing birds near us.
Hi! Long time reader, second time poster. These updates (and photos) are great and I’m really glad that there’s a blog like this to keep us up to date on, for lack of a better term, Pgh’s falcon community.
Anyway, I just wanted to post my two little recent falcon sightings:
– This morning at around 9:13 I saw C1 and an adult falcon fly off of a spire on St. Paul’s Cathedral in Oakland, fly across the road, circle over the RAND building’s roof, and back to the spire. They flew low enough that I could really see their feathers and all of the little details on them. It was fantastic.
– Last Friday (7/1) I saw who I’m pretty sure was C1 perched high up on the eastern face of Alumni Hall in Oakland just sort of hanging out by herself.
Thanks again for all the updates!
Thanks for all the updates Kate. It’s hard to keep up! Excited to see Dori and Louie at the tower. Maybe next nesting season they will finally return. Fingers crossed….
Haha Kate! When I first saw Chad’s photos of Magnum, the first thing I thought… there she goes walking across the beam again. I like your “purposeful” description.. very appropriate!
Hi Kate, I am new to your site this year, but very much enjoy reading all of your updates and seeing all of the wonderful pictures. Keep up the good work..
I laughed when I saw the picture of Magnum marching along; she means business
We traveled to Pittsburgh yesterday for a Children’s Hospital visit, but made a point to visit the COL to look for the Falcons flying above. We went up to the 36th floor for the view out the windows. The security guard told us they nest at the 40th floor level. Unbelievable how high that is! No wonder C1 spent some extra time ledge walking before fledging! Anyway, we got a quick glimpse of one falcon landing on top of the COL. I wish I had more time to spend falcon watching. Thank you for all of the updates!
Thank you for these updates. I love seeing the falcons. Magnum certainly looks like a falcon on a mission.
Thank you for these updates Kate! I’ve been searching for C1 three to four times a week in Oakland with no luck. I really want to catch a glimpse of her before she begins her wandering adventures. Please any suggestions, times, places will be greatly appreciated.
Rose, I can’t even begin to guess where C1 will be and when. Anne Marie Bosnyak and Peter Bell seen to have all the luck.
I heard C1 screaming off camera today around 2:27 PM, and not long after she started, Terzo flew into the nestbox. He must have been trying to hide from her! After he left at 2:41, C1 came into the nest and stayed until 2:48! She looks different without her baby fluff!