Banding Day and Naming the Eyases
Each year, wildlife technicians from the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation (NYS-DEC) come to Rochester in order to place identification bands on the eyases’ legs. The bands have a unique combination of numbers and letters on colored backgrounds that can be used to identify the banded falcon at a later time. The NYS-DEC has been banding eyases at the Kodak tower since 1998.
It takes fast, gentle hands and sharp eyes to band the falcons. First, the eyases need to be removed from the nest box. When they’re between 3 and 4 weeks old, DEC wildlife technicians accompany a small group of Kodak employees and others on the journey up to the nest box, 210 feet above the street below. There, they carefully move the eyases into plastic buckets so that they can be taken inside. All the while, Mariah harrasses the invaders, diving and screeching. She can be very aggressive, and it’s not uncommon for her to thump the banders’ hard hats as she passes close by. In fact, those who don’t duck quite fast enough have had their shirts ripped by Mariah’s sharp talons!
Banding Day has become a festival of sorts for fans of the Rochester falcons. In past years the cameras have been modified to allow pictures of the banding activity to be displayed on the website, and the action was posted as it happened on various discussion forums such as the Kodak Birdcam Discussion Board. Local media and groups of school children are often invited to witness the event. We’re in the final stages of planning for this year’s event, and we’ll be sure to let you in on all the fun as soon as we’re finished.
The highlight of each Banding Day comes when the eyases are given names. Over the years names have been chosen by a variety of means, but this year we’d like to involve the entire Rochester Falconcam community by inviting you to submit a name for one of the eyases! Everyone is welcome to participate. You can find complete rules on our Eyas Naming Contest page. We can’t wait to see what you come up with!
UPDATE 22 MAY
I’ve added some of the names given to eyases in past years to the contest page, so if you don’t remember all of them (even we at the Rochester Falconcam have trouble sometimes!) you can refresh your memory.
-Jess
May 18th, 2007 at 10:32 PM
I’m getting worried. Neither parents are at the nest tonight and it’s cooling down. It’s 10:30 pm New York time. I hope the babies will be ok.
May 18th, 2007 at 10:52 PM
I agree with you, Melissa! I’ve been watching for over an hour and a half, and while Mariah was there the first instant checking on the babies, she hasn’t been back any of the many times I’ve checked. The babies have moved a bit, so hopefully they’re generating heat for each other!
May 18th, 2007 at 11:31 PM
Hi Melissa-
Don’t worry-the parents are nearby…Mariah’s been sitting on Cam 1 for about 1/2 an hour now (11:30 NY time)
May 19th, 2007 at 12:29 PM
Hi,
I don’t think I have ever been this facinated or devoted as I am to these precious birds. My grandaughter told me of this site, as they were viewing in her classroom @ school (4th grade) each day. I now go to the site at least 10 or 15 times, some times leaving it on all day. I must have told 100 people about it. I get the biggest charge out of the parents giving their babies their own little space, all the while standing guard just outside the nesting box. it is 12:30 NY time and there she sits watching over her brood. Ya gotta love it !!!!!! Thanks
May 19th, 2007 at 12:30 PM
I am laughing to see one of the eyases looking so melancholy, his/her little head sticking up out of the pile, as if saying “where’d mom and dad go?” they are getting so big…how the heck can mariah or kevar still sit atop them? LOL
May 19th, 2007 at 12:33 PM
Hi, 12:30 NY time May 19th
Love it Love it. This is the greatest, such devotion, humans should take notes.
May 19th, 2007 at 5:04 PM
I confess to laying in bed and worrying about the babies. I got up and checked at about midnight and mommy was back. 🙂
May 19th, 2007 at 8:09 PM
I enjoy this time each year and look forward to the eyases hatching and growing up. It so wonderousto observe. But Mariah and her mate are such grest parents and this could be a great lesson for some human parents to learn from them.
May 19th, 2007 at 10:20 PM
I’m a little girl and my teacher got me in to this and i apsolutly love it!I got like everyone i know instesed!!I love the babies.I was sad that the fifth one died or got over board.!!
May 20th, 2007 at 3:36 AM
Interesting… Mariah appears to be feeding the chicks right now. I had no idea that they feed the chicks in the middle of the night. (3:30 am)
May 20th, 2007 at 12:29 PM
I’am no expert but I have read on the site that they cache food nearby. Perhaps just like human babies they need to be feed around the clock.
May 20th, 2007 at 9:06 PM
john says
may 20th 07 8;56
I’am 52 yr old and I love wacthing the bird cam every day
when Igo to the red wings game I make sure I bring my binoculars
May 20th, 2007 at 9:12 PM
A naming contest. What fun! I just love the way these little guys line up and wait their turn to be fed. I don’t recall seeing that before. How very polite of them.
May 21st, 2007 at 9:40 AM
I have been watching every day and have printed pics to bring home to share with my family. I hope to be involved in naming the babies and will supmit names to you. How beautiful these birds are!
May 21st, 2007 at 10:45 AM
I love to see these birds. They are very fastinateing to watch. I check on them about 30 or more times aday. They are beatiuful birds , and the babies are just simply adorable to see. Mariah and Karvar are very good parents. To bad they don’t clean up there messy nest box though, all those feather’s are starting to bother me and don’t want the babies to choke on a feather. (Robin)
May 21st, 2007 at 12:35 PM
I am a 6th grader at kaune elementary school and I try to take a look at the chicks when I can. The babies are so cute and are growing like crazy, pretty soon they will be on there own.
May 21st, 2007 at 12:36 PM
I, too, love this site. I love checking up on the family during the day. This latest posting on IMPRINTS about upcoming banding day and the naming contest made me think…
I am sure that the people doing this wonderful falconcam could always use some extra resources. I would propose that everyone excited enough to suggest a name also make a small donation via paypal – even just $1(their paypal email is gvasfalcons@gmail.com).
Please understand that i am in no way affiliated with this website. I am just another admirer of the Peregrin’s (watching from Georgia) and thought it might be a good idea to help offset expenses.
Thanks for all you guys do!
May 21st, 2007 at 1:18 PM
I am so glad we are getting a chance to name the eyas! I was wondering when that was going to happen and if the public would be given the challenge!!! Awesome.
May 21st, 2007 at 1:26 PM
Jess, I read the instructions and requirements on the naming of the babies. I haven’t had the privilige of watching this in the past and wouldn’t want to submit the same name of any of Mariah and Kavar’s past offspring. Is there anyway you could tell us what the previous names have been?
May 21st, 2007 at 2:07 PM
I am addicted to this site. I have looked at the site for years now, and this year, sepnt more time on this one than all the others combined. Love to think of captions for each picture of Mariah, and Kavar when they are looking at the camera. Really a hoot to think of just what they would say takingt care of 4 babies, in such small quaaters. Really a great site and education.
Sandy
May 21st, 2007 at 4:20 PM
Oh how sweet! Right now, both parents are hanging around outside the box while the babies sleep after eating.
May 22nd, 2007 at 10:01 AM
This has been so great and heart warming to watch hasn’t it?
Now that the eyases are bigger and Mariah can not sit on them it is really amazing to see her just perch outside the box and watch over them. Kaver is never far either, you see him off to the side perched also watching over their family. The deovtion is quite amazing.
May 22nd, 2007 at 2:25 PM
This is one of the first things I look for when I get up in the morning. Some of the falcon bird cams show the birds moving around. Can you do that on the Rochester bird cam? I love watching them. I didn’t realize the same Birds have be coming here every year. Dthank you for the Cams,
May 22nd, 2007 at 2:53 PM
love these babies!!!!
May 22nd, 2007 at 3:57 PM
I see that the babys are huddling around the youngest baby to generate heat to it. We’re watching it in 4th grade. Anyway, Don’t worry about the Mom or Dad, The mom is nerby the nest to make sure her babys are safe. ^_^
And Im Only In 4th grade and I Know All This!!!! lol
🙂 😀 :O
8)
May 22nd, 2007 at 4:46 PM
@Darby – We’ve added the eyas names from 2002 – 2006 to the Eyas Naming Contest page, so you can review them there before making your submission!
May 22nd, 2007 at 8:42 PM
I am in Australia and have this site diarised each year and start to watch from the beginning of nesting. I had two weeks off and could not wait to get back to check the site and see how the babies were going. I have a timer reply set up so that I can log on the same time each day and see how their going and used to get confused with the time delay.
May 23rd, 2007 at 9:30 AM
Watching the progress of the Eyas every day – makes my day!!!
May 23rd, 2007 at 11:18 AM
Mariah is such a wonderful mother, she is trying to teach the babies new things, but the babies have there own ideals. I love watching them there so cute. I just wish there was some way to see these birds in person because it would be a good learning experience. I just hope they keep coming back every year since everyone enjoy’s them so much! Thank you for sharing this with us.
May 23rd, 2007 at 12:59 PM
I just checked the box, and the littlest eyas is way over in the left corner, and I am not sure what I’m seeing in the right corner. Are the little ones OK?
This is my third year of falcon watching, and it has been wonderful!! I check on the babies several times a day.
May 23rd, 2007 at 6:35 PM
i check the mom and babies many times a day this is my 4 year wacthing the babies!! it has been amazing!!!
May 23rd, 2007 at 11:58 PM
This is my third year watching and it is certainly addictive. This Mom is special.
May 24th, 2007 at 2:57 PM
I’ve Seen The Babies trying To Walk(Move) Around The Nest. It’s really Funny.
During Class I Saw An Eyas Head Nugged Into a Corner And The Rest Of The Body Out. Kinda Like A Person Pushing Thier Head Into The Pillow!! lol 😀
Sometimes, I see Them Fall Down From Trying To Walk!
🙂 😀 8) ^_^
May 24th, 2007 at 7:20 PM
I agree that it is so addicting to watch this website. How wonderful to be able to see nature up close and personal like this! It is an example of lifelong learning that any parent or teacher can utilize with kids, because none of us are experts at this and we learn something different every day while observing these little guys. I absolutely love it!
Dennis Money really needs to be acknowledged for coming up with this idea years ago. The joy and awe that this renders to people all over the world is just unfathomable, but delightful to think about.
May 25th, 2007 at 8:00 AM
My friend Eileen and myself look forward each morning to go view the web site and look at our amazing babies. We love the mon and dad., too. They are such dedicated parents. We find the little babies to be humerous and delightful. It is the highlight of our day.
May 25th, 2007 at 6:34 PM
the babies ae starting to sit up and walk around a little bite. they look so cute and funny all spalled out in there nest box
May 30th, 2007 at 8:19 PM
is there a way that we can see the eyases when their fully grown where they fly
May 31st, 2007 at 9:26 AM
It’s been so fun watching the eyases grow! I’m only in 2nd grade and i have been watching them since they weren’t even hatched. It’s a little sad that the fifth egg died or rolled away or even got broken by Mariah! I have been watching another falcon cam in (San Jose)and the babies there have allredy been banded and I saw it!
May 31st, 2007 at 12:56 PM
i was just reading some of the content that i had not checked out yet and was looking at “fledgling day” photos. is there a day, once the eyases are ready, when people can congregate with their binoculars and watch the babies take flight? oh i need to know this!!!! the names are all lovely….great choices. now i can’t wait for next year!!