3 June 2024

The Pitt peregrines have absorbed so much attention that I’ve hardly thought about the Downtown peregrine family only 3 miles away. During a free moment on Saturday I stopped by Third Avenue to see them.

Standing near 353 Third Avenue I saw both adults watching the nest from above. The female was on one of Lawrence Hall’s gargoyles, the male was on the green crossbar above the nest and one chick was visible at the nest opening (photo at top).

The nest itself is not visible from the street so I drove to Mt Washington overlook near the Monongahela Incline on Grandview Ave to look into the nest with my scope. I saw four chicks at the nest! This digiscope photo is terrible but the yellow notes explain what I saw.

There are two good reasons to go see this site soon.

1. Because the nest ledge is only 12 stories high it is easy to see and photograph the youngsters when they flap or perch at the nest edge. I took this digiscoped photo using my cellphone one year ago today on 3 JUNE 2023.

2. The nest ledge is so low that half the fledglings land on the ground each year and need human help to get up high again on the “Rescue Porch.” Here’s the story of a fledgling rescued last year: Take Me To the Rescue Porch.

Visit Third Avenue SOON to see the Downtown peregrines about to fledge. Here’s where to see them 40.43855, -80.00055. They’ll be gone by the end of the week.

Look at the ledge indicated by the yellow arrow below.