Ohhh boy!! Chit happens!!   

he was struggling trying so hard to get them all under him! Feel bad!

No video but here is the sequence of events that the camop chose to share from the chick event yesterday: 12:38pm Clara had more prey, larger this time, appeared to be a pigeon, then 6 minutes into the feeding things got a bit serious & scary. 1 Chick began acting a bit odd. Stopped eating & began to wander aimlessly through the nest box, stumbling, then maneuvering on it's belly, kicking with feet & balancing on wings. At 12:52pm the Chick tumbled out of the box on accident, made it's way back in to the nest box at 12:53, went to the other side of the nest box, kicking the way across on belly. Clara having completed feeding the other 2 became more aware something was awry when the Chick in the corner began to have what appeared to be a seizure. Clara clearly concerned went to the Chick & stood by. The Chick turned & made it's way again, to the edge of the nest box, lost it's balance & tumbled out once again at 1pm.
Concerned & not understanding if the Chick was injured or sick. I called Glenn, together we watched events with the Chick unfold, while on the cellphones & watching the cam. Glenn said, while he is not a Vet, it appeared that this was possibly a toxin, causing some neurological issue. Possibly something the Chick ate. My question was, why aren't the other Chicks acting the same way ? Who knows, maybe this one got the brunt of what could have been... All we could do is watch & hope for the best.
Clara & Fernando close by the Chick through the ordeal, never fail to amaze me at what outstanding Falcon parents they are.
After 4 hours of sleeping on the runway just in front of the left side of the next box, at brief periods having stood, preened & pooped twice The Chick was able to re-enter the nest box when Fernando delivered prey
5:08pm - a morsel, but this Chick had a few bites, appeared to be stable & on the mend. Wandering the nest box, flapping (with proper balance) & showing interest in prey remains (bones I breathed a big sigh of relief
6:46pm Fernando delivered dinner, appeared to be a dove. Clara prepped, took to feed the Chicks & guess who was beak at the ready, getting their share & Clara paid extra special attention to ensure that Chick ate very well
All was well at bedtime !! Whatever happened appears to be over. Rest assured we will keep close eyes on that Chick & I personally can't wait until Friday morning !!! Then we will know who is what & who is who

From fb

Spirit is back, doesn't look too good though. But man is she tough as nails!  Don't know if this is over or not but holy cow...stunned to see her back.

https://www.facebook.com/fauconsudem/?hc_ref=NEWSFEED

WHOA!!! That's the Spirit!!! Good luck girl!

http://youtu.be/g-q1xi9r0tQ The birth   

Looks like she laid another egg at 7 am, that's 5 under her!! 

DC in
DC out

Not another take over, not watching the video, nope! Hate those fights. Poor Spirit, we watched her for years! It happens! 

They are adorable! Paul, when did you go see him/her? Was it passing through, will it stay and are there more?
 

I'm not reading because I'm upset enough just reading the title and I'm afraid that what they did to the birds won't be any better! Makes me sick and I hope they throw them all in cages for life! 

Switch, dad out Mom/stepmom in!! 7:19 am

I recently cautioned viewers about watching the Cathedral of Learning falconcam because the female peregrine killed and ate some of her young last year as they hatched.  I didn’t know if she would repeat this behavior. Last evening she did.

The first sign that Hope would kill the hatchling was around 6:15pm when she picked up and carried the hatching egg (above).  Carrying is not normal.  Half an hour later she killed and ate the chick and its eggshell.

Hope and her behavior were new to us last year.  We didn’t know if she killed and ate some of her young because she was under many stresses:  a new home at the Cathedral of Learning + loss of her mate + finding a new mate + other females challenging her while she was incubating the eggs.

This year none of those stresses apply.  None of them.  And yet Hope killed and ate her first hatchling last evening.

Last year one chick survived.  This morning it appears that Hope has spared the second chick.
But the chicks and eggs aren’t safe yet.  The remaining two eggs might succumb and last year when a second chick hatched successfully, it died within a week.  It appeared that Hope starved it.

We don’t know why Hope does this but we now know it’s not a one-time event.  She may have done this all her adult life but there was no camera at her former nest site, the Tarentum Bridge, where she fledged 0-to-2 young per year.

What’s next?

A Caution to Viewers:

Again, do not watch the Cathedral of Learning falconcam if it upsets you to see a mother kill her young.  The Gulf Tower in downtown Pittsburgh has a beautiful peregrine family with three chicks.  Please watch the Gulf Tower falconcam to learn about normal peregrine behavior!

A Caution to Commenters:

Though this situation resembles reality TV in which viewers can vote someone on or off the island, it is not a “votingâ€� situation.  If commenters become worked up and demand/request action in emails or phone calls to “those in chargeâ€� it will end the show.  Literally.  It will shut down the camera.  That’s what happened when commenters went over the top at the Woods Hole Osprey-cam.

Normally I do not edit readers’ comments but this situation is not normal.  If you post a comment that could inflame others, I will edit it or trash it.

Though I am not watching Hope closely (I don’t want see her kill her young), I do want the camera to stay up.

 Kate St. John

Sometime overnight there was a hatch at the Cathedral of Learning and Hope is brooding the eyas.

From FB

When they post now, they turn off all comments to that post! Can't blame them as people like me would be putting up a  smiley!  "They say, "if you don't like that she eats her eyas, don't watch"!

Who would watch???? 

What the H is going on? Why sit for so long just to eat them??? Nope, I will not watch!! She's a strange girl!!
She needs help!! 

I just went on to look and she sat down!!!