Morning watch 6-6-11
By Rochester falcon watcher MAK
After a busy weekend and taking the day off yesterday from watching I made my way downtown this morning. It took about 20 minutes before I spotted the Beautyful one. I was on the Andrews St. bridge and Beauty landed on the money bag hand of Mercury. I reached for my camera and when I looked back she was already gone. I found her after about 10 minutes on the jail tower second arm down on the south side. Again she left almost immediately.
After searching about 40 minutes I saw her on the Frontier Communications Tower and she flew off there rather quickly too! This is so NOT typical Beauty behaviour. Next, I found her over on the deck next to the main camera and she was talking up a storm. I thought perhaps Archer was around somewhere but it was wishful thinking on my part. She then went into the nestbox being quite vocal the whole time. Then, she was off again heading toward the jail tower one more time.
Sure enough I found her there on the second arm only on the north side this time.
I went over to Troup St. to be closer to her and after a few short moments she flew off into a stoop behind the jail where I couldn’t see her. I went looking for her to find that she had doubled back to the jail tower and was in the middle of the structure.
I had noticed Saturday morning that Beauty was hanging her right wing a little lower than the other when she was on the FCT,but she seemed to be flying just fine so I dismissed it. Now, today again that right wing seems to be hanging lower. It didn’t seem to affect her stooping skills so I really don’t know what to make of it.
This is where I left her ending my watch on a warm, bright morning in Rochester,NY. Just in case anyone was wondering what became of Beauty and Archers’ last egg that I found on the sidewalk, after an attempt over the weekend and finding it closed I was able to deliver it to the DEC field office in Avon,NY this afternoon. Have a good one! 🙂
June 6th, 2011 at 6:57 PM
Good to have your report, MAK! Is that the same wing that Mark B noted in his photo last week? I know someone else said it was just the air on her feathers, but just wondering aloud here. In both the pictures you posted here, the bottom most pic on the left, and then of the two above it, the one on the right, her right wing stands out more than the other. Or is that just the power of suggestion from your post?
What will the DEC do with the egg? Will they get back to you? Keep us posted.
June 6th, 2011 at 7:43 PM
Margaret I believe Mark was referring to Beautys’ left wing and the consensus was that it was a normal occurrence. I’m referring to the way she is holding her right wing in some instances. Again she seems to be flying just fine. Barbara Loucks from the DEC said this in an email to me regarding the egg: “Frankly, I am not sure if we will be able to do any testing on it (funds, priority being empty, etc.). But we will log it in like we do with all our other collected eggs statewide. “
June 6th, 2011 at 8:55 PM
I watched her in the nest box this morning before I left for work – she looked so lost it just broke my heart – she is certainly grieving for the loss of her eggs & also Archer’s attention.