Peregrine Falcon Cam Footage Can Be Accessed via the National Aviary Web Site

By Laura Ellis

Pittsburgh, PA - It’s peregrine falcon nesting season, and followers of Pittsburgh’s peregrine families – believed to be led by Louie and Dori at the Gulf Tower, downtown, and Dorothy and E2 at the Cathedral of Learning, Oakland – can watch the birds as they court, hatch and raise their young via Pittsburgh FalconCam.

Live video streams via cameras installed at nests in both locations provide sharp, focused views of the birds. The cameras, installed by PixController, a Murrysville company specializing in wildlife cameras, collect images and sound that then streamed by WildEarth.tv to the National Aviary web site, providing real-time web tv images accessible world-wide. FalconCam footage at both sites can be accessed via the National Aviary web site: www.aviary.org/falcon. The Aviary has also installed monitors on-site so that guests can watch the action during their visit.

The cameras operate 24 hours a day and produce images of the birds during the day and at night.

“Individuals who log on to the real-time web feed will witness remarkable up-close views of the peregrines,” says Steve Sarro, director of Animal Programs at the National Aviary. “It’s a wonderful and intimate look at peregrine life, and one that we hope inspires people to value and protect that wildlife with whom we share this planet.”

Pittsburgh’s falcons are followed closely not only by researchers, but also by peregrine falcon lovers around the world who log on daily to watch the progress of incubation and chick rearing.

“Based on the behaviors we are observing, we expect to see eggs at the nests within the next two to three weeks,” says Sarro. “Chicks will hatch approximately 30 days after the eggs are laid. Three to four weeks after hatching, the chicks will be banded by the Pennsylvania Game Commission and given a full medical exam.”

Peregrine falcons were once one of the most widespread birds in the world, but the use of long-lived pesticides such as DDT caused females to produce thin eggshells that often cracked during incubation. By the 1960s, populations crashed throughout much of the world, and in 1974, peregrines were listed as Endangered under the U.S. Endangered Species Act. After a nation-wide recovery program enabled the species to make a comeback, the peregrine falcon was federally de-listed in 1999.

The peregrine falcon continues to be listed as a Pennsylvania Endangered species under the state wildlife code because their populations have not fully recovered here. The Pennsylvania Game Commission is the official regulatory and management agency for peregrines in the Commonwealth. The National Aviary collaborates with the Game Commission to increase local peregrine falcon populations and educate the public about this remarkable bird.

The urban peregrine falcon recovery project is a project of the National Aviary

conducted in partnership with the Pennsylvania Game Commission, Western Pennsylvania Conservancy,

University of Pittsburgh, Cathedral of Learning, Gulf Tower, the Make-a-Wish Foundation, PixController www.wildearth.tv, Robert Peirce and Associates, and numerous private citizens who have lent their support.

The National Aviary works to inspire respect for nature through an appreciation of birds.

The National Aviary is America’s only independent indoor nonprofit zoo dedicated exclusively to birds. Located in West Park on Pittsburgh’s historic North Side, the National Aviary’s diverse collection comprises 600 birds representing more than 200 species from around the world, many of them threatened or endangered in the wild. The National Aviary’s newly opened FliteZone Theater and large walk-through exhibits create an intimate, up-close interaction between visitors and free-flying birds, including opportunities to hand-feed and to meet many species rarely found in zoos anywhere else in the world.

As an environmental organization composed of educators, conservationists and researchers, the National Aviary’s goals are many. The Aviary aims to provide high quality education programming for varied audiences; provide the highest quality family recreational experience that a zoological institution can offer; save endangered species by preserving natural habitats; continue endangered bird breeding programs and conduct meaningful avian research; engender a sincere appreciation of nature and a respect for natural law; and instill a conservation ethic that teaches our immense responsibility as stewards of the planet. More information at www.aviary.org or by calling 412.323.7235.

To view National Aviary’s web page on Zoo and Aquarium Visitor, go to: http://www.zandavisitor.com/forumtopicdetail-2281-National_Aviary