We’ve received a quick and very much appreciated Kodak update from the DEC.

“She has a good appetite. When she was received by the rehabber, she was only able to get 2 to 4 feet off the ground, but now she is flying well. She is still receiving the course of medication for the trich.”

This is very good news! Kodak is progressing nicely!

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This morning, we received an update on Kodak from the DEC.

“I spoke with the vet at the Wildlife Hospital yesterday afternoon. When Kodak was received, she had no wounds and reasonable body condition, but was dehydrated. She is being treated for a minor protozoan infection (trichomonas). She will be reevaluated early next week.”

Avian trichomoniasis is a contagious upper digestive tract disease caused by the protozoan parasite Trichomonas gallinae. It is transmitted through contaminated food, water, or beak-to-beak contact.

As we receive updates, we will share them.

In the meantime, Tsavorite and Casey are doing well.

cp

Last Thursday Kodak fledged on the day we had very high winds. She took off heading northeast, moving fast with Nova following close behind. That was the last we saw of her until we received a message from our good neighbor Constellation Brands this morning. They shared a security picture of a falcon on the ground just north of their building at the entrance to Seibold Security.

Three of the Rochester Falcon Watchers, Kathy O, Larry O and Carol P, arrived to find Kodak on the ground in front of 12 Aqueduct St. A very nice lady, Vickie, was standing nearby, keeping Kodak safe. Thank you Vickie!

Between the four of us, we were able to catch Kodak and place her in a rescue box that Kathy O brought with her.

A DEC technician arrived to take Kodak to a wildlife hospital to be evaluated. We’re very hopeful that she is OK and will be released soon. Of course it all depends on if she is not injured. To me, she looks great and she was very feisty. All very good signs. We’ll never know what adventures she had during the four days she was gone.

While we waited, her family flew above us. We saw Tsavorite and Casey talon tagging. Hopefully Kodak will be able to join her brothers soon.

We are very thankful to everyone that helped today! We also want to thank the Rochester Falcon Watchers for all the hours they spent searching for our missing girl!

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We just received a note and picture from the DEC technician letting us know that Kodak has arrived safely at the wildlife hospital. She will send us updates of Kodak’s progress.

Early this morning, around 6:15 am, Tsavorite took his first flights. He successfully flew to the Wilder Chimney, landing safely. It didn’t take him long to take off and head back towards the Times Square Bldg, landing safely on the wall, close to his two siblings.

Tsavorite is now a fledgling aka a juvie! Congrats Tsavorite! Good job!

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Tsavorite, Kodak, and Casey are becoming feathered juveniles. Soon they will fly and grace the skies over Rochester. That is also when the human watchers get involved.

There are times when the young falcons get into an unsafe situation and need our help. We would like to invite others to join our dedicated core team on the fledge watch. If you are local to Rochester, NY please consider spending some time keeping an eye on the young falcons.

The prime in-person watch needs will be in mid to late June. They are usually most active early morning and late afternoon. No need to commit now. Please just keep it in mind as you are enjoying the antics of the eyases in the scrape!

The Rochester, NY falcon cams have been instrumental in the recovery of the peregrine falcon since 1995! The Art Deco high rise building ledges simulate the natural ledges peregrines use for scrapes in the wild! The nest box provides shelter from the weather and a safe place for the eggs to hatch.

Maintaining our cameras and network can be challenging. From hardware and cameras to the social media integration there is a lot to do. If you are technically savvy and would like to help keep Rfalconcam running smoothly please reach out!

More information can be found on our main website along with our forum, still, and streaming cams at https://rfalconcam.com. As always, thank you to our sponsors at GVAS https://gvaudubon.org.

As always, keep your eyes to the sky!

Jess
jess@rfalconcam.com

Today was a very special day for our Rochester Falcons. It was time for our eyases to get their bling! Our friends from the Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC) arrived to give each eyas two bands, the US Fish and Wildlife band (which usually gets covered in colored tape to help the watchers during the fledge watch) and the NYS band. We are very thankful that our eyases get banded, because it helps us to learn if they successfully nest in the future. Because of banding, we know where many of our past eyases have gone, and that many are now raising young of their own.

Today Nova and Corazon’s three young eyases were safely removed from the nest box and brought inside the building. This whole process takes a very short time. They were quickly returned to their nest box and reunited with their parents.

Introducing the 2026 Rochester Falcon eyases!

KODAK (Female) – NYS Band Black 41 Over Green AD, No Tape over the USFW Band

Our only female. Her name was chosen by Haley Casler’s 3rd Graders at Richard Mann Elementary School in Gananda, NY. We were inspired by the building the falcons nested on in the past, as well as the history of the Eastman Kodak Co, which was founded in Rochester and has been an influential company in our area for many years.

CASEY (Male) – NYS Band Black 30 Over Green R, Red Tape Over the USFW Band

Casey was the winning name that received the most votes in our online naming contest. This name was chosen Vicky MacCollum of Brockport, NY.

Etymologists interpret the name Casey to have several meanings such as vigilant and watchful. It is characterized by a sharp, observant nature and alertness. It also means brave in battle, with strength, and a protective spirit. These describe impressive qualities of the magnificent Peregrine Falcon.

Tsavorite (Male) – NYS Band Black 31 Over Green R, Blue Tape over USFW Band

The Rochester Falcon Watchers (the local group) lost a very good friend last year, Brian Herne. Brian was asked multiple times over the years to name an eyas, but he always declined. He finally suggested the name, Tsavorite, for one of the 25th Anniversary eyases, but the name was not chosen.

To remember our good friend and fellow watcher, we choose to name one of the 2026 eyases, Tsavorite.

The Tsavorite gemstone, a vibrant green garnet, represents hope, faith and wisdom cultivated over 25 years. It symbolizes growth, which we all know our eyases do a lot of before taking their first flights.

Finally! This is the moment you’ve all been waiting for. It’s time to name one eyas!

The poll is open! From the many excellent suggestions that were received, Rfalconcam’s Naming Committee selected 13 names from over 80 submissions. Thank you to everyone who submitted a name!

Voting is easy. Just click/tap on the link below. It will open the ballot form where you’ll start by filling in your name and email address. Then select your favorite name and click/tap the Submit button. Be sure to read the brief description we’ve included with each name. It might help you make your decision. We’ll announce the winning name when the eyases are banded.

Use this link to vote:

https://forms.gle/1n5cQv4v4u4ZbCEs8

Voting closes at 11:59 pm EDT on Sunday, May 31, 2026.

Good luck!

An eyas grows so fast! From a wet, pink hatching to a small white cotton ball to a gangly youngster! It’s amazing to witness!

Here are a series of Rfalconcam pictures showing their progress so far.

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Here’s your chance to name one of this year’s Eyases!

We are very happy to announce that once again falcon fans will have an opportunity to choose a name for one eyas in the nest box atop the Times Square Building, and it will be in the form of a naming contest open to all viewers.

Much care and thought has been used to name past eyases. We’ve included the criteria for choosing a name. Please read the rules very carefully and use the link below to submit one (1) gender neutral name.

Please, only one submission per person!

The deadline for name submissions is 11:59 pm (EDT) on Monday, May 25, 2026.

Suggested Rfalconcam Naming Criteria Acceptable Categories for Names:

Explorers, Astronomers, Conservationists, especially those with
International appeal (e.g., Galileo, [Amelia] Earhart, Magellan), or those who have played a significant role in Peregrine re-population efforts.
Names inspired by Nature–topographic, meteorological, geographic, etc. (e.g. Kaver, Isaura, Fulmine, Alkyonis, Skye, Aconcagua)
Inspirational Names (e.g. Freedom, Hope, Destiny)
Words that refer to falcons in languages other than Modern English (e.g. Thlotli, Hafoc)

Categories that do not fit the criteria:

Names derived from religious, political, or popular culture icons.
Names directly related to a human person either living or dead, except as noted in the acceptable criteria above.
Names related to a commercial product, or a copyrighted or trademarked name owned by any corporation, individual or organization.
Names that reflect negatively on any group, organization, individual or entity.

Names should be well researched whenever possible. Supporting rationale for the name is required, so give us a few sentences that explain the name and the reason you chose it.

Submitting a Name:

That’s easy! Just click on this link to open the submission form. Only one submission per person please! If multiple submissions are sent in, only the first one that meets the criteria will be accepted.

https://forms.gle/xmu677Yk9EYCfXZ47

NOTE: IF SUBMITTING A NAME, PLEASE DO NOT DISCUSS IT HERE, ON THE FORUM, OR ON SOCIAL MEDIA. WE WOULD LIKE TO MAKE THIS AS FAIR AS POSSIBLE TO ALL PARTICIPANTS.

Judging the Name Submissions:

The Rfalconcam Naming Committee will evaluate all name submissions for appropriateness, including (but not limited to) adherence to the naming criteria, well researched name, uniqueness of the name and how well it follows the “spirit” of past falcon names.

The committee will select the top 10 names from those submitted and create a poll for our viewers to vote for their favorite.

NOTE: MEMBERS OF THE NAMING COMMITTEE WILL HAVE FINAL EDITORIAL RIGHT OF REFUSAL FOR ALL SUBMISSIONS, AND THEY MAY REJECT ANY NAME SUBMISSION THAT DOES NOT MEET THE NAMING CRITERIA OR IS JUDGED NOT TO BE APPROPRIATE FOR ANY OTHER REASON.

Past Falcon Names that Meet the Criteria Above:

2002 Freedom, Isis

2003 Isaura – A wind that blows off the Greek Isles
Chayton – A Native American word for Falcon
Destiny
Thlotli – An Aztec name for Falcon
Edge – Named for Rosalie Edge

2004 Alkyonis – Named in honor of the 2004 Olympic games in Greece
Pride
Gahastey – Native American word for a type of wind
Grissom – Named in memory of Virgil “Gus” Grissom
Hafoc – Old English word for Falcon

2005 Esperanza – Spanish word for Hope
Ihteram – Arabic word for Respect
Fulmine – Italian word for Lightning
Aconcagua – A mountain in Argentina
Skye – An island in Scotland where falconry is practiced

2006 Aura – Latin word for breeze

2007 Ananta – A Sanskrit word meaning “infinite” and “endless.”

2008 Diamante – Spanish for “diamond”
Quest – A search or pursuit made in order to find or obtain something
Seneca – Named after the largest tribe of the Iroquois confederacy
Zephyr – The name given to the West Wind in Greek mythology

2010 Callidora – Gift of Beauty
Jemison – In honor of Mary Jemison, an American frontierswoman

2012 Orion – The constellation of “The Hunter”

2013 Baron, Rosetta, Voyager

2014 Tesh, Nettie, Nor’easter, Mercury

2015 Cadence, Genesee, Bronx

2016 Matilda, Aria, Lilac, Leo

2017 Seabreeze, Ontario, Charlotte, Rachel

2018 Mike, Letchworth, Sundara

2019 Lakota, Phoenix, Jupiter, Donna

2020 Roc, Hope, γεράκι

2021 Freyja, Golden

2022 Blaze, Zara, Kanfai Malachim

2023 Sterling, Artemis, Jubilee

2024 Justice, Meng, Walker, Mighty

2025 Denali, Anders, Zephyrus

The deadline for name submissions is 11:59 pm (EDT) on Monday, May 25, 2026.

Good Luck!

Our friend and fellow Rfalconcam Team Member Eileen Karle has worked hard to put together the Rfalconcam 2026 Egg Brooding Shifts Chart. This shows all the times Nova and Corazon spent on their eggs. Red for Nova and Blue for Corazon. You can see that Nova did most of the brooding, but Corazon helped during the day.

Thanks Eileen! Always very interesting!

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