Friendly Falcon Fledgling Flattened (Pittsburgh, Oakland: neighborhoods, construction, bill)

[SteelCityRising]

As an individual who regularly visits the National Aviary due to possessing a deep affinity for our avian friends I was nearly brought to tears this morning as I read that this Spring's lone falcon fledgling born to the matriarch falcon who has been nesting for years atop the Cathedral of Learning in Oakland met an untimely demise when it either flew into or was struck by a vehicle along busy Forbes Avenue. My heart ached as I read the account of a student and fellow bird-lover who saw the bird's lifeless body in the street, rushed over to retrieve it, and then contacted a WQED staffer and bird-blogger to ensure its fitting and proper burial within view of its nest.

Apparently the parents are still acting awkwardly, as if they are grieving the loss of their only baby this Spring. The matriarch, who is aging, may now be infertile, which makes this story even sadder.

You can read more details in this Post-Gazette article:

Car kills spring's lone falcon fledgling in Oakland - Pittsburgh Post-Gazette

[greg42]

Yeah, Dorothy is old. And various things have killed one or more falcon fledglings just about every year. Usually what they do is crash into a glass building, thinking the reflection is more sky.

There are other peregrine falcon nests in the area though. There is one downtown with fledglings this year. But what has happened is after construction on the Gulf Tower they stopped nesting up there, and the new nest does not have a cam aimed at it the way the Cathedral of Learning nest does. So the Pitt nest always gets the most attention.

There are also nesting pairs on a few of the higher bridges in the area.

[fleetiebelle]

Poor little guy, but nature/traffic is a harsh mistress.

I had lunch in Schenley Plaza this week, and my friends and I wondered if the distinct lack of pigeons in the area had anything to do with the falcons at Pitt and the increase of hawks/eagles in Schenley Park.

[Uptown kid]

sad thread, but ya' gotta love the title lol!!!

[Clint.]

Tragic. How do you suppose he ended up in the street? Flew into a window an fell to the road? Purposefully landed in the road? However it happened it's sad. It always makes me sad to see dead animals in the road or on the sides of the road, and it's especially common out in rural areas. People should slow down and be more mindful of what might dash out in to the street.

Not that it would be much help to birds, but highway underpasses (or overpasses) designed for animals can greatly reduce the number of fatalities. Incidentally, PA has the most wildlife-vehicles crashes in the country. Very unsurprising based on the number of dead animals I see in the roads here; it's pretty disgusting: http://www.nytimes.com/2007/12/22/us/22crash.html?_r=0

[ditchdigger]

If it makes anyone feel any better, the other morning I had a mama turkey with seven little ones following her around my backyard.

[Copanut]

I missed hitting a flying turkey by about 2 feet the other day on Babcock Boulevard. Stuff happens, sad to hear about the falcon. I became a bird nerd about 20 years ago.

[greg42]

There's been a pair of cardinals bringing their fledglings to our yard for the feeder. We've always had cardinals around here, and a few years ago I snapped a picture of a juvenile on a tree outside without even knowing what it was. But this is the first I remember seeing them so active in feeding them here near the feeder. Not sure where the nest is, but I don't think it's right out back here. Always seems to be the male I see feeding them. The young ones seem pretty close to full size already, have to think they'll be eating all on their own within a few days or so. They look like a cardinal with the wrong coloring, hehe. The bill hasn't turned color and they're all brown still.

No, not as exciting as a 100+ mph peregrine falcon. But hey, it's right outside my window.

[Moby Hick]

Originally Posted by SteelCityRising

As an individual who regularly visits the National Aviary due to possessing a deep affinity for our avian friends I was nearly brought to tears this morning as I read that this Spring's lone falcon fledgling born to the matriarch falcon who has been nesting for years atop the Cathedral of Learning in Oakland met an untimely demise when it either flew into or was struck by a vehicle along busy Forbes Avenue.

I'm not a very big fan of birds, but I really enjoy alliteration, so thanks for the title.

[stevo6]

The good news is that the Peregrine population continues to climb.