Some adult peregrines in eastern North America stay on territory year round. The Pitt peregrines at the Cathedral of Learning are one such couple.
With the breeding season over and their youngsters dispersed Ecco and Carla stay home and watch fall migration pass through Pittsburgh. Most migratory birds are of interest as a food source while raptors are watched in case they become a threat.
At night Ecco and Carla roost on the Cathedral of Learning and see each other during the day. They won’t need to court until early next year but they strengthen their pair bond by bowing at the nest a couple of times a week.
Peregrine falcon, “Luna,” can’t believe there’s a bug on her foot, 20 Aug 2025, Rocky River, Ohio (photo by Chris Saladin)
22 August 2025
I don’t know about you, but I haven’t seen a plague of spotted lanternflies in Allegheny County this year. At this time in August 2023 they were everywhere, but not now. At least, not yet.
Spotted lanternflies in the City of Pittsburgh, 21 August 2023 (photo by Kate St. John)
The plague has moved northwest. Spotted lanternflies are overwhelming the Cleveland area right now — so much so that they even climbed up a peregrine’s foot while she was minding her own business in Rocky River. (picture at top; yellow circle around the bug)
Chris Saladin captured photos of the bugs crowding “Luna” as she perched on a lightpost. When she opened her wings to fly there was one on her wing! Ewwww.
Peregrine with spotted lanternfly on her wingtip, 20 Aug 2025, Rocky River, Ohio (photo by Chris Saladin)
Luna went airborne and so did the bugs.
Bird and bugs fly at the same time, 20 Aug 2025, Rocky River, Ohio (photo by Chris Saladin)
These are probably the First Ever photos of the simultaneous flight of peregrine falcon and spotted lanternflies.
Peregrine escapes the lanternflies, 20 Aug 2025, Rocky River, Ohio (photo by Chris Saladin)
Fortunately, in the year after a spotted lanternfly plague their population tapers considerably. There’s hope for summer 2026 in Rocky River.
On 21 July all three of this year’s young peregrines had been gone from the Cathedral of Learning for more than a month when — Surprise! — a very loud juvie chased Ecco to the nest.
Apparently tired of fending for herself, Yellow arrived on the scene to demand food from her father. But like all good peregrine parents, Ecco would not feed her. She complained bitterly. “I don’t wanna grow up!”
Things went back to normal for a while but six days later, on 27 July, Ecco and Carla arrived at the nest for a bonding session. They had to leave abruptly when a noisy youngster showed up off camera. It was probably Yellow.
Eventually Yellow will get the hint, leave the area and finally grow up. I can imagine Carla telling her, “May you have many children just like you.”
p.s. News from Downtown: I’m happy to see the Downtown peregrines are controlling the airspace.
eBird Checklist S258389927 Wed 9 Jul 2025, 12:24 PM One Oxford Centre, 426–518 4th Ave, Pittsburgh US-PA (40.4383,-79.9986) Reported by: MONTGOMERY BROWN 1 Peregrine Falcon (Falco peregrinus)
The falcon was “harassing” a drone that was 350-400 feet off the ground. After about 30 seconds, the drone operator appeared to realize this and flew the drone off toward the Monongahela.
Peregrine at East Liberty Presbyterian Church, 11 March 2025 (photo by Jeff Cieslak)
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:
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.
here’s how to find the arrowhead that will show you the videos (screenshot from Instagram)
The first video contains this moment when the young peregrine hops up out of the carrier. View the video to see him fly away.
Juvenile peregrine hops up to fly away at East Liberty Presbyterian,2 July 2025 (screenshot from embedded ELPC Instagram video)
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.
A rather large plant is growing in the gravel at the Pitt peregrine nest. Though the peregrines generally ignore it I felt compelled to find out what it is and when it started growing.
Harsh sunlight in the snapshots made it hard to see until its small leaves cast shadows on 10 July. At first it grew slowly. Then rain on 16 July prompted a growth spurt.
9 July, No plant visible
10 July, small leaves
11 July
12 July, Ecco and Carla
13 July, Carla and Ecco bow
14 July, more bowing
15 July
16 July, Rain helped it grow
17 July, Ecco calls to Carla
18 July, Carla and Ecco appear to be bowing at the plant ... but not.
19 July
20 July
21 July, Ecco and plant in full sun
Juvie peregrine (Yellow) visits the nest, checks out the plant
22 July, Ecco takes a good long look at it
23 July, Carla nearly tramps on it
24 July, It's beginning to look like ...
Yesterday I had a hunch about its identity so I scanned the snapshot into the Picture This plant identification app. I was right. It’s corn! (also called maize)
Picture This identification of the plant at the nest, 24 July 2025
Plants like this grow at peregrine nest sites because the seeds arrive in the crops of birds the adults feed to their nestlings. My guess is that this seed/kernel arrived in late May when the youngsters spent time picking apart the leftovers. Eventually the seed germinated.
Fortunately corn is an annual plant so it will die at the end of the growing season. How tall will it be then?
On Monday afternoon, 23 June, Carla and Ecco bowed at the nest then Carla was preening when her daughter “Yellow” crashed in. Carla left so quickly that the snapshot didn’t capture it.
Yellow had nothing else to do so she hung out in the heat.
It seems like the “kids” ought to be ready to leave home but they typically don’t depart until mid July. It’s going to be a long couple of weeks for Carla and Ecco.
After this year’s Pitt peregrine youngsters learned to fly, they stayed away from the nestbox as if to say “That’s the babies’ crib and we aren’t babies anymore.” Instead they perfected their flight skills and relentlessly pursued their parents for food. The nestbox became a peaceful zone where Ecco and Carla could renew their pair bond and avoid their demanding “kids.”
All of that changed yesterday when their daughters invaded the nestbox. Blue barged in while her parents were bowing at 1:30pm and scattered them like ninepins. In a few minutes Yellow joined her.
The juvies stayed for 45 minutes while their parents avoided them. Ecco and Carla did not return until almost 3:00pm. I’m surprised they came back on the same day.
Three pre-fledglings at Westinghouse Bridge, 8 June 2025 (photo by Dana Nesiti)
11 June 2025
By now most peregrine sites in southwestern Pennsylvania have fledged or are in progress. At East Liberty Presbyterian steeple the youngsters will fly next week. Here’s the news from the most active sites.
Cathedral of Learning, Univ of Pittsburgh
The young Pitt peregrines are really hard to find now. The best viewing I’d had in a few days was on Monday 9 June when I found 2 adults and 1 juvenile. Later a second juvenile flew off the Cathedral of Learning (CL) toward UPMC, circled back, and landed on the CL. Obviously they are flying so well that I cannot find them anymore. Except …
Yesterday Blue Girl surprised Ecco at the nest so she stuck around hoping he’d return with food. No chance. She bopped around in the nestbox pretending she was learning to fly. “I don’t wanna grow up!”
Peregrine chick looks out of the nest, East Liberty Presbyterian steeple, 7 June 2025 (photo by Adam Knoerzer)
The young peregrines at East Liberty Presbyterian steeple may be a week away from flying. Adam Knoerzer’s photos above and below were taken four days ago when the chicks were already exercising their wings.
Peregrine chick exercising its wings, East Liberty Presbyterian steeple, 7 June 2025 (photo by Adam Knoerzer)
Yesterday, 10 June, they were lying flat but looked browner than on 7 June. The edge of the nest reveals an unhatched egg.
Peregrine chicks lying flat plus unhatched egg, East Liberty Presbyterian steeple, 7 June 2025 (photo by Adam Knoerzer)
Stay tuned for news as they fledge.
Sewickley Bridge, Ohio River
Gene Henderson has been visiting the Sewickley Bridge frequently in the past week and has watched the youngsters progress. From in the nestbox to ledge walking to fledged and begging. Gene expects they will be flying so well in the next day or two that he won’t be able to find them.
On 3 June before they left the box.
On 10 June, ledge walking …
… and whining from the top of the bridge, “I flew, now feed me!”
Westinghouse Bridge, Turtle Creek near Monongahela River
Dana Nesiti stopped by the Westinghouse Bridge on Sunday and saw three youngsters. By now they’ve probably fledged. Dana’s video is 15 minutes long.
SUMMARY FOR SOUTHWEST PA
Southwestern Pennsylvania peregrine sites are listed in the table below. Help fill in the blanks below by visiting a site near you. Leave a comment if you find anything!
2 sisters: Pitt peregrine fledglings Blue and Yellow hang out and whine on 15South at the Cathedral of Learning, 7 June 2025 (photos by Kate St. John)
8 June 2025
My husband walked over to the Cathedral of Learning (CL) yesterday and texted me before he went indoors, “Just arrived at CL. I hear lots of begging peregrine babies!” I was preparing to drive home from Frick so I detoured to Pitt and stepped out to look.
I got lucky. The young peregrines would have been impossible to find on their third or fourth day of flying but they were noisy.
The two sisters Yellow and Blue were whining on the 15th floor roof ledge facing Forbes Avenue. Slideshow above.
Carla was perched above them on 28th floor southeast (28SE) stone peak, inaccessible to begging youngsters.
GreenBoy flew around the top of the building with lots of flappy flight and settled at 38 southeast (38SE) roof ledge watching the sky for his father, Ecco.
Ecco flew by to check on the “kids” but he didn’t stop (no photo). More whining!
Carla at 28SE, 7 June 2025 (digiscoped by Kate St. John)Green Boy at 38SE roof ledge, 7 June 2025 (digiscoped by Kate St. John)
In half an hour of watching yesterday I saw the entire peregrine family!
Eventually they will perch on other buildings but when they are on the CL they typically perch at the floors marked in this photo taken from the sidewalk in front of Phipps Conservatory.
Peregrine juvenile, probably Blue, at 38SW under the (offline) CL Tourcam (photo by Kate St. John)
6 June 2025
When we arrived yesterday for Fledge Watch at Schenley Plaza, we could tell that all three juveniles had flown(*). None were visible on the camera or nestrail and though I walked around the Cathedral of Learning looking for fledglings, none were visible anywhere. It was hot.
At noon we noticed a juvenile silently perched in the shade under the CL tourcam. It was Blue Girl. I saw her blue tape through my scope. She preened and sometimes opened her wings, a motion that says, “Here I am, parents, in case you want to bring food.” If she was really hungry she would have whined.
Peregrine juvenile grooming at 38SW (photo by Kate St. John)Peregrine juvenile, probably Blue, at 38SW under the (offline) CL Tourcam, 5 June 2025 (photo by Kate St. John)
A few minutes later we saw Carla feeding a juvenile on the opposite corner at 38SE.
Carla feeding a juvenile at 38SW, 5 June 2025 (photo by Kate St. John)Carla feeding a juvenile at 38SW, 5 June 2025 (photo by Kate St. John)
Now that the juvenile peregrines are hard to find, Fledge Watch is over.
(*) My guess on when they flew: One or two probably fledged on the afternoon of 4 June and the remainder yesterday morning 5 June.
