5 day forecast
Pitt's peregrine patriarch apparently flies coop
April 4, 2008 12:26 pm
Share with others:
A new man appears to be boss of a peregrine falcon nest on the 40th floor of the University of Pittsburgh's Cathedral of Learning.
Observers say they believe the male falcon currently in the nest is not Erie, the man who has ruled the roost since 2002.
Suspicions initially arose in February when a volunteer noticed the male falcon's ankle bands were not the same color as Erie's. Since then some 4,500 pictures have been studied.
University of Pittsburgh lecturer Tony Bledsoe says it does not appear the coup was violent. Rather, he and other experts believe Erie has either left or died.
Erie sired about 20 chicks with the nest matriarch, Dorothy, and spent a good six months of every year hunting to feed her and his offspring.
First Published April 4, 2008 12:26 pm
