PA / Pittsburgh - Cathedral of Learning - 2009-22

[carly]

Egg #5 hatched over night, it's a really full house here 

[bcbird]

Hoo! 
I definitely didn't know what a brood patch was, and the sight was just amazing. 
So that is why there is always that shuggle over the eggs as they settle!
Thanks, Carly.

[Kinderchick]

If anyone wants to see what a brood patch looks like close up - Kate St John (whose blog I love as she covers alot of anatomy!) has a good photo up of a little kestrel and you can clearly see the brood patch as they've moved the feathers away for a close look.  

http://www.wqed.org/birdblog/

Kinderchick:  This might be a good one to share with the chicklets?  It's very cute, nothing that would traumatize the wee ones  

Thank you for this, carly!   Yes! I will show it to the 'chicklets next week. Very interesting! I, myself, did not know what a "brood patch" is! I actually thought it was a whole "patch/bunch" of chicks, as in cabbages that grow in a cabbage patch!

[moka]

Great sight! thank you, Carly.

[Ellie]

Thanks Carly.  It was great to see what is often referred to in our forum as "the brood patch".  Very good article with picture.  Not only the "kinderchicklets" will be happy to see this........I sure did!

[carly]

4 of 5 have hatched so far    

If anyone wants to see what a brood patch looks like close up - Kate St John (whose blog I love as she covers alot of anatomy!) has a good photo up of a little kestrel and you can clearly see the brood patch as they've moved the feathers away for a close look.  

http://www.wqed.org/birdblog/

Kinderchick:  This might be a good one to share with the chicklets?  It's very cute, nothing that would traumatize the wee ones 

[The Peregrine Chick]

Here's another link to the cam if folks are looking ... and you should check out the rest of their site ...

National Aviary's U of Pittsburgh Cathedral of Learning Falcon Cam

[allikat]

5 eggs???  Holy! 

[carly]

Wow..9 year old Dorothy has laid her 5th egg!!  First time she's laid 5!

http://www.wqed.org/birdblog/2010/03/22/dorothy-surprised-me/

[Alison]

Dorothy and E2 already have three eggs!

 

[Alison]

A falcon in the snow:

[Alison]

2010 NESTING SEASON

Cathedral of Learning

Dorothy spent some time at the nest box today, looking very interested. She is the mother of Beauty in Rochester.

 

 

http://www.wildearth.tv/static/wildearth/channels/we_peregrine_tower.html

[carly]

We know it happens but it's always sad to hear of it especially after you watch them grow up and you are so full of hope for them 

[Alison]

More information from Kate St. John's blog on October 16:

Sad news.

Yesterday the body of a young female peregrine born at the University of Pittsburgh this spring was found on the roof of Webster Hall. The green tape on her USFW band indicated she was the same bird who’s eating in this picture taken by Kimberly Thomas on June 9.

Of the four peregrines hatched at Pitt this spring, she was the smallest female and the one who stayed closest to home. She visited the nest box on June 29 long after her siblings had stopped goping there.

When she was found she’d been dead for a while; her body had dried out. The maintenance man at Webster Hall thought she may have died of carbon monoxide poisoning because he often saw her perched on a rooftop smokestack. Alas, she chose a bad place to hang out.

Unfortunately she’s not the only juvenile peregrine from the Pittsburgh area to die this fall. August 30 when he struck an airplane at Pittsburgh International Airport. He was probably huntingIn early September I learned that one of the three young peregrines born at the Monaca bridge died on the smaller birds attracted to the open area near the runways.

Research tells us that more than 60% of young peregrines die in their first year – many of them before they leave home – but it’s always sad to learn the details.

Photo by Kimberly Thomas.

 

[Alison]

Some very bad news from Karen in Pittsburgh: 

Just got some bad news. It seems that one of young from this year was found dead atop one of Pitt's buildings, maintenance found it and said it looked like it was dead for sometime. They think that where it perched it could have died from carbon monoxide. The terrible part is you know Dorothy & E2 knew it was dead. Hopefully the other 3 are ok.