26 June 2024

Peregrine season is wrapping up with confirmation of breeding in one location and a bunch of “pair only” sightings in the Ohio River valley.

East Liberty Presbyterian Church, Pittsburgh:

Adam Knoerzer confirmed one chick at the nest in early June but hadn’t seen any sign of it since the 17th. Then on Monday evening 24 June, Adam was near East Liberty Presbyterian Church and confirmed “Juvie Alive and Well.”

After hearing a lot of noise, I noticed the juvie perched on a low tower on the Penn Ave side and the male dropping some food. We later saw [the juvie] fly back up to the nest.

— email from Adam Knoerzer, 24 June 2024

Adam’s photo at top shows where the young peregrine was perched. Congratulations to the East Liberty peregrines and nest monitor Adam Knoerzer!

Brunot Island RR Bridge / Eckert / McKees Rocks, Ohio River:

The Eckert Street peregrines went missing this spring but there are many nest site choices within a mile of that site. Jeff Cieslak tried to find them with no luck but on 13 June Andy Moore (author of Pawpaw: In Search of America’s Forgotten Fruit and the upcoming book Beasts in the East) photographed a pair of peregrines at the Brunot Island Railroad Bridge.

Jeff Cieslak started checking Brunot Island and has seen the pair as recently as Sunday 23 June. Jeff remarked “I’m pretty sure the female from Eckert is there, with a young male.” No evidence of young.

Spruce Run Bridge, Ohio River: This pair is present every time Jeff Cieslak stops by, most recently 23 June. This pair is an adult female with a 1-year-old male. No young at this site.

Monaca-East Rochester Bridge, Ohio River:

On 16 June Tim Johnson saw a pair of peregrines near the Monaca East Rochester Bridge and on 24 June Jeff Cieslak photographed them. There is no evidence of young this year.

West End Bridge, Ohio River: Remember that banded peregrine Jeff Cieslak photographed here on 13 June? Its bands have been traced to Baltimore, Maryland, but it hasn’t been seen since. No peregrines at the West End Bridge.

PEREGRINE SUMMARY FOR SOUTHWEST PA: This is probably the final update for 2024. Many of these sites did not have successful nests.

19 June 2024

It’s been eleven days since my last regional peregrine update. Here are just a few of the sites. More to come in the days ahead.

Cathedral of Learning, Univ of Pittsburgh:

The juvies have made a lot of progress since 11 June when Liz Adams took this photo of one of shouting from the 32nd/33rd floor parapet. Such a lazy bird! On its belly demanding room service! It eventually flew away toward Carnegie Museum.

This week both juvies harassed a crow at Bayard and Bellefield and chased their parents around the top of the Cathedral of Learning. By the time I snapped this photo they were out of the frame.

They’ve learned how to hunt at this point but it’s a lot harder than wheedling food from their parents. On Monday they figured out that Ecco hides from them at the nest so they both invaded. Ecco shouted and left immediately. See the slideshow of their antics.

Juvenile Pitt peregrines invade the nest, 17 June 2024 (photos from the National Aviary snapshot camera at Univ of Pittsburgh)

Downtown Pittsburgh:

On Monday morning 10 June PGC’s Patti Barber emailed that a Downtown juvie had been rescued from the ground and placed up high again. This Monday, 17 June, Matthew DiGiacomo heard a juvie peregrine calling overhead and posted this photo of it on Pittsburgh Falconuts Facebook page.

First, I heard the distinctive call. Didn’t take long to spot it soaring above the Forbes Avenue Garage.

— Matthew Digiacomo posted to Pittsburgh Falconuts Facebook page, 17 June 2024

East Liberty Presbyterian Church, Pittsburgh: No photos available but Adam Knoerzer wrote yesterday, 18 June:

In E Liberty now — the young one was definitely flapping wings yesterday and exercising, and I can’t see a thing in the nest today. The female is perched much lower than usual today on the eastern face, and I wonder if perhaps the young one tried to fledge and is somewhere on a low roof.

The female is in a decidedly unusual spot for her — and she has some prey in her clutches but isn’t eating it. I did briefly hear vocalizing, but it wasn’t very long or intense.

I guess it’s possible that the chick is lying flat due to the heat or something, but yesterday it was pretty easy to see it anywhere due to its size.

— email from Adam Knoerzer, 18 June 2024, 6pm

West End Bridge, Ohio River: On 13 June Jeff Cieslak photographed a solo peregrine at the West End Bridge. It is banded Black/Green and appears to be “xC/20”. (The “x” means I can’t read that letter. Jeff digitally flipped the band rightside up.) Did I read the band correctly? Do any of you know this bird?

Rt 40 Bridge, West Brownsville, Monongahela River:

On 1 June five birders visited the Rt 40 Bridge to watch the peregrine family of four. When Fred Kachmarik visited on the 9th and 15th of June the two youngsters were doing well.

There is a 60% mortality rate among peregrines in their first year of life so the loss of a chick is, unfortunately, an expected outcome.

8 June 2024

Peregrine falcons have been busy this week and so have been their observers. Here’s a quick roundup of peregrine news in Pittsburgh.

Cathedral of Learning, Univ of Pittsburgh: Everyone is flying; the family is doing well.

• This week I learned that both Pitt peregrine chicks fledged on Sunday 2 June. At Fledge Watch at 4:30pm there was only one chick on the nestrail so the first one must have flown between 3:30pm & 4:30pm. Then at 7:00pm Jenna Burdette and her husband were at Schenley Plaza when the second one make its first flight. They saw Carla and Ecco accompany the fledgling around the building to its first landing.
• On Tuesday 4 June I watched Carla and Ecco demonstrate an aerial prey exchange while a youngster chased them. Carla then tried to entice the juvie to do the prey exchange with her but the youngster was tired of the game. Carla caved in and brought food to the fledgling.
• Also on Tuesday 4 June, Carla and Ecco took a “time out” from the kids by perching in inaccessible locations and bowing at the nest.
• On Wednesday 5 June Stephanie Hoogendorn on 19th floor saw and heard a juvie begging on the 16th floor patio. The juvie flew off toward Carnegie Museum.

Downtown Pittsburgh:

• John English and I visited the Third Avenue peregrine site on Monday 3 June and saw four chicks at the opening and an adult on the gargoyle. The chicks hadn’t flown yet.
• On Friday 7 June Debbie Kalbfleisch stopped by Third Avenue and saw 2 young birds. One at the nest and another on the nearby roof. “While I watched, the one on the roof lifted off & down 3rd & over the building where I lost it. Also saw an adult on the bar above the nest earlier.” By now two or three have fledged.

East Liberty Presbyterian Church, Pittsburgh: There’s a chick at the East Liberty Presbyterian nest! Adam Knoerzer photographed it at the nest opening on 5 June.

West End Bridge, Ohio River: On 4 June Jeff Cieslak photographed a peregrine at the West End Bridge (photos at top and below). When he processed the in-flight photo he noticed that the bird is banded. I wonder who it is.

Eckert / McKees Rocks, Ohio River: No photos available but on 4 June Marcie at Don’s Diner saw peregrines at the Ohio River Boulevard Eckert Street Bridge. They were gone by the time Jeff Cieslak could get there. 🙁

Spruce Run Bridge, Ohio River: Also on 4 June Jeff Cieslak saw both peregrines at the Spruce Run Bridge. They are still getting acquainted … loudly!

3 June 2024

Yesterday, 2 June, at 3:30pm I saw two Pitt peregrine chicks on the streaming cam so it appeared that neither one had flown. By the time I got to Fledge Watch at 4:30pm there was only one youngster on the nestrail and only one chick present when Ecco brought food.

If the other chick had been anywhere nearby he would have been front and center at the Sunday afternoon feeding. This was a very strong hint that he had flown.

A second hint came when Ecco took away the prey about halfway through the feeding and flew it to the Fifth Avenue side of the Cathedral of Learning. The fledged chick was probably over there, but by the time I could walk to that side there was nothing to see. The fledged chick was probably sleeping off his feast on a high patio.

Fledge Watch is scheduled today for 11:30am-12:30pm at Schenley Plaza. If both chicks have flown I’ll cancel Tuesday’s Fledge Watch because they’ll be impossible to see without chasing them around the Cathedral of Learning.

UPDATE, 3 JUNE 2024 at 11:00am Both chicks have flown. The remainder of Fledge Watch is cancelled. Thanks to Jenna Burdette, who witnessed the flight of the second chick, we know it fledged at 7:00pm on Sunday 2 June.

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.

2 June 2024

Yesterday, while I was away at the PA Society of Ornithology annual conference, Charity Kheshgi stopped by Schenley Plaza to check on the Pitt peregrines. Both youngsters were still on the nestrail so they probably hadn’t flown yet. But you can see from Charity’s photos and videos that these two were getting ready.

I think one of them will fly today … if it hasn’t already.

(You’ll hear some background noise in the videos: a robin singing and the beeps and announcements from a nearby walk sign.)

Ta dah! She reached the far side.

Come on down to Fledge Watch today at 4:30pm. Click here for more information.