28 May 2025
Just one week after Banding Day the Pitt peregrine chicks are becoming fully feathered and turning brown.
Next week they’ll be ready to fly. We’ll know this because step-by-step they will:
- Pull the white fluff off their feathers and become dark brown.
- Spend a lot of time flapping and exercising their wings.
- Make running almost airborne leaps across the gravel … and then …
- Walk up the bulwark and out of camera view to stand on the nestrail.
… at which point the best place to see them is from Schenley Plaza.
This photo from June 2021 was taken at the plaza. Come on down to Fledge Watch for views like this.
Pitt Peregrine Fledge Watch, Schenley Plaza, June 1-5, 2025
Pitt Peregrine Fledge Watch is a drop-in event to see the peregrine family and watch the youngsters learn to fly. I’ll be there with my scope on hand for a closer view of their activity.
Meet me at the tent at the dates and times below, weather permitting.
Where: Schenley Plaza near the tent, pictured above.
When: Fledge Watch is weather dependent and will be canceled for rain or thunder. Check the Events page before you come in case of weather cancellation.
- 1 June, 4:30pm to 5:30pm (Sunday) — after the Neighborhood Flea Market ends at 3:30pm
- 2 June, 4:30pm to 5:30pm (Monday)
- 3 June, 11:30am to 12:30pm (Tuesday)
- 4 June, 11:30am to 12:30pm (Wednesday)
- 5 June, 11:30am to 12:30pm (Thursday)
- 6 June (Friday) — to be determined, depending on whether they’ve all flown.
See you at the tent next week.
p.s. If no one shows up I might stay only 30 minutes, so come at the beginning if you can.
It looks like there’s a blue band loose in the nest right now.
Can you confirm?
YES there is a blue band but it belonged to a flicker that they ate a few days ago.
Were they named when they were banded? Or when would this occur? Is there any way to check in future years if any of these three are sighted anywhere else? Thanks.
Karen, they are not named when banded in Pennsylvania. It is the policy of the PA Game Commission not to name wild birds, including peregrine falcons at banding. Watch for today’s post that explains peregrine names.
Sightings in future years: The USGS Bird Banding Lab (BBL) is the repository for all bird band data; they report sightings to the bander, the PA Game Commission. However as May 2025, the Ecological section of USGS that includes the BBL may be eliminated due budget cuts by DOGE. If it closes, the the numbers will never be tracked and we will never know.