Falcon Flying South Stranded On 19th Floor DowntownRare Bird Nursed Back To Health, Set Free In Penn HillsPOSTED: 10:48 am EST November 6,
2008 PITTSBURGH -- An arctic peregrine falcon was stranded downtown during the middle of a journey from Canada to a warmer southern climate, but it's back in the air again.The rare bird found itself stuck on a balcony on the 19th floor of a building on Fort Pitt Boulevard last week.It was spotted by a construction worker John Moore who called the state Game Commission and the National Aviary on the city's North Side."I looked at it and thought it was odd that it would be sitting there for a couple of days especially. And it didn't seem to be able to fly off the balcony. There's a glass panel around the balcony it would fly up against the panel and sit back down so it was obvious it was in some distress," Moore said.Determining that the bird was undernourished and dehydrated, Aviary officials brought it to the Animal Rescue League's Wildlife Rehabilitation Center in Penn Hills, where it received fluids and proper food to get its weight up."In the past three or four days, it met its target weight. It's become very aggressive and very restless. It's definitely ready to be free," said Jill Argall of the Animal Rescue Wildlife Center.Now back in good health, the bird was released Thursday into the air over the Wildlife Rehabilitation Center on Verona Road.When it was found it, the bird was believed to be migrating from Canada to South America. Now that it's back in the air, the trip will take the bird about a month. It will stay there until the spring when it flies back north.With their unique features and large wings, there has been a lot of attention this year to Pittsburgh's own falcons, who've made their home atop the Cathedral of Learning and the Gulf Tower in the city's downtown.Dr. Todd Katzner of the National Aviary said Pittsburgh is the perfect place for these endangered birds."Falcons like cliffs, and in the wild they rest on cliffs. And a tall building looks like a cliff to them. They're migrating and if they find a good place they're going to settle on it maybe a night, maybe a few days and this bird was passing through," Katzner said.Refresh this page later for updates and watch Amber Nicotra's report from Penn Hills tonight on WTAE Channel 4 Action News at 5 p.m. Related Links:
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