Category Archives: Nesting & Courtship

Where Were You Last Summer, Mrs. Blue?

Migration, Nesting & Courtship
Female indigo bunting in breeding condition, recovery band noted at Hays Woods,

25 August 2026

Last week at the Hays Woods banding station, Bird Lab captured a female indigo bunting who was banded almost a year ago, 9/6/2025, on the Canadian side of Lake Erie at Rock Point Provincial Park. Nick Liadis described her journey in Pittsbirder Chat which I’ve quoted below. Her history makes for an intriguing mystery.

Here’s her map with two capture locations: Rock Point (red pin) and Hays Woods (red circle at Pittsburgh) with speculation on where she spent the summer of 2025.

  • At Rock Point, Ontario in early September 2025 she was already an adult and was molting on a slightly early schedule.
  • At Hays Woods in the third week of August she had a brood patch and was not molting yet.
Data points for female indigo bunting at Hays Woods plus speculation on where she spent the summer of 2025 (marked up map from Google Maps. Pin drop is Rock Point Bird Observatory)

Nick describes what this means:

We are at Hays Woods and captured a foreign recap—a bird someone else banded. These are even rare for banders that run 50+ nets so it’s special that our 16-net operation has seen a handful (like the waterthrush from the suburbs posted earlier).

This Indigo Bunting was banded on 09/06/2025 as an adult in Ontario. Today she has a Brood Patch which tells us she bred here this year. Site fidelity for indigo buntings is complex so there are definitely some cool questions to ask about this bird!  …

She was banded in 2025 as an AHY (“After Hatch Year” = adult). … Assuming the banders aged her After Hatch Year like one would [age] an adult bird that has completed their post breeding molt, she may have failed [breeding] last year. Which may explain why she completed her post breeding molt so much earlier. Today she hadn’t started her post breeding molt.

That may also explain why she is here. According to my cursory reading of the literature, female indigo buntings that fail breeding in a given year may emigrate from that breeding location the following year.

— Pittsbirder chat from Nick Liadis, 21 August 2026

Yesterday at Hays Woods Charity Kheshgi and I found a male sunning and singing from a tree close to Bird Lab’s banding area. Considering that it’s August we were a little surprised that “Mr. Blue” was singing. Maybe he has a family nearby? Maybe he’s her mate?

Male indigo bunting, Hays Woods, 24 Aug 2026 (photo by Charity Kheshgi)

If only she could speak I’d ask her …

How did you find Hays Woods and choose to nest here this year? And where did you spend the summer of 2025, Mrs. Blue?

What’s That Sound? Merlins Nest Near You

Birds of Prey, Nesting & Courtship
Merlin, eastern US (photo by Wm.H. Majoros via Wikimedia Commons)

25 June 2026

Have you heard this sound in your neighborhood?

It’s a merlin! Listen.

video embedded from Carl Barrentine on YouTube

Merlins (Falco columbarius) are small, dark-striped, very fast falcons who’ve been making a comeback in Pennsylvania. Their population was wiped out during the DDT era and they didn’t return to PA until this century. In 2006-2009 the 2nd Pennsylvania Breeding Bird Atlas confirmed just 6 nests. The 3rd Breeding Bird Atlas, currently in progress 2024-2029, has confirmed 47 so far (dark purple dots on this map). We think there are more.

Merlin nests confirmed (dark purple) for 3rd Pennsylvania Breeding Bird Atlas as of 5 May 2026

Because of their habitat and prey preferences merlins could well be nesting near you. They prefer forests, cities, residential areas, school yards, parks, cemeteries, and golf courses and are often found where house sparrows are plentiful. They don’t build their own nests, instead choosing an old crow or hawk nest in a pine or spruce. If the crows don’t like it there’s a fight.

Other than fighting with crows, nesting merlins are relatively quiet … until right now.

Late June through early July is the easiest time to find merlins because they are very vocal and very loud. Here’s an adult and juvenile at feeding time. Both of them are calling. The juvenile sounds are fainter.

In 2022 Malcolm Kurtz found a merlin family at Chatham University. When I stopped by they were easy to find. I heard them before I saw them!

Merlin adults plus juvenile, 18 July 2022 (photo by Malcolm Kurtz)

If you’ve heard these sounds there’s a merlin family near you. In Pennsylvania we want to know about them. Read on.

If you’re in Pennsylvania: We think there are more merlins than the 47 families we already know about. We’d love to add your merlins to the Breeding Bird Atlas map.

If you’re in southwestern Pennsylvania, the challenge is on. Don Nixon writes:

Of the southwestern region’s 12 counties only 3 currently have confirmed nests Allegheny, Indiana & Jefferson.  I know of three others that had confirmed nests prior to the 2024 atlas start  (Butler, Clarion & Fayette). If we have reasonable luck, we can confirm nests in all 12 counties.

— Email from Don Nixon (pamerlins [at] gmail.com), 14 June 2026

Not an eBirder? You can always email your County BBA Coordinator (Southwestern PA list from statewide BBA coordinators):

  • Allegheny – Mike Fialkovich and Brian Shema (PBA3.Allegheny AT gmail.com)
  • Armstrong – Jim Kellam (james.kellam AT stvincent.edu)
  • Beaver – Tom Kuehl (tjk.kuehl AT gmail.com)
  • Butler – Glenn Koppel (macatilly AT gmail.com) and Oscar Miller (aoscarmiller3 AT gmail.com)
  • Clarion – Carole Winslow (cjwinslow94 AT gmail.com)
  • Fayette – Alex Busato (PBA3.Fayette AT gmail.com)
  • Greene – Marjorie Howard (rkbbirdclub AT yahoo.com)
  • Indiana – Marg and Roger Higbee (PBA3.Indiana AT gmail.com)
  • Jefferson – Don Nixon (pamerlins AT gmail.com) and Dave Keith (dksop96 AT gmail.com)
  • Lawrence – Tom Kuehl (tjk.kuehl AT gmail.com)
  • Washington – David Argent (argent@pennwest.edu)
  • Westmoreland – Janet and Tom Kuehl (tjk.kuehl AT gmail.com)

(* p.s.) “ideally use the PA BBA portal.” Well, yes, but if you don’t already use the portal it will frustrate you on your first attempt. My advice for first timers: Don’t ruin a happy and exciting bird sighting by engaging in a fight with your cellphone.

Peregrines Surprise Me: Success at 2 Bridges!

Nesting & Courtship, Peregrines
Juvie on the “runway” at 62nd Street Bridge, 20 June 2026 (photo by Jeff Cieslak)

23 June 2026

Halfway into the 2026 Peregrine Season I thought our region would have lower than usual nesting success because we had fewer active sites than last year. But peregrines always surprise me.

This month observers found fledglings at two bridges that weren’t on the list: 62nd Street Bridge and the Rt. 40 Bridge at West Brownsville. This adds two nests and 4 young to our regional total. Woo hoo!

62nd Street Bridge:

Things have been happening fast at the 62nd Street Bridge. After years without a known nest, Matt Jacob found a pair of peregrines carrying food there. Then Jeff Cieslak and Adam Knoerzer discovered they are “Dave” and “Libby” from the failed nest at the East Liberty Presbyterian Church. On 19 June Anne Marie Bosnyak saw a fledgling. On 20 June Jeff Cieslak photographed the family, below.

“Dave” (watching juvie) and “Libby” (asleep) at 62nd Street Bridge, 20 June 2026 (photo by Jeff Cieslak)

Juvenile peregrine at 62nd Street Bridge, 20 June 2026 (photos by Jeff Cieslak)

Rt 40 Bridge, West Brownsville:

Earlier this spring David Argent and Fred Kachmarik both visited the Rt 40 Bridge in West Brownsville and found only one peregrine and no sign of nesting. I assumed (incorrectly) that there was no nest.

On 16 June Regina King messaged me that she saw juvenile peregrines at the bridge so I notified David and Fred, and Fred spread the word to John Flannigan. All three of them visited the bridge last week. There are 3 young peregrines ready to fly.

David Argent visited on 18 June and saw one adult + 2 juvies:

Two juvenile peregrines at Rt 40 Bridge, West Brownsville, 18 June 2026 (photos by David Argent)

Fred Kachmarik and John Flannigan visited on 19 June and saw 1 adult + 3 juvies.

And they heard begging.

With these two nests, our region is now up to 20 young peregrines produced in southwestern Pennsylvania this spring. Success!

Peregrine Update Southwest PA, 14 June

Nesting & Courtship, Peregrines
Juvenile peregrine at the ledge edge at Third Ave, 13 June 2026 (photo by Kate St. John)

14 June 2026, All Peregrines All The Time

My last update was only six days ago, 7 June, but so much is going on! I have news from six sites.

Site List and latest activity, a regional summary. (Yellow = nest is/was active in 2026, includes one failed nest. Boldface dates are May & June 2026.)

Activity in the region:

Cathedral of Learning, Univ of Pittsburgh:

Falcon Home: Wispy clouds frame the Cathedral of Learning, 6 June 2026 (photo by Kate St. John)

All four of Carla and Ecco’s youngsters have fledged and are now hard to find until they nag for food. Their parents look for places to avoid the “kids.” The nest is usually the safe zone until …

Yesterday Ecco and Carla bowed at the nest and Carla sunbathed. (Spots on the camera cover are from recent rainstorms.)

Ecco and Carla bow at the nest, 13 June 2026 (photo from the snapshot camera at CL)
Carla sunbathes, 13 June 2026 (photo from the snapshot camera at CL)

But one of the “kids” — Blue — burst onto nest at 10:18am to shout at Ecco.

Ecco and Blue at the nest, 13 June 2026 (photo from the snapshot camera at CL)

The streaming app was choppy without audio when this happened but you get the idea. Yes, it was Blue.

(poor quality) video from the National Aviary falconcam at Univ of Pittsburgh

Downtown Pittsburgh, 3rd Avenue:

Yesterday, 13 June, I stopped by the Third Ave nest and found a chick preening at the ledge opening (photos at top and below).

Juvenile peregrine at the Third Ave ledge edge, 13 June 2026 (photo by Kate St. John)

Terzo was snoozing above.

Terzo snoozing above the nest at Third Ave, 13 June 2026 (photo by Kate St. John)

Lori Maggio knows there are at least two chicks in the nest and on 11 June she was able to see the younger one from the Smithfield Street Bridge. This one appears to be a week+ younger than the other. Yesterday it was probably still not old enough to come to the ledge edge.

Chick in the Downtown nest, 11 June 2026 (photo by Lori Maggio)

These two will fledge at least a week apart; there will be many opportunities to photograph them in June.

Sewickley Bridge, Ohio River:

Adult male (Bolt) and female (Wrench) at Sewickley Bridge, 10 June 2026 (photos by Jeff Cieslak)

All four youngsters have fledged, though Jeff Cieslak has seen only two of them. On 10 June both parents were present while a juvie stretched its wings nearby.

Juvenile peregrine near the Sewickley Bridge, 10 June 2026 (photos by Jeff Cieslak)

62nd Street Bridge, Allegheny River:

As mentioned yesterday, Jeff Cieslak and Adam Knoerzer have figured out that the peregrine pair at the 62nd Street Bridge is the couple whose nest blew away at East Liberty Presbyterian Church in late March. See how they figured it out at 62nd Street Peregrines Came from East Liberty.

Peregrine pair at 62nd Street Bridge, 11 June 2026 (photos by Jeff Cieslak)

Tarentum Bridge, Allegheny River:

Yesterday Dave Brooke saw five out of six Tarentum peregrines. On 11 June Dan Wyrostek saw three chicks lounging and flapping.

The “flapper” joined the “loungers.”

Westinghouse Bridge, Turtle Creek:

Dana Nesiti confirms that both juvies have fledged and they are still hanging out with their parents.

Juvie flying at the Westinghouse Bridge, 8 June 2026 (photo by Dana Nesiti)

In this 9 June photo the mother is above the youngster.

Mother and youngster peregrines at the Westinghouse Bridge, 9 June 2026 (photo by Dana Nesiti)

On 8 June one of the youngsters was eating at the catwalk when his mother snatched a bite of food. No problem. There’s enough to go around.

video embedded from Dana Nesiti (Canonusr) on YouTube)

The Status Table …

… at the top is a screenshot of the table taken on 14 June 2026. Here’s the up-to-date table if you’re reading this many months later.

62nd Street Peregrines Came from East Liberty

Bird Behavior, Nesting & Courtship, Peregrines
Female (left) and male (right) peregrines at 62nd Street Bridge, 11 June 2026 (photo by Jeff Cieslak)

13 June 2026

In 2024 and 2025 a pair of peregrines nested successfully at East Liberty Presbyterian’s church steeple where they fledged a total of four young. Nest monitor Adam Knoerzer named them “Libby” and “Dave.”

This March they were on their way to another successful year when a terrific wind storm blew away the sticks that supported the nesting zone. Here’s what it looked like before it disappeared. See more at East Liberty Peregrines’ Nest is Gone.

Former site of East Liberty Presbyterian peregrine nest in April 2025 (photo by Adam Knoerzer)

That was in late March, egg laying season, so Libby had to find a place to nest very quickly. Together the pair looked around for available sites and came up with a plan. They nested at the 62nd Street Bridge.

We didn’t know there were peregrines at 62nd Street until Matt Jacob shared his June 4-5 photos. I wrote about them on 7 June: New Pair Found at 62nd Street. At the end of that article I wondered if this pair had come from East Liberty.

On 11 June Jeff Cieslak visited the bridge and produced the side-by-side photo shown at top.

As Kate StJohn reported last week , a pair of peregrines has appeared at the 62nd Street Bridge. Today, I went to see them, and one was under the bridge on the catwalk not far from Etna. We waited about 45 minutes to see if anything would happen, and at about minute 44 something did. Based on size, the image [at top] shows the female (L) and male (R). The male was actually on the far side of the bridge, but I scaled his image to show the difference.

— description on Facebook at Our Daily Bird by Jeff Cieslak

Adam Knoerzer sent Jeff his photos of Libby and Dave. Jeff put them all together and their face and head features match. Ta Dah! This pair is Libby and Dave.

Libby (left) and Dave (right) peregrines at 62nd Street Bridge, 11 June 2026 (large photos by Jeff Cieslak, inset photos by Adam Knoerzer)

At 62nd Street Libby’s clutch is later than it would have been at the East Liberty because she had to start over. It will be a while — perhaps early July — before we know if they are successful.

This discovery also indicates …

If East Liberty Presbyterian’s steeple (ELPC) has a proper nesting zone, it is a preferable nest site to the 62nd Street Bridge. Peregrines very rarely use the 62nd Street Bridge. This is only the fourth time since monitoring began in 2007.

And yes, it’s possible to identify individual peregrine falcons using photographs. Chad+Chris Saladin have been doing this for years. That’s how they are able to name and re-identify peregrines at various sites in Ohio. See their work at C&C’s Ohio Peregrine Page on Facebook.

Peregrine Update Southwest PA, 8 June 2026

Nesting & Courtship, Peregrines
Juvenile peregrine in flight at Westinghouse Bridge, 2 June 2026 (photo by Dana Nesiti)

8 June 2026, All Peregrines All The Time

June is the month when young peregrine falcons make their first flight in southwestern Pennsylvania. It’s also when we discover new peregrine families that flew under the radar until now, as happened last week at the 62nd Street Bridge.

Here’s a news roundup of Pittsburgh’s peregrines in early June with a site summary below. We currently have six active nests.

Site List and latest activity, a regional summary. (Yellow = nest is/was active in 2026, includes one failed nest. Boldface dates are May & June 2026.)

The Pittsburgh area is on track to add 16 young peregrines to the species population (* see note at end), a total that does not include the unknown count at the 62nd Street Bridge.

Activity in the region:

Cathedral of Learning, Univ of Pittsburgh:

The most notable thing about this year’s brood at the Cathedral of Learning is their apparent reluctance to fledge. Blue fledged on 3 June but after that no one else made an obvious move until Sunday afternoon.

In the slideshow below all three are at the nest on Sunday morning 7 June. One of them is flapping and landing. I predicted that all four would be flying by Friday 5 June (41 days old) but no.

I should stop predicting these things. Peregrines always surprise me.

Downtown Pittsburgh, 3rd Avenue:

On Thursday 4 June Lori Maggio stopped by Third Avenue to see the Downtown peregrines.

Two adults at the nest area, Male at top, female feeding at least 2 chicks, 4 June 2026 (photo by Lori Maggio)

From the Smithfield St Bridge I could see at least two maybe three of them [the chicks]. The adult female was in the nest at the time and Terzo was on the beam above the nest ledge. The pictures from the bridge are not great due to the heat coming off the buildings and the bus/vehicle traffic shaking the bridge up and down.

— email from Lori Maggio, 4 June 2026

The female perched on a Lawrence Hall gargoyle.

Female peregrine at Third Ave, 4 June 2026 (photo by Lori Maggio)

Terzo watched from the upper airshaft beam.

Male peregrine, Terzo, at Third Ave on 4 June 2026 (photo by Lori Maggio)

The chicks appear to be about 23 days old on 4 June, in which case they hatched around 12 May and will fledge around 21 June.

Two peregrine chicks at Third Avenue in Downtown Pittsburgh, 4 June 2026 (photo by Lori Maggio)

It’s worth checking the Third Avenue site around June 13-14, maybe earlier, to see if they’ve come to the ledge opening.

Sewickley Bridge, Ohio River:

Adult male “Bolt” at Sewickley Bridge, 3 June 2026 (photo by Jeff Cieslak)

This successful nest has four young and two watchful parents.

Adult female “Wrench” at Sewickley Bridge, 3 June 2026 (photo by Jeff Cieslak)

On 3 June Jeff Cieslak photographed four family members. Two of the “kids” were Upstairs and Downstairs: one on a high beam, the other on a lower one. Or was this an optical illusion?

Upstairs Downstairs: 2 peregrine chicks at Sewickley Bridge 3 June 2026 (photo by Jeff Cieslak)

The Sewickley Bridge youngsters are due to fly soon if they haven’t already.

62nd Street Bridge, Allegheny River:

As mentioned yesterday we didn’t know there were peregrines at the 62nd Street Bridge until Matt Jacob found a pair on the bridge on June 4 & 5.

Pair of peregrines at the 62nd Street Bridge, 5 June 2026 (photo by Matt Jacob @matt_jacob)

Read more about this family at: New Pair Found at 62nd Street Bridge.

Tarentum Bridge, Allegheny River:

Adult with 3 of 4 chicks Tarentum Bridge, 6 June 2026 (photo by Dave Brooke)

When Dave Brooke checked on the Tarentum peregrine family on Saturday 6 June the chicks are all brown and ready to fledge.

In just four days their plumage changed a lot as seen in Dave’s 2 June video.

Westinghouse Bridge, Turtle Creek:

Adult with a chick at Westinghouse Bridge, 2 June 2026 (photo by Dana Nesiti)

We didn’t know that the Westinghouse Bridge nest was successful until Dana Nesiti checked on it in late May and found two chicks. Last week he visited almost every day. His video from 2 June shows one juvenile ledge walking, falling and the flying for the first time.

video embedded from Dana Nesiti (Canonusr) on YouTube)

He was the first sibling to fly, shown in photos at top and below.

Young peregrine flying at the Westinghouse Bridge, 2 June 2026 (photo by Dana Nesiti)

Here are the two siblings on 4 June. The one on the left looks darker overall.

Two chicks at Westinghouse Bridge, 4 June 2026 (photo by Dana Nesiti)

The Status Table …

… at the top is a screenshot of the table taken on 7 June 2026. Here’s the up-to-date table if you’re reading this many months later.

(*) NOTE about “adding 16 young peregrines to the population this year.” 60% of young peregrines die in their first year, many of them before they leave home. The urban setting is unforgiving when it comes to chimneys and glass. By the Spring of 2027 that number 16 will be down to 6 or 7.

New Pair Found at 62nd Street Bridge

Nesting & Courtship, Peregrines
Peregrine at the 62nd Street Bridge, 4 June 2026 (photo by Matt Jacob @matt_jacob)

7 June 2026

When Matt Jacob, co-author of City Steps of Pittsburgh, visited the 62nd Street Bridge on June 4 and 5 to take pictures for a new book about the city’s parks, playgrounds, and trails he found a surprise. A pair of peregrines was flying back and forth over the Allegheny River and stopping at the bridge.

Peregrine at the 62nd Street Bridge, 5 June 2026 (photo by Matt Jacob @matt_jacob)

It appears they are nesting somewhere on the bridge.

Pair of peregrines at the 62nd Street Bridge, 5 June 2026 (photo by Matt Jacob @matt_jacob)

This isn’t the first time peregrines have nested at 62nd Street but they rarely choose this site. The last successful nest was discovered in early July 2019 when a parent and juvenile peregrine hung out at Tree Pittsburgh below the bridge. Fortunately the structure is beneath the deck so the young don’t fledge into traffic.

62nd Street Bridge over the Allegheny River, 2007 (photo by Dan Yagusic)

Are there chicks at the 62nd Street Bridge? We’ll have to watch and see. Etna Riverfront Park is a good vantage point.

The 62nd Street Bridge is one of three potential peregrine nesting bridges on the Allegheny River that are very rarely used. Sightings of juveniles in this area usually occur in July indicating the parents nested late, perhaps after failure at another site.

And so I wonder … is this where the peregrines from East Liberty Presbyterian steeple ended up after their nest blew away in late March?

62nd Street and Highland Park bridges as seen from beneath Aspinwall RR bridge, July 2021 (photo by Kate St. John)

p.s. Follow Matt Jacob’s photography on Instagram at @matt_jacob or @pghsteps.

Fledge Watch and Flowers Seen This Week

Nesting & Courtship, Peregrines, Plants & Fungi
Mouse-ear hawkweed in Schenley Park + peregrine Green perched near the snapcam, 6 June 2026 (photos by Kate St. John and the National Aviary snapcam at Univ of Pittsburgh)

6 June 2026

Fledge Watch, 5 June 2026, 6:30-7:30pm

Two of four juvenile peregrines lounge on the nestrail, waiting for dinner, 5 June 2026 (photo by Kate St. John)

Last evening during the last scheduled(*) Fledge Watch we again watched all four young peregrines lounge on the nestrail waiting for dinner. Only one was excited enough to run, flap, and hop. He almost took off … but not.

Fledge Watch at Schenley Plaza, 5 June 2026 (photo by John English)

Earlier in the day the juvies hopped in and out of the nestbox and made short flights between the nestrail and the top of the box. This could not be seen from Schenley Plaza but it was captured via motion detection snapshots.

At 2:15pm Red hopped up to the snapcam (photo at left) and at 3:45pm Green made the same move (photo at right). Green looks a lot larger than Red but it’s an optical illusion from the wide angle lens.

Red (left) and Green (right) near the snapcam, 6 June 2026 (photos from the National Aviary snapcam at Univ of Pittsburgh)

As we were packing up at the end of Fledge Watch, Carla suddenly dove like a bullet right over our heads and disappeared behind the trees. Seconds ticked by and then she flew out with two crows in pursuit. Hah! Of course they couldn’t catch her. And of course we have no photos. Perhaps she was bored or she was demonstrating for the kids.

(*) Last scheduled Fledge Watch: I will still be watching in the days ahead but it will be a spur of the moment event. You can always look for the peregrines any time and you might get lucky. If you see something interesting leave a comment!

Flowers at Schenley Park, 5 June 2026

On a walk in Schenley Park yesterday morning I found four flowers worth a look:

Chicory, Schenley Park, 5 June 2026 (photo by Kate St. John)
Ribwort (English) plaintain, Schenley Park, 5 June 2026 (photo by Kate St. John)
Virginia pepperweed, Schenley Park, 5 June 2026 (photo by Kate St. John)
Mouse-ear hawkweed, Schenley Park, 5 June 2026 (photo by Kate St. John)

Fledge Watch, 4 June: They Waited For Dinner

Nesting & Courtship, Peregrines
Four juvie peregrines wait on the nestrail for dinner, 4 June 2026 (photo by Kate St. John)

5 June 2026

Last night we had a good turnout at Pitt Peregrine Fledge Watch from 6:30-7:30pm. We all hoped to see a young peregrine fly.

Fledge Watch, 4 June 2026 (photo by Kate St. John)

We had additional confirmation that a juvie had flown on 3 June when John Dzikiy showed me a video by Conor Tompkins, taken at 7pm Wednesday, of a juvenile peregrine flapping a lot as it flew out and back to the Cathedral of Learning.

The scene was set. All four chicks were on the nestrail — the Launch Zone — and both Ecco and Carla flew and sometimes soared together. The chicks were ready. Surely at least one youngster would fly while we watched.

But no. They sat around and waited for dinner. Sometimes one flapped a bit. One ran up and down the nestrail. But none of them got worked up enough to fly.

Four peregrine chicks on the nestrail at Cathedral of Learning, 4 June 2026 (video by Charity Kheshgi)

However, everyone got good looks at the juvenile peregrines and that’s a good thing.

Come on down to the last scheduled Fledge Watch is this evening, 5 June 6:30p-7:30p at Schenley Plaza.

After tonight I will still be watching but it will be a spur of the moment pop-up event.

You can always come down on you own and look in the sky near the Cathedral of Learning. Carla and Ecco live there year round. Their kids will leave town in July.

Peregrine Fledge Watch, 3 June: One Fledged, Three to Go

Nesting & Courtship, Peregrines
Two visited the nest, 3 June 2026, 6:06pm (photo from the snapshot camera at Univ of Pittsburgh)

4 June 2026

Yesterday, 3 June, the Pitt peregrine youngsters were in and out of the nestbox … but mostly out. I walked over at 11:00am and saw three on the nestrail and Ecco high on the Fifth Avenue side staring intently at the likely location of the fourth. One had fledged, three to go.

This score was confirmed when someone at Fledge Watch remarked that she saw a peregrine in “flappy flight”(*) around the top of the building between 11:30a and noon, followed by an adult. Those are typical behaviors when a juvie flies. If only I’d looked up while I was walking home!

Fledge Watch at 4:30-5:30p was right next to a big event in the Schenley Plaza tent: AlphaLab Demo Day (AL26). Some of the participants stopped by to look at the peregrines.

Pitt Peregrine Fledge Watch, 3 June 2026 (photo by John English)

We saw all four youngsters, three perched in the keyholes and one on top of the nestrail.

Three juvies perched inside the keyholes, 3 June 2026, 5:18pm (photo by Kate St. John)

Here’s all four in one view.

All four on/at the nestrail, 3 June 2026, 5:37pm (photo by Kate St. John)

Ecco (arrow at right) stopped by to check on the nestbox.

Ecco checking on the nest. Two in keyhole, 3 June 2026, 5:30pm (photo by Charity Kheshgi)

Adults on the nestrail are fair game for the kids to beg for food. When Ecco was on the left a juvie ran to get to him. Ecco waited until the “kid” was close and then effortlessly turned into the sky and flew away.

video by Charity Kheshgi

To see a longer version with music, click here for Charity Kheshgi’s TikTok.

By the time you read this the Fledged score will have changed. Are we at 2 Fledged and 2 To Go? 3 and 1? All 4 flown? Come on down to Fledge Watch this evening, 6:30pm to 7:30pm, to find out. Click here for event information.

p.s. (*) “Flappy flight” is the behavior of a newly flown juvenile. On their first few days of flight they are not skilled enough to soar. They flap a lot.