Live high definition camera footage of peregrine falcons (Dorothy and E2) and new chick at the University of Pittsburgh’s Cathedral of Learning.
To view, click here: http://www.aviary.org/PF-NestCam1
Tag Archives: birds
Crow Problem Resurfaces At Park City
Map of Pennsylvania highlighting Lancaster County (Photo credit: Wikipedia)
Crows once again are congregating atop Park City Center, and mall owners might again haul out the heavy cannons to shoo them away.
But with concerns about anything resembling gunshots emanating from a shopping mall in the wake of recent mass shootings, the cannons will be fired at dusk, from 4:30 to 6 p.m. only. The cannons were shot from 3 to 7 p.m. last year.
General Growth Properties, the owning and managing company of Park City Center, said it is implementing a number of efforts to deter the crows.
Taking Refuge In The City – Urban Wildlife Refuges
Philadelphia is easily visible from the refuge. (Photo credit: Wikipedia)
This is cool, Philly gets a shout-out!
Denver’s Bluff Lake Nature Center may be situated beside an abandoned airfield, but the John Heinz National Wildlife Refuge’s neighbor, Philadelphia International Airport, is very much in use today. Still, Tinicum Marsh, Pennsylvania’s largest remaining freshwater tidal wetland, provides essential habitat for more than 300 bird species, almost one-quarter of which nest here. Established in 1972, the refuge continues to grow and will eventually reach 1,200 acres. Paddlers can tour a 4.5-mile section of Darby Creek, a perfect vantage point for spying elusive least bitterns, the state-endangered red-bellied turtle and the rare coastal leopard frog. Bird and flower walks, family programs and even story times occur every weekend.
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Read the entire article: https://roysrants.wordpress.com/wp-admin/post-new.php?post_type=post
Game Commission Gives $250,000 To Hawk Mountain For Amphitheater
Image via Wikipedia
The Pennsylvania Game Commission has given Hawk Mountain Sanctuary in Berks County $250,000 toward the construction of an amphitheater that will bear the commission’s name.
The 2,500-acre sanctuary in Albany Township welcomes about 70,000 visitors a year and is considered one of the best places in the Northeast to watch the annual autumn raptor migration. It is in the midst of a $10 million capital improvement campaign.
The Pennsylvania Game Commission Amphitheater will replace the current structure, where sanctuary educators present live raptor programs and school and other groups gather.
“The current amphitheater … offers no sheltered stage area and the wooden benches retain moisture,” sanctuary President Jerry Regan said.
Read more: http://www.mcall.com/news/local/mc-hawk-mountain-ampitheater-20120316,0,1907579.story
Park City Center Plagued With Migrating Crows
After several weeks of citizen complaints about late-night booms, Lancaster city officials Thursday restricted the hours that Park City Center can set off its propane cannons that ward off crows.
The wee-hours detonations, which reverberated across the suburbs up to several miles away, were blamed on problems with timing devices on new cannons.
Mall officials apologized and said they would comply with the 3 p.m. to 7 p.m. time frame for firing the rooftop cannons.
Watch Peregrine Falcons Nesting In Pittsburgh Skyscrapers
Image via Wikipedia
Peregrine Falcons were an endangered species until 1999 when they made a sufficient enough comeback to be removed from the list. Pennsylvania still considers the birds endangered and protects them (yeah PA). The birds almost became extinct due to pesticides like DDT causing their egg shells to become too thin and they would crack during incubation. These birds of prey can be found in large cities in the United States and prefer to nest on cathedrals, skyscrapers and towers of suspension bridges.
There are live cameras at the Gulf Tower and the Cathedral of Learning nest sites.
The Cathedral of Learning is part of the University of Pittsburgh campus in the Oakland section of the city and is a 42-story classroom tower (535 feet). The Gulf Tower is located downtown Pittsburgh and has 44 stories (582 feet).
To watch the falcons click here:
http://www.aviary.org/cons/falconcam_cl.php Cathedral of Learning
http://www.aviary.org/cons/falconcam_gt.php Gulf Tower
Animal “Mass Die-Offs” Nothing To Panic Over
Image via Wikipedia
Evidently, according to AP Writer Seth Borenstein, the recent conspiracy theories about the blackbirds in Arkansas, crabs in the Chesapeake and red tilapia in Vietnam are internet hype and to be taken with a grain of salt. These “die-offs” happen in nature all the time.
With the advent of the internet age and instant access to information, people are more aware now of what happens across the globe at any given moment of the day. This “access” to information leads some people to speculate outrageous things. According to scientist and the Federal government, these die-offs are nothing to be alarmed over.
To read the entire article click here:
http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/40961721/ns/us_news-environment/?gt1=43001
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