26 July 2025
By now Pittsburgh’s young peregrines have left home — or are about to leave — to begin life on their own. Meanwhile their parents are molting and less active while they avoid the heat.
At East Liberty Presbyterian Church (ELPC), there’s still a bit of peregrine activity because one of the steeple’s three youngsters missed important life lessons in the month of June. He didn’t get a chance to catch up until early July.
In early June a young peregrine was found on the ground in East Liberty about two blocks from the church and taken to rehab at Humane Animal Rescue (HAR) Wildlife Center in Verona. The bird was weak and a routine blood test for lead indicated he needed chelation therapy. By the end of June he was ready for release back at home. Katie Kefalos called me from HAR for contact names at the church and I put her in touch with Ed Moore at ELPC and local peregrine monitor Adam Knoerzer.
On 2 July the weather was perfect for the release so Katie came over to the church with the young bird in a carrier. Ed Moore and ELPC documented the release on Instagram.
Instagram post, 2 July, East Liberty Presbyterian Church:
Two videos in the Instagram post:
There are two videos of the release embedded in the Instagram post. To see them, click on the right arrowhead on the photo, above. In case you can’t see the arrowhead, here’s a screenshot showing it circled in pink.
The first video contains this moment when the young peregrine hops up out of the carrier. View the video to see him fly away.
In flight this week
Even though it’s hot there is still some peregrine activity at East Liberty. Adam Knoerzer watched one flying on Thursday.
As recent as a couple days ago, I could hear peregrine young calling in the evening before the sun sets. I saw one at the top of Central Catholic. On other evenings, I have seen one on the Greek Orthodox church and the dorm across from Central Catholic. This bird likes to perch on the crosses of the buildings. the dorm has some sort of metal antenna to perch on.
What are urban peregrines eating that would give them toxic levels of lead?
Lauren, I suspect it’s in the environment near the nest which is on a large church built almost 100 years ago. Lead is/was often used to line gutters and on church roofs. Pigeons nesting on the church structure could acquire lead and then be eaten in turn.