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Eyes to the Skies

Sunday Falcon Watch – 11/24/13 – A Bitter Cold Watch With 4 Falcons Seen!

By Rochester Falcon Watcher Carol P.

11:00 am – 3:00 pm

It was a REALLY cold and blustery day here in Rochester, NY.  Never made it out of the 20’s (F).  It’s 22 degrees as I type this.  Thankfully it will warm up a bit tomorrow with temps in the mid 30’s.

I decided to start my watch with a drive down to the lake (Ontario) to check out Russell Station and the Charlotte/Summerville area.  It has been awhile since anyone has reported seeing Billy or any other falcons down there. I found no falcons at Russell Station.  At Charlotte I had tweeted out that I had seen no falcons there, but fellow watchers Dana and Lou reported at the same time that they saw a juvie Peregrine falcon hunting along the river and that it was now on the river side of the Port of Rochester.  Dana called to tell me that they were over on the riverside and I joined them.  We are fairly certain that it was Billy.  Dana and Lou had seen her hunting ducks over the river.

Billy at Charlotte 11-24-13Dana and Lou at Charlotte 11-24-13Billy at Charlotte 11-24-13*

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Billy at Charlotte 11-24-13Pigeon Flyby Over the River 11-24-13Billy at Charlotte 11-24-13*

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Billy took off and Lou thought he saw her fly over the Port of Rochester Bldg, but we were not able to find her again.  I said goodbye to Dana and Lou and headed downtown where I found both Beauty and Dot.ca.  Beauty was up inside the OCSR elevator shaft on the north side ledge and Dot.ca was on the Times Square Bldg on the southeast wing ledge.

OCSR 11-24-13Beauty in OCSR Elevator Shaft 11-24-13Beauty in OCSR Elevator Shaft 11-24-13*

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Dot.ca on Times Square Bldg 11-24-13Dot.ca on Times Square Bldg 11-24-13*

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I left Beauty and Dot.ca downtown and headed over to the BS location, where I found Pigott eating on the tree ledge on the east end of the building.

Pigott at BS 11-24-13Pigott at BS 11-24-13Pigott at BS 11-24-13*

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After eating her fill, there was a little bit left.  She carried, it first to a south facing window on the north extension and then to a east facing window on the southwest extension.  After awhile, she continued to eat.

Pigott at BS 11-24-13Pigott at BS 11-24-13Pigott at BS 11-24-13*

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At 2:15 pm, Dot.ca arrived and landed on the southeast corner of the southwest extension, just above Pigott.  There was both ee-chupping and wailing vocalizations between them.

Dot.ca at BS 11-24-13*

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Pigott continued to eat and Dot.ca remained on guard above.  After awhile, Dot.ca took off and flew past Pigott then landed on the east end of the south side vent.

Dot.ca at BS 11-24-13*

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From there he watched Pigott eat until there was just a little bit left.  That’s when he decided to fly over to Pigott to see if she would share that last bit, and she did.  He landed on the ledge and Pigott stepped back.  Dot.ca took the tiny morsel and flew up to the three ledge on the east side.

Dot.ca and Pigott With Food 11-24-13DC at BS 11-24-13DC at BS 11-24-13*

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It didn’t take him long to eat the remainder of Pigott’s meal.  He flew up to the southeast corner of the southeast extension.

DC at BS 11-24-13DC at BS 11-24-13DC at BS 11-24-13*

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Just before 3:00 pm, I left both Pigott and Dot.ca and checked the downtown area for Beauty one last time before ending my watch.  After finding Beauty on the south side of the OCSR on the top IBeam, I ended my watch and headed home.  Another weekend of falcon watching complete.

Beauty on OCSR 11-24-13*

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I’ll leave you with a few pictures I took of two different (or maybe it was the same one) Red-bellied Woodpeckers I saw by Russell Station.  Such beautiful birds!  Remember to click on any pictures you would like to see larger.  Goodnight!

1-red-bellied-wp-near-rs-11-24-133-red-bellied-wp-near-rs-11-24-13*

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4-red-bellied-wp-near-rs-11-24-135-red-bellied-wp-near-rs-11-24-13

7 Responses to “Sunday Falcon Watch – 11/24/13 – A Bitter Cold Watch With 4 Falcons Seen!”

  1. Joyce Says:

    Hey…I’ve seen that pigeon with the white wings at Charlotte. Did you see the woodpecker at the back of RS? A lady who lives behind RS, told us she sees a red-headed woodpecker. I bet that’s her bird. Nice report Carol.

  2. Carol P. Says:

    Thanks Joyce. I had two different sightings, one on the south side and one on the northside. Not sure if it might be the same Red-Bellied (not Red-Headed – I Wish!) Woodpecker. 🙂

  3. patsy6 Says:

    Lovely shots of the woodpecker, Carol. And I’m so glad you, Dana and Lou saw Billy.

  4. patsy6 Says:

    Or what may be Billy. 🙂

  5. Carol P. Says:

    Thanks Pat! Of course we can’t be 100% sure, but I do think it was our Billy girl. 🙂

  6. patsy6 Says:

    When I got Dana’s tweet, I tried to look for Billy from the Summerville side, but I couldn’t find her. I think I saw you leave, though.

  7. Carol P. Says:

    Pat – She was on the ramp that they used at the Port of Rochester for arrivals and departures to and from the Fast Ferry. A perfect spot for her to hunt from. Pigeons above her and ducks below. She may be there more than we know. Hard to get a good look there since it’s on the river side.


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