Category Archives: Nesting & Courtship

Second Egg and Overnight Nest Exchange at Pitt

17 March 2024

Carla laid her second egg last night at the Pitt peregrine nest, 16 March 2024 at 9:08pm.

In this video clip from the National Aviary falconcam we see the actual laying occurred quietly at timestamp 21:08:38. (This is 53.14 hours after her previous egg.)

Carla then raised her tail and remained in a standing position as she waited for the new egg to dry. Though the eggs are actually reddish in daylight, they look white under infrared night light.

Carla lays her second egg, 16 March 2024, 9:08pm (video from the National Aviary falconcam at Univ of Pittsburgh)

After the egg dried Carla roosted on the green perch in front of the nest.

Mother peregrines are the ones who stay at the nest overnight with eggs and chicks while their mates roost nearby. Ecco was apparently roosting within earshot but not very close. I believe he knew she had laid a second egg; he probably watched (off camera) when she laid it.

Carla was still asleep on the perch when it rained at 4:00am. When Ecco woke up at 4:30am he started to wail. Wailing means “I want something to change.” Perhaps Ecco wanted Carla to cover the eggs or maybe he meant, “I want to change places with you.”

Carla woke up and responded with unusual squeaky chirps. She jumped to the nestbox roof and Ecco arrived to cover the eggs. Listen for his voice and the sound of robins singing in the dark at the beginning of this video.

Overnight nest exchange at the Pitt peregrine nest, 17 March 2024, 4:35am

An overnight nest exchange is very unusual but I’ve seen it once before. When Dori was a new mother at the Gulf Tower in 2010, Louie took over incubation in the middle of the night a couple of times (*). Louie had experience raising a family and Dori did not. Perhaps he was getting the eggs through a critical period, waiting until he felt confident that Dori had caught on.

Peregrines are quick studies at being parents but it’s always nice when one of them already knows what’s going on, as Ecco does.

Watch Carla and Ecco as their family grows at the National Aviary Falconcam at Univ of Pittsburgh.

(*)The nighttime nest exchanges at Gulf Tower in 2010 are described in these vintage blogs.

(credits are in the captions)

Happy 2024 Egg Day! 1st Peregrine Egg at Pitt

Carla with her first egg, 14 March 2024, 4:00pm (photo from the National Aviary snapshot camera at Univ of Pittsburgh)

14 March 2024, 4:15pm

Happy Egg Day at the Cathedral of Learning! Carla laid her first egg this afternoon, 14 March 2024 at 4:00pm.

Carla with her first egg, 14 March 2024, 4:00pm (photo from the National Aviary streaming falconcam at Univ of Pittsburgh)

This 2-minute video shows the moment she laid the egg.

Carla lays her first egg, 14 March 2024, 4:00pm (video from the National Aviary streaming falconcam at Univ of Pittsburgh)

Have a question about the egg or Carla and Ecco’s behavior? Check out the Peregrine FAQs.

Meanwhile, watch Carla, Ecco and their growing family on the National Aviary Falconcam at Univ of Pittsburgh.

UPDATE: New video added on Friday morning.

Egg Day’s Day-in-a-Minute: 14 March 2024 from 7am to 7pm, compressed into 60 seconds.

  • Carla lays the egg at 4pm (16:00).
  • Her mate Ecco visits the egg for 3 minutes at 5pm (17:00) then Carla returns to guard it.
  • Ecco swaps with Carla and takes care of the egg at 6pm (18:00). He probably brought her food which she’s eating off camera.
(video from the National Aviary Falconcam at Univ of Pittsburgh)

Note: Near the end of the video you will see white lines (not cracks) on the egg. DO NOT WORRY. THE EGG IS FINE.

Carla is a first-time mom so she moved the egg around a lot before it was dry. The reddish color is the last thing applied to the white eggshell before it is laid. While the egg is still wet the color can be smudged by the bird’s feathers or scratched by being moved on the gravel.

Keep Looking for Peregrines: 4 Weeks To Go

Peregrine falcon at opening to Third Ave nest, 10 March 2024 (photo by Kate St. John)

11 March 2024

Two weeks ago I issued the Southwestern PA Peregrine Challenge — Look for Peregrines in the Next 6 Weeks. The challenge won’t end in early/mid April but it will be a lot harder to find peregrines when they become secretive at their nests. We have 4 weeks before that happens. Meanwhile we have preliminary results. (See news after the map.)

The map below shows peregrine site observations in the past two weeks. The map has a …

  • Yellow checkmark = a pair was seen,
  • Yellow line = solo bird (We need to check again)
  • Yellow circle = NO ONE LOOKED HERE.

Notice the yellow circles. Ohio Valley birders, the challenge is on!

Don’t stop looking where you see a checkmark. There’s a spreadsheet at the end with site names and details.

Peregrine falcon pairs/nests in southwestern PA as of 10 Feb 2024 (map by Kate St. John)

Meanwhile, GOOD JOB!

Downtown Pittsburgh: (photo at top) Yesterday, 10 March 2024, I stopped by the Third Avenue nest site in Downtown Pittsburgh and found a peregrine at home.

Cathedral of Learning, Univ of Pittsburgh: Carla’s new behavior is a good sign. Last weekend she initiated courtship at the nest and Ecco brought her breakfast on camera. Watch the Pitt peregrines online at the National Aviary Falconcam at the University of Pittsburgh.

Carla and Ecco at the Cathedral of Learning nest (video from the National Aviary falconcam at Univ of Pittsburgh)

East Liberty Presbyterian Church, Pittsburgh: Many birders have confirmed the peregrine pair in East Liberty including videos from Adam Knoerzer at Pittsburgh Falconuts Facebook group and this ebird photo by Malcolm Kurtz. I visited on 4 March and found both birds on the steeple. Where and when will they nest?

62nd Street / Highland Park / Aspinwall Bridges (Allegheny County): No photos but on 8 March Justin Kolakowski reported at Six Mile Island, “Watched as a male and female pair chased off a Bald Eagle that was flying upriver, and then perched on the water tower.” (Six Mile Island is between the 62nd and Highland Park Bridges.)

Tarentum Bridge (Allegheny-Westmoreland County line): Dave Brooke, Meredith Cellitti, Dick Nugent and I have all visited the site in the past two weeks. On 7 March I confirmed incubation with the photo below. Hatch is expected in mid-April.

Female peregrine incubating at the Tarentum Bridge nest, 7 March 2024 (photo by Kate St. John)

Rt 422 Graff Bridge over the Allegheny River, Kittanning: Hooray for Dave Brooke! He found a peregrine here on 25 February.

Peregrine at the Graff Bridge, 25 Feb 2024 (photo by Dave Brooke)

Westinghouse Bridge: Hooray for Dana Nesiti who found both peregrines at home on 3 March.

Peregrine at Westinghouse Bridge, 3 March 2024 (photo by Dana Nesiti)
Second peregrine at Westinghouse Bridge, 3 March 2024 (photo by Dana Nesiti)

Speers/Belle Vernon Bridge: Kudos again to Dana Nesiti for finding a peregrine at the Speers/Belle Vernon bridge on 25 February. This site had not been viewed since May 2023.

Peregrine at Speers/Belle Vernon Bridge, 25 February 2024 (photo by Dana Nesiti)

4 Weeks To Go!

There’s still time to look for peregrines before they get sneaky in early/mid April. Visit one or more of these sites and let me know what you see. Leave a comment with sightings or questions.

(photo credits are in the captions)

Courtship and Preparations at the Pitt Peregrine Nest

Ecco and Carla court at the nest, 3 Mar 2024, 1:46pm (photo from the National Aviary falconcam at Univ of Pittsburgh)

4 March 2024

Egg laying season is coming up soon at the Cathedral of Learning peregrine nest where Ecco and Carla are courting frequently.

Yesterday they held three long courting sessions that included bowing, ee-chupping, and nest preparation. The ee-chup call sounds different for male and female peregrines. Ecco’s voice is squeaky while Carla’s voice is rough and slightly lower in pitch. She’s the one that makes the “huh” sound. You can hear the difference in this 6-minute video. More information on what they are up to is described below.

video from the National Aviary falconcam at Univ of Pittsburgh

After bowing, Ecco left the nest so Carla could make preparations on her own. To limber up she stretched her right wing and leg.

Carla stretches her wing and leg, 3 March 2024 (photo from the National Aviary falconcam at Univ of Pittsburgh)

To “build” the nest, Carla put her chest against one edge of it and kicked the gravel out with her feet. The nest itself is a bowl in the gravel, called a scrape, for holding eggs so they don’t roll off the cliff. Peregrines don’t use sticks to build their nests.

Carla digs the scrape, 3 March 2024 (photo from the National Aviary falconcam at Univ of Pittsburgh)

After digging Carla puttered around on the gravel surface, swallowing small pieces of gravel to aid digestion. Birds add gravel to their gizzards to grind the food. Learn more about How Birds Chew at the link.

Carla eats gravel bits to help her digestion, 3 March 2024 (photo from the National Aviary falconcam at Univ of Pittsburgh)

And when she was done Carla flew away.

Carla flies away, 3 March 2024 (photo from the National Aviary falconcam at Univ of Pittsburgh)

A few weeks from now, after Carla lays her next-to-last egg, she’ll stay at the nest to incubate.

In the meantime stay tuned for eggs coming in March or early April at the National Aviary Falconcam at the University of Pittsburgh.

Look for Peregrines in the Next 6 Weeks

Peregrine pair at Tarentum Bridge, 19 Feb 2024 (photo by Dave Brooke)

25 February 2024

From now until the middle of April peregrine falcons in southwestern Pennsylvania are courting and claiming territory, perching prominently, and performing conspicuous aerial displays. As soon as they start incubating eggs they’ll become very secretive so if you want to see a peregrine or record breeding activity for the new Breeding Bird Atlas 2024-2029, this is a great time to do it.

Look for peregrines in the next 6 weeks.

The red and blue pin drops, 1 Dec 2023 — 24 Feb 2024, on the eBird map below confirm that the best places to look are near tall buildings or bridges. There are also a few surprising locations such as Mammoth Lake Park in Westmoreland County.

Peregrine sightings in Southwestern PA, 1 Dec 2023 to 25 Feb 2024 (screenshot from eBird Explore)

11 peregrine territories have pairs present since January. Here’s the simpler map.

Peregrine falcon pairs in southwestern PA as of 25 Feb 2024 (map by Kate St. John)

Of those 11 sites, five raised young last year and two more have a long history of nesting (7 boldface names below). The new and promising sites are boldface in the Notes column.

Peregrine Sites to Watch!

Looking for some excitement? Want to add Peregrine Falcon to the PA Breeding Bird Atlas? Check out these “hopefuls” for 2024.

Rt. 40 Bridge in West Brownsville, PA (Washington County). New nest (to us) last year, will they use it this year? Click here to read about this nest.

Female peregrine clutching prey and shouting, West Brownsville Lane Bane Bridge, 26 May 2023 (photo by Jeff Cieslak)

East Liberty Presbyterian Church in the City of Pittsburgh. Very hopeful signs at this site! Click here to read all about it.

Location of peregrine focus (potential nest site) at East Liberty Presbyterian Church, 12 Feb 2024 (photo by Adam Knoerzer)

West End Bridge over the Ohio River, Pittsburgh. This site often has pairs but no indication of nesting … yet. Click here to read all about it.

Sewickley Bridge over the Ohio River. This site also has pairs but no confirmation of nesting yet.

Peregrine at Sewickley Bridge 11 March 2023 (photo by Jeff Cieslak)

Monaca bridges over the Ohio River: RR Bridge or Rt51 Bridge. We know there are peregrines here but it’s hard to confirm breeding. Let this be a challenge to you!

Peregrine at Monaca RR Bridge, 9 Jan 2023 (photo by Jeff Cieslak)

Rt 422 Graff Bridge over the Allegheny River, Kittanning. We know there are peregrines here too, but with few observers we often don’t confirm breeding. Allegheny Valley People, let this be a challenge to you!

And … if you miss finding a peregrine in person you can usually count on a peregrine on camera at the Cathedral of Learning. Today they courted at dawn.

Carla and Ecco bow at dawn at the Cathedral of Learning, today — 25 Feb 2024, 6:52am (snapshot from the National Aviary falconcam at Univ of Pittsburgh)

Keep your eyes peeled. Yes, there are peregrines out there!

Please leave a comment if you’ve seen anything. I always want to know!

(photo credits are in the captions)

Gentle With Their Young

Male Eurasian sparrowhawk plucking prey (photo from Wikimedia Commons)

23 February 2024

Birds of prey are fierce while they gather food but gentle with their nestlings. Watch as this mother Eurasian sparrowhawk (Accipiter nisus) protects her babies from the rain.

If she looks familiar it’s because Eurasian sparrowhawks (Accipiter nisus) are the same genus and slightly larger than our sharp-shinned hawks (Accipiter striatus). But female sparrowhawks are brown compared to males, whereas adult male and female sharp-shinned hawks wear the same colorful plumage.

Here are photos of all three: female Eurasian sparrowhawk, adult (male / female) sharp-shinned hawk, and male sparrowhawk.

Eurasian sparrowhawk, female in UK (photo from Wikimedia Commons)
Adult sharp-shinned hawk (left) + adult male Eurasian sparrowhawk (Wikimedia photos are at the links)

Did you notice the difference in eye color? Sparrowhawks have yellow eyes. Sharpies have orange eyes.

See more nature videos at Robert E. Fuller’s channel on YouTube.

(credits are in the captions)

First Egg at the Hays Eagle Nest, 2024

Hays bald eagle pair + first egg in nest, 21 Feb 2024, 6:57am (screenshot from the Hays Bald Eagle Nest Camera)

21 February 2024

If you haven’t been watching the Hays Bald Eaglecam, now is a good time to start. Sharp observers saw the first egg of the 2024 nesting season last night, 20 February 2024, at 8:16pm.

The female incubated all night long, then just before dawn she turned the egg for all to see.

Hays bald eagle female turns her first egg of 2024, 21 Feb, 6:50am (screenshot from the Hays Bald Eagle Nest Camera)

As the sun rose she settled down and her mate called to her.

Female eagle on the nest at Hays, 21 Feb 2024, 6:54am (screenshot from the Hays Bald Eagle Nest Camera)

… So she left the nest to perch next to him (shown at top).

First egg at the Hays bald eagle nest as seen on 21 Feb 2024, 6:55am (screenshot from the Hays Bald Eagle Nest Camera)

Watch for one or two more eggs in the days ahead and stay tuned for the first pip on this egg about 35 days from now. Here are all the links you need.

(screenshot photos from the Hays Bald Eagle Nest Camera)

Ecco Likes to Touch Beaks

Ecco and Carla touch beaks, 17 Feb 2024 (photo from the National Aviary falconcam at Univ of Pittsburgh)

19 February 2024

When last I wrote about the Pitt peregrines the resident female, Carla, was distracted –> While Ecco courts, Carla checks the sky. I was beginning to worry because she was absent from the nest six out of nine days. Fortunately she came back on the 16th and has been present every day.

Since then Ecco has stepped up his courtship moves. He likes to touch beaks and Carla obliges.

Ecco and Carla court at the Cathedral of Learning peregrine nest, 17 Feb 2024 (video from the National Aviary falconcam at Univ of Pittsburgh)

Fingers crossed that everything has settled down.

Find out what happens next on the National Aviary Falconcam at the University of Pittsburgh.

New Peregrine Pair in East Liberty

Peregrines’ favorite location, probable nest site, East Liberty Presbyterian Church (photo by Adam Knoerzer)

14 February 2024

Last week when I wrote that Charles Bier had seen two peregrines at Pittsburgh’s East Liberty Presbyterian Church in January, Adam Knoerzer responded that he has too.

Last week, out of my office window (which looks at the church from Friendship), I could definitely see a raptor high up and stooping to dive bomb some small birds and wondered if it might be a peregrine. I’ll keep an eye out and see if anything else is brewing.

— message from Adam KnoerZER, 7 Feb 2024

Later that day Adam checked onsite and immediately found both peregrines.

Confirmed peregrines at the church just now walking past. One darted off the ledge and flew over me and rejoined the other that was presumably eating (small feathers started to fall down).

— message from Adam KnoerZER, 7 Feb 2024

He sent photos of the church steeple with circles indicating the peregrines’ locations. Their favorite spot is behind the “railing” on the west-northwest side, a likely choice for a nest location.

Peregrines’ favorite location, East Liberty Presbyterian Church (photo by Adam Knoerzer)

On Monday 12 February Adam saw peregrines circling the steeple and perching on nearby buildings.

Peregrine circling East Liberty Presbyterian steeple, 12 Feb 2024 (photo by Adam Knoerzer)

Today I was able to spot what appeared to be the female (larger of the two, so…) perched atop the Walnut on Highland apartment across from the church. The bird has a very distinct and prominent peach-y color at the top of the breast, and the other bird (presumably the male) flew off the tower, circled around, and found another perch high atop the cross.

— Pittsburgh Falconuts Facebook post by Adam KnoerZER, 12 Feb 2024
Peregrine perched at Walnut on Highland building, 12 Feb 2024 (photo by Adam Knoerzer)

Thanks to Adam’s efforts we know there’s a new peregrine pair in East Liberty.

In case you would like to check on them, take a look at the steeple on the west-northwest side that faces S. Whitfield Street.

Google satellite view of East Liberty Presbyterian Church with steeple marked for peregrines
Google Street View of East Liberty Presbyterian Church from 199 S Whitfield St

And in case you’re wondering if the Pitt peregrines can see them, the answer is “Yes but not directly.”

The Cathedral of Learning nest faces south-southeast. The East Liberty peregrines face north-northwest. They are 1.82 miles apart but their view from nest to nest is oblique.

Distance between Cathedral of Learning and East Liberty Presbyterian Church via gmap-pedometer

Thank you, Adam, for keeping us up to date!

Check out the latest news in the private Pittsburgh Falconuts Facebook group.

(photos by Adam Knoerzer; maps from Google Maps)

Checking Out a New Apartment

Blue tit flies from a nest box in Europe (photo from Wikimedia Commons)

9 February 2024

Like our chickadees, Eurasian blue tits (Cyanistes caeruleus) are cavity nesters who may nest in backyard boxes.

The nest box shown below was lovingly decorated by the landlord and equipped with a camera to view the comings and goings of prospective renters. This bird seems satisfied and will soon take up residence.

(photo from Wikimedia Commons, tweet embedded from WildlifeKate, @katemacrae, located in South Wales)