7 February 2024
Courtship season is underway on the Pitt peregrine nest the place Ecco and his mate Carla are cementing their pair bond. It seems that they don’t seem to be the one peregrines within the house.
On 26 January I gained information from Charles Bier who used to be instrumental in setting up the peregrine nestboxes at Gulf Tower and Pitt. Charles noticed a couple in East Liberty.
I took place to be in East Liberty in this previous January 12th, and I took place to note 2 peregrines flying into the highest of the East Liberty Presbyterian Church. One of the crucial birds landed top at the church tower and the opposite one did, or flew in the back of the tower on the identical altitude. I have no idea that this used to be a “pair”, however they have been behaving inside that context, and at the moment of the 12 months they might be specializing in top ledges.
So, I’m questioning if a couple is understood to be the usage of this church, or if in all probability it will have even been the Cathedral of Finding out pair having a lunchtime trip to East Liberty. I temporarily measured out the direct distance between the CoL and this church in East Liberty and it got here out to about 1.9-miles. Again within the day, this distance would had been considered too shut for convenience; re: 2 pairs in shut proximity (that used to be an preliminary worry for the Gulf Tower and CoL pairs, that have been about 2.3-miles aside). In spite of everything, there are lots of components concerned and I doubt this distance could be an issue for them.
— e-mail from Charles Bier, 26 January 2024
I spoke back that the Pitt peregrines in most cases keep just about house to shield their territory at the moment of 12 months, so perhaps it’s a brand new pair.
Then, outdoor my window on Sunday 4 February, I noticed a peregrine flying onerous towards Shadyside from the course of the Cathedral of Finding out. This falcon used to be the usage of territorial flappy flight to make itself obtrusive because it approached some other peregrine of the similar dimension — most probably each women — circling up within the neighborhood of Negley Road and Baum Side road. This intersection is set midway between the Cathedral of Finding out and East Liberty Presbyterian Church. It may well be a boundary line.
The peregrines didn’t battle. As an alternative they each turned around up except for every different and went their separate tactics.
That is the time of 12 months when peregrines with a lower than sufficient nest website online attempt to declare higher one. The Cathedral of Finding out is the most efficient website online on the town and Carla is new there(*) so in fact the challengers are checking out to peer if she’s as much as snuff.
In all probability that explains why she used to be so distracted whilst Ecco used to be relationship her on Saturday 3 February. Despite the fact that the courtship consultation lasted 6 mins, Carla spent 3 mins taking a look on the sky. To save lots of you time, I chopped out the ones (uninteresting) 3 mins with a fade.
Has the territorial boundary been settled? Are there challengers at the horizon?
Stay alongside of all of the motion at the Nationwide Aviary Falconcam on the College Pittsburgh.
(*) Carla arrived on the Cathedral of Finding out in overdue Would possibly final 12 months. She used to be banded Black/Blue S/07 at her birthplace in Castle Wayne, Indiana in Would possibly 2020.