To Fledge or Not to Fledge, That is the Question – NOT! – 7/27/12

By Rochester Falcon Watcher Carol P.

Watchers Tonight Between 4:00 & 8:30 pm: Marcia, Dan S, Dana, Aaron, Joyce, Jeanne and Carol P.

On my way out of work today, I spotted what appeared to be a Falcon on the water tower in front of my building. Could it be a Peregrine. Seemed big enough, but very dark. Hmmm, maybe a juvie? I parked on the side of the road and took some pictures. Not a Peregrine, but a very beautiful Merlin. Nice! OK, onward.

I arrived downtown at approximately 4:00 pm, just as MAK and Lynda were leaving. Marcia was down at the bottom of the stairway at Falcon Central sitting in a very narrow strip of shade. At that time of day, if there are no clouds, it can be really hot. You are looking directly into the sun.

As I was saying goodbye to MAK and Lynda, a falcon flew past the Times Square Bldg (TSB), heading south. Had to be Beauty since Dot.ca was up at the base of the NE wing of the TSB and Orion was at the nest box.

After they left, I joined Marcia, sharing her narrow strip of shade. Nothing happened for the first hour. But we did get a lot of visitors when the visiting Jehovah Witnesses finished their day at the Blue Cross Arena.

At 5:00 pm, Dot.ca started to hunt. He took off heading towards the river and returned to the TSB. Then he took off again and ended up on the top IBeam of the OCSR. During all of this, Orion could be heard yelling encouragement from above.

While Dot.ca rested on the top IBeam, Marcia and I walked around a bit. We finally found Beauty. She was up high on the jail’s communication tower, facing the TSB. Not far at all, but continuing to stay at a distance, I think due to her molt. She remained there for a couple hours before taking off. We did not see where she ended up.

At 6:18 pm, I received a text from Ei and Kathy O at almost the same exact time. Orion was on top of the nest box! Marcia and I walked further back and saw him up there, flapping away. We stayed where we could see him, just in case he decided to fledge. At that time we were joined by Dana and Dan S. We all watched as he flutter, flew down to the platform in front of the nest box. He ran around a bit and finally settled down.

At 6:40 pm, Dot.ca took off heading south, fast! He returned empty taloned and again landed at the base of the SE wing on the TSB. He stayed there until about 7:30 pm and STOOPED down the face of the TSB! Whoa! Second night in a row! So cool! This time he was not as lucky as he had been last night. He came up, again empty taloned, and landed on Mercury’s head. The whole time he was there, his head was in constant motion, swing left then right then up and down and PREEN! Oh, now an itch! Stretch a wing, now a foot. Stare down at the pesky Watcher taking pictures from way below. Loud noise! Jump! What was that! and that screaming from my boy! 🙂

At approximately 7:30 pm, he took off and headed back to the TSB, landing at the base of the SE wing. Orion greeted him, loudly. In the meantime, we were joined by Joyce, Jeanne and Aaron.

Dan decided to watch from the middle of the Broad St Bridge, while the rest of us remained up closer to the building. Dan loves to watch them hunt and fly over the river and when Dot.ca took off, again heading south, Dan was the only one that could tell us where he went.

According to Dan, Dot.ca made a slow stoop over the Cornhill area, but did not catch anything. D.C. continued to fly higher and higher, heading further south. We did not see him return and wondered if he might have gone over to the Brighton Site to visit with Pigott. There was no way to know for sure.

At 8:00 pm, all of us decided to call it a night, except for Dan and Jeanne, who continued the Fledge Watch out on the BSB. I said my goodbyes with a promise to be early downtown tomorrow morning.

So, no fledge by Orion today, but it is definitely going to happen soon. Will it be tomorrow? Or maybe Sunday. I really do think it will be sometime this weekend. That little guy is ready to join his parents. To explore the world outside his small little nest box. I do love seeing these beautiful creatures learn to fly! That’s why I always keep my eyes to the sky! 😉

On the way home, I drove around downtown to try to find Beauty, but had no luck. I did find KPT at KP sitting on the catwalk on the west smokestack.

Until tomorrow!

By Rochester Falcon Watcher Carol P.

Watchers: Aaron, Dan S, Jeanne, Joyce, Kathy O & Carol P.

I again went straight from work to start my fledge watch at about 4:00 pm. When I first arrived, I parked on the Broad St Bridge (BSB) and quickly found Beauty on the top IBeam, south side of OCSR, Dot.ca on the base of the SE wing at the top of the Times Square Bldg (TSB) and of course young Orion in the nest box. All three seemed settled, so I decided to stay on the BSB since no other Watchers were there at that time. I parked my car where I could see all three falcons, and settled in for my fledge watch.

For close to two hours, there wasn’t much activity. Just a bit of moving around. I was visited by Debbie H when she walked across the BSB to meet her husband. It’s always nice to see Debbie and others that work downtown and love watching the falcons.

It was just before 6:00 pm, when Dot.ca stooped down the front face of the Times Square Bldg. I’ve seen Mariah, Kaver and Archer do this same thing and I never tire of it. It is incredible to see! Because I was on the bridge, I lost him behind the buildings between me and the TSB. But, he soon came out over the river on my right side chasing and then catching a pigeon there. At first I thought, whoa, had Beauty come off the OCSR? Nope she was still there. I watched, amazed as Dot.ca caught the pigeon and carried it back towards the TSB. I quickly started my car and followed.

When I arrived at Falcon Central, which is on Broad St, closer to the front of the TSB, I saw the Aaron was there. I quickly joined him and got the scoop of what he had seen. Like me, he saw Dot.ca dive down the front of the building and hit a pigeon. The pigeon took off and there was also a 2nd one. He chased both out over the river, where Aaron lost sight of them and I picked them up. After he caught the pigeon and headed back towards the TSB, Aaron saw him fly to the right (north) side of the TSB where he lost him behind the Philipone Bldg. He thought he might have been heading towards the Powers Bldg. Fascinating that we saw two different views of the same event.

I got back into my car and drove all around the area surrounding the TSB, but had no luck finding Dot.ca. I returned to Falcon Central just in time to see what seemed to be 30 or more police cars and vans converge on the area. I don’t think I’ve ever seen so many. As Aaron and I watched, about 50 people came walking down Exchange heading north, right in front of the TSB. I’m not 100% sure what they were protesting, but they sure had the attention of the Rochester Police who were all over the place. That was very, very strange. Back to Falcon Watching.

For awhile, we waited to see if Dot.ca would bring his prey up to the nest box. Every now and then a pigeon feather would float by us, so we assumed he was close by and that the feathers were being blow by the wind to out location. We didn’t have long to wait. Dot.ca flew in from somewhere behind the TSB and up to the nest box. I knew he was carrying something but not sure what. Aaron checked his pictures and we saw it was just a piece of the prey, which included the leg/foot.

We could see movement on top of the nest box platform, but we couldn’t tell if Dot.ca was feeding Orion or not. I walked down in front of the Blue Cross Arena aka Rochester War Memorial and saw two heads bobbing up and down. Every now and then I would see Dot.ca feed a piece to Orion.

I returned to Falcon Central to join Aaron there. Dot.ca finished eating/feeding Orion and flew up to the base of the SW wing. Beauty never moved from the top IBeam of OCSR the whole time I was there. I really do believe her molt is holding her back a bit, just like one year when Mariah went through a molt.

Soon we were joined by Dan S, Jeanne, Joyce and Kathy O. We all settled in for an evening Fledge Watch, although there wasn’t much activity at all. We saw Orion flap his wings for awhile after eating, but then he settled in the nest box for a nap.

Just before 8:00 pm, Dot.ca took off and did a slow, leisurely stoop down low over exchange, heading south. We waited to see if he would return, but he didn’t. Maybe going over to the BS location to visit with Pigott???

Before joining us, Joyce had spent some time over at KP with KPT.

At 8:00 pm, I decided to call it a night. Kathy and Joyce also decided to leave. We left Dan, Jeanne and Aaron to continue the watch.

I still think it will be 2-3 days before Orion decides to take that first flight, but it’s good that the fledge watch has started. You just never know when it will happen.  We’ll keep watching!

By Rochester Falcon Watcher Carol P.

Watchers: Joyce, Jeanne, Aaron and Carol P.

Due to the earlier report that there was a 3rd Falcon seen flying near the TS nest box, I headed right downtown from work. I arrived around 4:00 pm, just about the same time Joyce arrived.

Orion was on the platform of the nest box, Dot.ca was above at the base of the SE wing and Beauty was over on the top Ibeam of OCSR. All was very quiet for most of the late after noon and evening.

Dot.ca joined Beauty on the top IBeam of OCSR. They remained about a foot apart for close to an hour. Just sitting there peacefully. I believe they were hiding from Orion who had been fed very well today. I read the report when I got home that Beauty had given him a whole piece of prey and watched as he tried to eat it by himself. He did try, but ended up bringing it to her for help.

During the time I was there from 4:00 to 8:30 pm, there was not much activity at all. Periodically, Orion would come out to the end of the nest box and either just sit there staring over at his parents or flap his wings and run around the platform. Wing exercises continue to strengthen the muscles he will need to fledge. He is getting stronger and stronger.

When Joyce, Jeanne and I left at 8:30 pm, Dot.ca was gone, Beauty remained on the top IBeam of OCSR and Orion was sleeping in the nest box. A not very exciting fledge watch, but that’s ok with me.

This evening and tomorrow, we are expecting some bad weather, so it’s good he’s still safely in the nest box.

Jeanne checked on Pigott on her way home and reported seeing an a falcon on the building, whining. It’s possible that D.C. was there with her, but Jeanne could only see the one falcon.

On my way home, I drove through KP and found KPT on the railing in front of the red door on the east stack. When I parked my car and looked again, he was gone. The family of Kestrels were flying and talon tagging over the field in front of me and on my way out I saw not only one fox in the field, but two. They ran up to each other and greeted each other with rubbing against each other and licking and sniffing. I had never seen this type of interaction between two foxes. Very cool! It was a wonderful way to end my evening.

I promise to go through my pics and post them soon.

Tomorrow is another day, and I’ll be out again tomorrow afternoon, come rain or shine.

By Rochester Falcon Watcher Carol P.

I was on Fledge Watch from 6:00 to 8:45 pm.  Just before I arrived downtown, Dot.ca brought food into the nest box and fed Orion.  He had gone quite awhile without being fed and folks were starting to worry.  Well, not to worry!  Both Beauty and Dot.ca were close by all evening and both were hunting.  With the cooler evening, it seemed the surrounding area was alive with all kinds of birds flying here and there.  Yesterday I barely saw a pigeon, today there were hundreds flying and landing near the river.  It seemed like the temporary end of the hot, oppressive weather breathed life into everything and everyone.

I took lots and lots of pics, but ran out of time tonight.  I will attempt to post my pics from this evening when I leave my report tomorrow night.

Today I was joined by fellow watchers Joyce, Brian, Kathy O, Jeanne, Aaron, Larry O and Willie.

It was a gorgeous evening to be downtown watching these beautiful creatures.  I’ll definitely be out again tomorrow!

Remember to keep your eyes to the sky!

By Rochester Falcon Watcher Carol P.

I guess I’ll consider this my first fledge watch, since it’s getting close to that time our little guy Orion will take flight and we did have our Fledge Watch meeting this past weekend.

Big thunderboomers coming in, so I have to hurry.

I was downtown from 6:45 to 8:45 pm and I was joined during that time by Willie, Kathy O and Larry O.

We saw Beauty and Dot.ca attempt to hunt tonite.  Dot.ca just missed catching a starling right over us.

There was a lot of flying by the adults and we were able to see Orion at the front of the nest box platform many times.  We could also hear him crying very loudly from where we stood at Falcon Central on Broad St.

No fledge tonite, thank goodness!

I’ve put together an album of pictures and more of a report of what happened on Shutterfly.  Take a look if you get a chance.  No sign on needed.

Enjoy!

share.shutterfly.com/action/welcome?sid=2AcsmzZk4ctXYA

Here’s one picture from the album.

From Rochester Falcon Watcher Carol P.

Since we don’t have a fledge watch of our own here in Rochester, a few of us decided to help out in Buffalo. Rochester Falcon Watchers Kathy O, Dana, Dan and Carol P. decided to head up early to watch the young ones at Central Terminal. There were 4 juvies there. Two fledged males; Lehigh and Commodore & two unfledged females; Phoebe Snow (P-S) and Chesapeake (Chessie). We planned on spending the whole day here, since that’s where we all agreed we were needed most.

We arrived at 7:30 am. It was cold (low 60’s), cloudy and windy, very windy. Sage, the Buffalo Watcher, was concerned, since there had been a big party there the evening before. Our first order of business was to find all four juvies.

Immediately we found the adults Stash and Stella. They were flying around and vocalizing. Also, vocalizing were the two young, unfledged females that were still at the nest box, wings spread and flapping like crazy. Ok, now for the boys. Where could they be?

Ah, ha! There was one on the ledge of the lower building below the nest box. A green band let us know this was Commodore. OK, 3 out of 4 wasn’t bad. But where was Lehigh?

We set up Watcher headquarters in the far corner, giving us a good view of the tower and lower building. The winds were strong and they never let up all day. Evidenced by my wind burned face this morning.

We were worried about Lehigh, but since Stash and Stella didn’t seem concerned, we decided to just keep watch. We always take our clue from the parents. If there is a young one in trouble, they will usually let you know by their behavior.

For the next few hours, we watched Stash and Stella fly around the tower putting on quite a show. Flight training was in session! Both girls were paying very close attention. Wings out, flap, flap, flap, run, flap! Even Commodore was getting in on the action. Now and then either parent would land next to a young one and kak encouragement. It was quite entertaining to us below.

At 11:30 am, to our surprise, although we suspected he might be on the flat lower roof, Lehigh launched himself from the roof and was immediately swept up by the winds. With Stella stuck on his tail and trying to give him some lift, he headed off to the left (I’m not sure about directions here yet- lol). He tried to turn, but it was too much for him. We lost him behind the tree line and Stella returned to the tower. He had been heading for a nearby warehouse and we were sure that is where he landed. Kathy O and Dana jumped in the car and drove over to check it out. A few moments later my cell phone rang and yes, Lehigh was just fine. He had landed safely on the warehouse roof and was within view of the Central Terminal. Lou joined the watch at this point.

At 12:45 pm, Lehigh took off and headed back towards us. Come on Lehigh! You can do it! He flapped and he flapped and made his way back to the tower, gaining altitude against the high wind. He almost made a ledge, but just missed, clinging to the brickwork like a bat! Mom was just to his left and dad above. After a few moments of clinging, he spread his wings, flew out from the building and immediately back to a ledge. Yes! Soon after this, Commodore took off and landed on the same ledge as his brother.

Now we could relax again. NOT! The girls continued to flap, flap, flap. That’s when Chessie slipped from the perch and fell with her back to us. She made a valiant effort to fly, but it was too early. This was a premature fledge. Both parents followed her and so did I. I’m not as fast as I used to be, but I ran and tried to keep her in view. She was sinking fast (like my heart) and I lost her behind the trees, right of the tower. Ah, man! I really hate when that happens.

The Rochester Watchers sprung into action. We spread out by car and foot, checking every roof top and lawn. It is residential around the CT. There was a lot of tall grass and trees. She could be anywhere. We watched the behavior of adults. They weren’t much help, circling around the tower and sometimes further out. We watched and listened to the wildlife around us. A Robin would probably be upset by a young Falcon in its’ territory. Crow would probably be curious. Nothing!

After an hour, we met back at CT and went over everything we saw, including pictures that were taken. Lou had the last picture of Chessie before she disappeared behind the trees. We reenacted what happened and looked at Lou’s picture for clues. We zeroed in on a small group of trees and BINGO! There she was! Hanging on for dear life in the center of a very small tree that was blowing in the wind. After an hour and a half we found her! Thank goodness.

We backed off to a safe distance and watched as she continue to hang on, but it was too much for her. She released her grip and fluttered down to the ground. Chessie immediately started walking back towards the Central Terminal. Hey! If she couldn’t fly, why not walk!

For the next half hour, she walked and stretched out her wings, flapping and running. There was no way she was ready to fly yet and there was no way we were going to leave her on the ground. We all agreed that it was time to rescue her. We were joined by a couple of young men that had just made the trip from Westchester, Larry and I’m sorry that I forgot the other young man’s name. They were so excited and they asked if they could help. Of course they could.

We had the rescue box ready and Dana and I had our coats off. We all got into a circle and slowly approached Chessie. Dana was behind her and I was in front, trying to keep her attention on me. Closer, closer and Dana was finally able to gently grab her. Dana placed her in the box and we closed the top. She was safe!

I immediately got on the phone and tried to get in touch with Sage. When I couldn’t, I called Joyce and she was able to get Sage. Sage was having no luck getting in touch with the DEC for that area, so I called June Summers who said she would try to reach her DEC contacts and get back to me.

Meanwhile, we continuously spritzed Chessie to help keep her hydrated. Sage and Roger arrived and so did Martie, who had access to the Central Terminal bldg. At 5:21 pm, after talking to June and after talking to the group, we decided to return Chessie to the lower roof where her brothers had been earlier. Dana with Chessie and Roger & Martie, climbed the 5 stories (there is no electricity)to a panel that they opened to the lower roof. Dana was able to successfully release her onto the roof and quickly retreated into the building. They all returned letting us know that the release had been successful.

Chessie would not show herself, but we were sure she was safe where she was and that her parents could see her. I received a phone call from Jackie Walters, a DEC Wildlife Tech and explained everything to her. She was in total agreement with what we had done and was very thankful. Since Peregrines are endangered species, they are under the protection of the DEC.

Again, we thought all was well and that we could relax. We decided to finally get something to eat. Subs were ordered and enjoyed. No way were we leaving. Even Martie stayed to keep watch and gave us a quick tour of the inside of the Central Terminal. It’s gorgeous in there! Just beautiful. I had always wanted to see it.

Our day wasn’t complete just yet. All of a sudden someone yelled, she’s off! I thought it might be Chessie again, but no, it was her sister Phoebe Snow (P-S). We all watched as she flew to our left, wind behind her. Then she turned into the wind and gained a little altitude. Stella was by her side, guiding her to a safe landing on the same roof we had just released Chessie onto. The two sisters were together again!

P-S jumped up onto the ledge and flapped and jumped. We kept telling her to settle down with her sister for the night. Just before dark, she jumped down from ledge, where we could no longer see her. From that point forward, it was quiet.

When we left around 7 pm, the whole CT family was accounted for. The adults and the two male fledglings were high on the tower. Both females had fledged and were down on the lower roof below the nest box.

After two fledges and a rescue, a weary Rochester Falcon Watch team headed home. I had contacted Joyce and she told me that she and MAK would be continuing the CT Watch the next morning. That’s a whole other story and I’ll let them tell it. I was just happy to hear that Chessie had made it back to the nest box the next day after her rescue. 🙂

Here’s some pictures from our Falcon/Fledge Watch yesterday. No sign on needed. Enjoy!

http://www.kodakgallery.com/gallery/sharing/shareRedirectSwitchBoard.jsp?token=3206124070105%3A1045595416&sourceId=533754321803&cm_mmc=Share-_-Personal-_-Email-_-Sharee-_-Top

By Rochester falcon watcher MAK

I checked on Beauty this morning arriving downtown at 5:20am. It took a little while but I found her on the Kodak office tower launchpad.

She was being dive bombed by a small bird too small to ID. She flew over to the top arm of the Frontier Communications tower to escape it’s wrath! lol I left the Beautyful one there and went home to wait for Joyce to pick me up for our fledge watch in Buffalo. We went directly to Central Terminal where we found the 2 males and adults. The 2 juvie females were nowhere to be seen.

We found Chessie on the back of the lower roof part of the building where she had been released to on Saturday night after being rescued..

We needed to find Phoebe Snow to complete the family whereabouts. Joyce asked if Marty the building maintenance contact could check  the lower roof for her and he did find her, She was down in a window well that was probably 40ft.long, 25ft. wide and 3 stories deep. He said she appeared in good health and uninjured. After contacting DEC, Jackie was sent out to check on the situation. She said there were ledges down there that Phoebe Snow could work her way out of there on her own. Less stress on her that way rather than rescuing. They will check on her tomorrow. Joyce,Sage,Roger and I went to lunch and when we got back to Central Terminal is when we met Jackie and got the scoop. Chessie was still hanging out on the lower roof but we couldn’t see her for quite a while. The juvie males did some flying with Stella and Stash and then they were fed. Chessie flew across to the nestbox flying in with both wings outstretched. Joyce and held our breath to see if she came out of it uninjured. She came out on the perch and seemed quite pleased to be back home again. My camera battery died on me well before any of this so my pics are from early in the watch. We left CT knowing everyone was safe and sound. Before we came home we stopped at UB and were treated to all 4 juvies flying and talon tagging together around and above the VA hospital. They were very vocal and exciting to see. When they were done 3 of them followed dad home to McKays tower for a meal and that’s how our special fledge watch in Buffalo ended. I had a wonderful time with all these wonderful Peregrine falcons. 🙂

Here’s the link for my photo album from the day:

http://www.kodakgallery.com/gallery/sharing/shareRedirectSwitchBoard.jsp?token=392412262213%3A401005692&sourceId=533754321803&cm_mmc=Share-_-Personal-_-Email-_-Sharee-_-Top

Friday –  August 20, 2010

Compiled from Tweets posted by Watchers plus Additional Watch Notes

A = Archer

B = Beauty

C = Callidora

OCSR = Old Changing Scenes Restaurant

Pefa = Peregrine Falcon

6:48 a.m. – (Posted by Donna for MAK) MAK is BAK/Dan: Broad St Bridge- Archer on top I-Beam of OCSR.

7:09 a.m. – (Posted by Donna for MAK) MAK/DAN: Archer flew over by Xerox and we lost him.

7:22 a.m. – (Posted by Donna for MAK) Archer on SE corner of Xerox.

7:40 a.m. – (Posted by Donna for MAK) Falcon on SW corner of OCSR, top I-Beam. Not sure who yet.

9:47 a.m. – (From Watcher MAK) Good morning falcon watchers it’s good to be back in the saddle again. As Donna reported we only saw Archer early. After Dan left I did the drive around the city looking for our falcons. As I was leaving Frontier communication tower, Debbie H called me and said there was a PEFA on OCSR. I drove over to the Broad Street bridge where I met up with her and we saw that both Beauty and Archer were on the top I-Beam SE and SW corners of OCSR. Debbie left to go to work and I stayed long enough for Archer to stoop on something and then disappear. When I left, Beauty was still on the SW corner. Sorry, no Callidora sighting. Maybe when I go back this afternoon she’ll make her presence known. A Taste of Rochester is on Main Street this weekend so it’s blocked off resulting in heavy traffic on the Broad Street bridge. Have a great Friday everyone!

10 – 10:15 a.m. – (From Watcher Joyce) Took a drive all around downtown before heading to Buffalo. Not a falcon anywhere. Maybe off enjoying area sights.

3:50 p.m. – (From Watcher Carol P.) 3 falcons on north side of OCSR!

5:40 p.m. – (From Watcher Carol P.) 2 on top arm Frontier communication tower. 1 large, 1 small. Definitely male/female.

6:10 p.m. – (From Watcher Carol P.) A on north side OCSR. Female on top north arm of Frontier communication tower.

7:50 p.m. – (From Watcher Carol P.) Kathy O, Joyce and Carol P have a falcon on platform of Frontier communication tower. It was Archer. He took off heading south. Joyce reports falcon on jail communication tower.

8:16 p.m. – (Posted by Donna for MAK) Watchers out right now are as follows: Jeanne, Brian, Kathy, Carol, Joyce, Dan, Larry with Cleo, Dana, Lou, Marcia and MAK….and maybe a few falcons.(phew)! From Frontier Parking Lot. Beauty on Xerox.

8:45 p.m. – (From Watcher Joyce) Beauty and Archer side-by-side ee-chupping on the 4^th and 5^th columns of Xerox, south side.

9:59 p.m. (From Watcher MAK) No Callidora tonight but she might have been one of the 3 on OCSR this afternoon and I think she was on the platform of Frontier communication tower at one point. It was a very interesting afternoon watch. There seemed to be another adult on OCSR other than ours. CaroP, Kathy O and myself all agreed but couldn’t see leg bands to confirm.

(From Watcher Carol P.) As MAK said above, it was a very interesting late afternoon/evening Watch. When I first arrived on the Andrew St. Bridge, there were three falcons on the north side of OCSR. I immediately thought Callidora had returned after not being seen for a few days. But, I started to have my doubts. Beauty was on the top I-Beam, I believe it was Archer that was flying around and then heading south towards the Time Square Bldg where I lost sight of him. So, who was the 3^rd Falcon sitting on the 2^nd I-Beam down?

It looked a lot like Archer, but seemed bigger. More the size of a female. MAK and Kathy O arrived and we all agreed that this bird looked too large to be Archer. The smaller Falcon (which we again assumed was Archer flew back around and then out of sight again. What was going on?

Beauty remained calm, preening. The very white breasted adult on the 2^nd I-beam seemed just as calm.

I cannot make any guesses as to the identity of this 3^rd Falcon. There was no visible aggression. There was just a tiny bit of vocalization. Beauty took off towards the Frontier communication tower and we believe Archer followed. MAK saw wings flapping on the platform of the communication tower. Was this Callidora?

Since we were unable to ID the 3^rd adult, it may always be a mystery. And was Callidora also near by? We may never know. Such is the reality of Falcon Watching.

From Suzanne & Don (as reported on the forum)

Don and I spent a wonderful weekend in Rochester!  When we arrived Saturday morning Callidora and Beauty flew over us in Aqueduct Park.  Don rushed back to the car to get the camera and they both flew low enough that I put my binos down and just enjoyed watching them!  We stayed in the Aqueduct Park area most of the day, sitting under the trees and out of the sun.  We were joined by Dana, Carol, Jeanne, and Brian.  Jim D. also popped in for a bit.  It was great to see Callidora make her first OCSR I-beam landing, after several attempts to scope out the precise logistics of an I-beam! 

Sunday morning we went to the bridge where Dana, Dan, and MAK were watching.  This was the morning we watched Callidora and Beauty in a food exchange.  We all knew it was coming, because Beauty flew around, prey in talons, looking for Callidora.  Archer offered to take the food, but Beauty was saving it for Callidora.  Carol, Dana, and Don were clicking away with their cameras, while I just enjoyed watching mom and daughter!  It was awesome! 

This is the link to the photo album Don put together of the exchange.  Hope you enjoy it.

 http://tinyurl.com/2ejy2mm

Suzanne

It was a very warm day in Rochester, NY today, high near 90 degrees (F).  After leaving work at 3:30 pm, I went in search of Callidora, Beauty and Archer.  Especially Callidora, because she hadn’t been seen that morning. 

I quickly found Archer and Beauty together on the top I-Beam, south side of the Old Changing Scenes Restaurant.  A quick drive around to the north side and there was Callidora on the top I-Beam on the north side.  Yay all three!  I decided to settle on the Andrew St. Bridge to keep an eye on Callidora.

At approximately 4:30 pm, Callidora took off flying north over my car, heading for the gorge.  I grabbed my binoculars and saw that the brewery pigeons were up! and Callidora was calmly flying in their midst.  I jumped into my car and got myself over to the east end of the pedestrian bridge as quickly as I could.  I was so afraid that I would miss her!

I parked my car, grabbed my camera and binoculars and made my way out onto the pedestrian bridge.  Callidora was still flying above the Genesee Brewery, but she was heading north, down the river.  Drats!  Thankfully, I didn’t have to wait very long for her return.  For about 15 mins, she entertained me, chasing pigeons, diving on gulls, swooping down the gorge wall, over Skye’s bldg.  It was just like it used to be with Mariah and Kaver’s fledglings.  This is what I had been waiting for.  I quickly texted out that she was in the gorge, but no one was able to join me.  Here’s just a little bit of what I saw.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FL30CSlkwkc

Callidora eventually headed back towards the city (south), flying over the river and the buildings along the way.  She chased pigeons and anything else that flew into her path.  Eventually she landed very low on the Frontier communication tower. 

Later in the evening, I was joined by MAK, Dana and Lou.  Before it started to rain, we had the pleasure of watching Callidora, Beauty and Archer flying together over Midtown, HSBC and Xerox.  Callidora was very vocal as she chased her parents around the area.  Just as it started to rain heavily, all three left the area, heading west.

I said my goodbyes and did a quick check of the area on the way home.  I found one falcon on the top I-beam of the old Changing Scenes Restaurant, south side. 

I’m so glad that Callidora finally discovered the wonders of the gorge that so many fledglings before her enjoyed.  I really hope it won’t be her last visit and that other Watchers will be able to see her gracefully fly above the High Falls.