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Fifth Graders Give “Hands-On” Help to Pittsburgh’s Peregrines Entries were judged based on personal focus on the theme, depth of thought, use of facts and grammar/punctuation. Winners were announced on Earth Day, April 22, 2004. The Mary Hillman Jennings Foundation provided financial support for the contest. For more information, and to see live photos of the peregrines as the young begin to learn to fly, visit Western Pennsylvania Conservancy’s Web site at www.paconserve.org/pittfalcons/.
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The peregrine falcon, fast-flying predator and one-time frequent nester on rock ledges across our region, was the first species placed on the Federal Endangered Species List. When a pair of peregrines took up residence at downtown Pittsburgh’s Gulf Tower in 1991, it was the first nesting in western Pennsylvania in 40 years. In 2002, peregrine-watchers in Pittsburgh began following another pair in Oakland, far enough from the Gulf Tower pair to avoid competition. With financial aid from the Pennsylvania Game Commission, WPC staff and volunteers built a peregrine nest box and University of Pittsburgh administrators granted permission to place the box near the top of the famous Cathedral of Learning on the Pitt campus. The nest box is filled with round pea-size gravel that peregrines need to ensure their eggs do not roll off the ledge. The pair accepted the offering and nested on the Cathedral. Then, on Mother’s Day, the first clutch of “Pitt peregrines” entered the world.
