21 May 2025

These baby birds are in for a surprise this morning.

Today is banding day for the peregrine falcon chicks at the Cathedral of Learning. The event is closed to the public (the room has a very strict occupancy limit!) but you’ll see some of the action on the National Aviary falconcam.

The first hint will be the sound of “kakking” as Carla and Ecco react when Patti Barber of the Pennsylvania Game Commission goes out on the ledge to retrieve the chicks. Carla may even jump into the nest to guard her youngsters.

The chicks will receive health checks and leg bands and be returned to the nest in less than half an hour.

Stay tuned for photos from the event and an update on who’s who.

p.s. Expect to see wet birds and wet people! More than 1.8 inches of heavy rain are expected today in Pittsburgh and we are under a 24-hour Flood Watch. Here’s our radar just before 7am. The Cathedral of Learning is in the center of the map, just under the “tt” in the word Pittsburgh.