UPDATED with pictures from March 7, 2018:

6 March 2018, 7:09pm:

This evening, Hope, the female peregrine falcon at the University of Pittsburgh’s Cathedral of Learning, laid her first egg of 2018.

This egg is earlier than I expected — I was guessing March 13 to 15 — but what do I know. Thank you to Sandy Montini for alerting me to this big event!

Here’s another photo of Hope with her first egg.

So peregrine nesting season has officially begun in Pittsburgh.

Click here to watch the Pitt Peregrines on the National Aviary’s falconcam.

UPDATED 7 MARCH, 7:05am. The captions tell the story.

You might be wondering: Why isn’t Hope sitting on the egg all the time? Unlike eagles, peregrines don’t incubate until the clutch is almost complete. Don’t worry when you see the egg like this. Click here for more information.

(photo from the National Aviary falconcam at University of Pittsburgh)