By Rochester Falcon Watcher MAK

Hang on to your hats-today was a very windy day with rain showers starting shortly after I arrived downtown. The temperature was 49 (F) 9 (C) and as I made my way home after finishing my watch I ran into a thunderstorm with some small but loud hail pounding down on the car.

Once more Dot.Ca (DC) made his way to the nest box to relieve Beauty of incubating duties before I left home. Campgee tweeted it out at 5:16am as I was putting on my jacket. Thank you for your efforts Camp! now all I had to do is find Beauty when I got downtown. I found her at 5:35am as I drove around the back(east side) of HSBC. I glanced up and caught a glimpse of her flying off the southeast corner heading east flapping her wings to beat the band. I pulled over and quickly lost her in the dark sky. 5-10  minutes later I found her on the southwest corner of HSBC and she was in hunt mode.

At 6am it started raining and Beauty flew off in the direction of the Broad St. Bridge (BSB). It took me 15 minutes to find her on the northwest side of the OCSR top ibeam. Our falcons get good protection from inclement weather on OCSR.

Her back was to me at first and just before she flew off 10 minutes later she turned around to show herself. I watched her as I made a u-turn on State St. so I could see her fly northwest past the Frontier Communications Tower and disappear. 25 minutes later after a couple trips around downtown, I found Beauty on the base of Mercury where she was eating.

The Beautyful one was having problems with feathers sticking to her beak but she managed to get her crop filled despite it.

Be sure to click on the pics for the full version

When she had her fill  Beauty turned around, situated the leftovers in her talon and flew off with it at 7:06am across the river to the Bausch & Lomb (B&L) building.

Beauty landed on a northwest corner and then out of the blue DC swooped in and tried to grab the food. He failed and landed on a ledge above her.

They both flew off with Beauty landing on another northwest corner above where she was and DC left the area momentarily.

Beauty left without me seeing as I was looking for DC, so I have no idea what happened to the leftovers. However, DC came flying in from the east and landed on the corner Beauty had just vacated. He appeared to be looking for the goods but didn’t find them as he was actually whining up there. Honestly, these 2 crack me up with their seemingly odd relationship.

Somewhere during this time frame Donna let me know that Beauty had gone to the nest box and was on the eggs. Thanks a lot, that was a big help as I was busy with Mr. food thief on the opposite side of the city. lol DC flew off at 7:30am and as he blended in with the building I lost track of him quickly.

I left for the Brighton Site but unfortunately Pigott was not at home when I got there. I drove around 3x and left after no sight or sound of her. I returned to downtown, parking on the BSB at 8:30am I found DC on the Mercury money bag and dozens of chimney swifts filling the airspace above us and both sides of the bridge. Swooping and darting over the river for a few minutes until the rain started coming down harder and then they vanished.

I left DC in the pouring rain as I could see lightening in the very dark western sky at 8:45am. I was smiling as I drove off, for I love thunderstorms almost as much as I love our Rochester Peregrine Falcons! 🙂

Click on the links below to view 4 videos from this mornings watch

http://youtu.be/8oQR9GEssGY
http://youtu.be/BDHk5p7I3aQ
http://youtu.be/mTk3aZJYZhE
http://youtu.be/wbx4eHMRApc

By Rochester Falcon Watcher Carol P.

Finally, I got to see Beauty on a late afternoon watch.  She’s usually on the eggs in the nest box by the time I get downtown after getting out of work.  Today I beat her!

When I arrived on the Broad St Bridge (BSB) at about 3:50 pm, it was partly sunny with clouds moving in, and the temps were in the 50’s (F).  It actually felt quite comfortable.

I spotted a falcon on the OCSR, top IBeam at the south corner.  This falcon was facing away from me, so I couldn’t see if it was Beauty or Dot.ca.

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Just as I received a tweet from Pat, a fellow falcon watcher,  that Dot.ca was in the nest box, Beauty took off and landed on the nest box platform, looking into the nest box.   Soon after she landed, Dot.ca got off of the eggs and flew out, landing on the Mercury statue’s moneybag hand.  It was a changing of the guard for brooding the eggs.  Beauty in, Dot.ca out!  This happened at approximately 4:15 pm.

For about 15 minutes, Dot.ca stretched, preened and scratched himself.

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When he finished, Dot.ca took off and flew directly over me, heading south.  I watched him pass over the library and circle and then continue south.  Hmmm, time to head out to the BS location.

I arrived at the BS location at approximately 5:00 pm.  After circling the building a couple times and not seeing or hearing any falcons, I parked where I had a good view of the south and west sides.  It wasn’t long before I saw a falcon soaring high above the building.  As I watched, the falcon circled higher and higher first heading east and then north and out of sight.  I am not sure if this was Dot.ca or Pigott, but I suspect it was Dot.ca checking out the area after leaving downtown.

Going, Going, Going…….

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GONE!  If this was Dot.ca, he was literally a Dot in the Sky!  lol

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I waited a little while to see if the falcon would return and then headed back downtown, since it was very quiet at BS.

After checking the downtown area and not finding any falcons out and about, I headed home at about 5:40 pm.  On my watch I saw Beauty and Dot.ca.  I am not sure which falcon it was I saw flying over the BS location, but no positive ID of Pigott.  Not to worry though, she was seen this morning.

I’ll leave you with a few pics taken by the RFalconcam Main Camera this afternoon.

By Rochester Falcon Watcher MAK

It was a frosty start this morning a temperature of 32 (F) -1 (C) when I left for downtown but the sun appeared and warmed things up.

As I was walking out the door at 5:20am I got a tweet from camera watcher Campgee saying that Dot.Ca had switched with Beauty on the eggs. Thank you Camp-I had the scoop before I even left my house! When I arrived downtown I went straight to the hole (Aqueduct St.) but Beauty wasn’t on her spot-the base of Mercury or OCSR her other early morning spot. So the search was on and I had an idea right where to look-HSBC, another early morning favorite hunting spot. And that’s exactly where I found the Beautyful one on the southeast corner.

I parked on Chestnut St. by Manhattan Square Park and watched her for the next 40 minutes as she looked below for a pigeon to fly by but it didn’t happen. She stretched a couple of times but she was in hunt mode for the most part.

At 6:14am Beauty spread out her glorious wings and flew off to the west.

Remember to click on the pics to view a full version

I followed suit and drove over to the Broad St. Bridge (BSB) and found Beauty on the base of Mercury.

I drove back down to the hole to observe Beauty while she preened, scratched and looked for a possible meal to fly by. 20 minutes later she flew to the deck and waited for DC to get off the eggs. He flew over to the Mercury money bag (MMB).

<Beauty>

At 7am DC stooped down to the river out of view and when he didn’t return I left to check the Brighton Site (BS). I went in the back way and as I drove down the access road near the PEFA tree I spotted a falcon in the western sky flying south. I turned around to follow but soon lost it behind trees. I then checked the BS building and didn’t see or hear a falcon. I returned to downtown arriving around 7:45am just in time to spot DC on the top ibeam southeast side eating. I barely got settled in the hole when he took off -food in talon and flew over to the Times Square building and gave Beauty his prize at the nest box. She in turn took it to the base of Mercury. Beauty didn’t stay there long before flying off with this tiny treasure.

Beauty returned a couple minutes later and started eating. She had her back to me so I went up to the BSB to watch her polish it off quickly.

When she was finished she cleaned her beak off on the concrete base and walked to the other side of the base where I couldn’t see her. I thought she had flown off so I left for BS again. I received tweets from Shaky and Annette that Beauty was still on the base and Donna reported DC on the eggs. Thank you one and all! This time around at BS I found Pigott on the southeast corner of the southeast extension.

Miss Pigott would stay there for the next 40 minutes watching over her territory and then she flew to a place I’ve never seen her perched. On a window to the east of the south side vent just under the rooftop.

I think there are starlings nesting up in that area and she was looking to grab one. She stayed only a few minutes and then flew to the west end of the south side vent.

At 9:20am Pigott flew around to the front of the building landing on the northwest corner of the northeast extension. I received a tweet from Annette that Beauty was on the eggs and DC was off so I opted to end my watch at 9:30am knowing that all Rochester Peregrine Falcons were accounted for. I took a couple shots of the Highland Park horse who had been given some bling in the form of a wreath around its neck and some vendor tents and lilac bushes in the park for the Lilac Festival-truly worth smiling about! 🙂

Remember to click pics to see a larger version

I have included links below for some videos from my watch-enjoy!

http://youtu.be/5HQF1cWJfg8
http://youtu.be/SZbLPSydj3M
http://youtu.be/5tP0gMGVF6Y
http://youtu.be/oPa_kOcp4wU
http://youtu.be/3B51bA4y4Lk
http://youtu.be/dYK7yF7IaJc
http://youtu.be/eJdpnKu8PZY

By Rochester Falcon Watcher MAK

The starting temperature this morning was 36 (F) 2 (C)  with a busy wind and dark winter looking clouds making it a turn the furnace back on kind of day! Tomorrow promises to be colder with frost and freeze warnings overnite.

I was downtown at 5:28am this morning and still not early enough to see Dot.Ca (DC) arrive to relieve Beauty on the eggs. Annette reported that DC was on the eggs and it turns out the switch was made at around 5:15am. I went to the hole (Aqueduct St.)and found Beauty on the base of Mercury.

She would stand there looking around for 15 -20 minutes before revealing that she had prey under her at which point she started plucking feathers from a small food item.  Beauty spent 20 minutes preparing and eating and then she flew to the southeast wing with the leftovers stashing it at the back of the ledge.

Click on the pics to view the full version

I drove over to Broad St. by the Democrat & Chronicle for the best view and then back to the hole 5 minutes later when she flew to the OCSR landing on the top ibeam southeast side.

I decided I was going to the Brighton site early today to see if I could catch Pigott there since I hadn’t seen her since Thursday morning. It paid off for when I arrived at 6:40am Miss Pigott was on the south end of the southeast extension on a top window right below the roof top tree.

It was good to see this pretty Peregrine again as she watched birds below her in the trees. Just before 7am I noticed a crow come into view from the corner of my eye and go into a stoop. I never saw a crow stoop and thought it strange when suddenly Pigott was after it in her own stoop just missing it as it took cover in a tree. Good stuff! Miss Pigott proceeded to fly over to the east extension and come to rest on the southeast corner of it where she began to preen and rouse(shake feathers).

Around 7:15am I got a tweet from Campgee (thank you and thanks to Donna for letting me know who the tweet was from)that Beauty had taken over incubation duties and DC was on the loose. I thought I would stay put and see if he came for a visit. He never did while I was at the site but Pigott gave me plenty to look at as she turned her head every which way looking at whatever she was seeing in the trees and in the sky.

On 2 separate occasions Pigott  attempted to extract a pellet and was successful on one of those tries bringing up 2 pellets of which I got on video.

The clouds were rolling in and out the whole time I was there and at 8:15am or there abouts Pigott decided it was time to depart. She stretched out her wings and tail feathers and I watched her take off to the east without returning.

I left for downtown at 8:30am and drove around but didn’t spot a falcon anywhere. Donna let me know that Beauty was still on the eggs and that DC had left the OCSR at 7:55am. I ended my watch at 9:15am with a big old smile for having seen Pigott again! 🙂

Click on the links below to view more pics and videos

http://share.shutterfly.com/action/welcome?sid=0AaN3DFm0ZMWqiB8

http://youtu.be/VcuQ3OtLB1g
http://youtu.be/mu5oCjV6IEA
http://youtu.be/AlWLOV_mOAw
http://youtu.be/CJWZoE2l7pc
http://youtu.be/eCF_kgm3oGM

By Rochester Falcon Watcher Carol P.

My Mother’s Day Watch started at 11:30 am at the BS location.  I hoped to find Pigott again, like I did yesterday, but no such luck today.  It was 50 degrees (F) when I started my watch.  The sun was out.   The winds were gusting.  The dark clouds were rolling through.  It was raining and it was sleeting.  It did everything today, except snow.  lol

Just before noon, a crow flew in and landed on the south side vent.  Only for a moment.  Probably looking for cached food.  The Crow took off, unchallenged, and I continued to circle the building, watching and listening.

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At noon, I was getting ready to head downtown.  Just as I was heading out loud ee-chups filled the air.  I looked all over.  Was it two or only one falcon?  Finally one falcon flew off of the tree ledge on the east end of the building, heading south.  This falcon was flying so fast on the gusting wind, I had no chance to get a good look.  Was it Pigott or Dot.ca?  The falcon whipped around the west end of the building and I followed.  I circled the building twice and did not see anything.  But, I was lucky enough to get a flight shot of the falcon and I’m pretty sure it was Dot.ca.

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I remained at BS for about a 1/2 hr more before heading downtown.

Downtown was busy with graduations letting out, but it wasn’t long before I found a spot to park on the Broad St Bridge (BSB).  Dot.ca was up on the SE side top IBeam on the OCSR.  He had food and was either eating it or prepping it as a gift for Beauty.

At 12:50 pm, Dot.ca flew to the nest box and switched places with Beauty, taking his turn on the eggs.

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*Picture from Rfalconcam.

Beauty flew out of the nest box and over to the top IBeam of OCSR.  I couldn’t see if she had food or not.

At 1:00 pm, I had to go, leaving Dot.ca in the nest box and Beauty on OCSR.

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I’ll leave you with a couple pictures taken by the Rfalconcam main camera today.  One of Beauty and one of Dot.ca in the nest box on the eggs.

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*Rfalconcam Main Camera Pictures

By Rochester Falcon Watcher MAK

This mornings temperature was 20 degrees cooler than yesterdays at 41 (F) 5 (C) with a blustery cold wind and changing conditions. Sun at times but mostly cloudy with rain on and off.

I started my watch at 5:35am and just as I got downtown one of our cam watchers, Campgee (thank you for your help) tweeted that a switch had taken place at the nest box. Dot.Ca (DC) was on the eggs and so it was up to me to find Beauty who has changed her routine from going straight across to the base of Mercury first thing in the morning. I found her on the top ibeam southeast side of the OCSR.

I started out parked in the hole (Aqueduct St.) and chose to go down to Graves St. by Aqueduct Park for closer viewing as Beauty was in hunt mode and also did some preening and stretching.

Click on the pics to view the full version

Beautys first departure came around 6:10am as she flew off across the river to the east side.

I went up to the Broad St. Bridge (BSB) to take a look and saw the Beautyful one soaring above Xerox. She drifted north and started hovering above the Chase building before dropping back behind it out of sight. I then drove to the east side looking for her but didn’t find her so I returned to the bridge. From there I spotted Beauty back on the top ibeam of OCSR again at 6:15am. I went back down to Graves St. to observe as the sun peeked out from behind the clouds.

At about 6:50am Beauty dropped off into a fast stoop down toward the river out of my sights for a short time before returning to OCSR without any breakfast.

Beauty did some more preening and rousing(shaking her feathers) and I saw a bunch of her small white down feathers go sailing off in the wind. At about 7:10am she flew off  around to the end of OCSR by the elevator shaft and then north disappearing behind OCSR.

Click pic to see it all

Once again I drove up to the BSB and spotted Beauty flying high on the east side. I continued on to the east side and got glimpses of her above HSBC and then circling above Xerox before drifting west toward the river.  Back to the BSB where I watched Beauty riding the wind until I lost her in the sun. I found her once again on the top ibeam southeast side of OCSR at 7:30am.

From Graves St. one more time I spent the next 15 minutes with Beauty when she flew off and circled above the hole where I had driven up to trying to follow her. She came to rest under the southeast wing of the Times Square building (TSB)for a few seconds and then she was gone behind the building from my field of vision. I left for the Brighton site (BS) arriving there a little after 8am-several trips around the complex came up empty. I had to leave for a while and when I returned there still was no falcon to be seen at BS.

At 9:52am I received a tweet from Annette (thanks) that Beauty was now on the eggs back at the TSB nest box and DC was out so I stayed to see if he would come to BS. Sure enough about 10 minutes later he came flying in from the south above me. He circled above the building a few times obviously looking for Pigott and then he left without stopping to land anywhere heading north. I returned to downtown where I found a full BSB from another college graduation ceremony at the Blue Cross Arena. I had a look around finding no falcons and then ended my watch at just about 10:30am. I haven’t seen Pigott since Thursday 5/9 and then it was only her tail feathers, but she has been seen so she’s ok but just not showing herself to old MAK. That’s ok cuz I’m a patient girl and next time I see Miss Pigott it will be a smiling affair! 🙂

Just 2 links for videos today below-just click em to view

http://youtu.be/hjsCcF_Fz9Y
http://youtu.be/qs8mtDdpX20

By Rochester Falcon Watcher Carol P.

Got a late start today.  Since no one had seen Pigott recently, I decided to head out to the BS location first.  I arrived there around 5:00 pm.  I slowly circled the building and found her on a window on the east side of the building.  She was taking turns dozing and preening.  It was good to see her.

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At about 5:30 pm, I saw a falcon fly up to the south side of the building.  There was no reaction from Pigott.  I drove around and found Dot.ca on the south side vent.  I found a place to park where I could watch both of them.  There was no vocalization and they could not see each other.  I do not believe they knew the other one was there.  That is until Dot.ca started kakking and went after something south of the building.  That got Pigott’s attention!  He returned to the south side vent and Pigott ee-chupped and took off heading towards him.  Finally!  I kept telling them that the other was just around the corner, but they weren’t listening.  lol

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They flew together towards the west end of the building and I followed.  When I arrived on the west side I was greeted by very loud ee-chups that filled the air.  Love that sound.  They were both in the cubby for a long time vocalizing the whole time.  Dot.ca came out to the edge of the ledge and took off, flying around the building and returning to the SW corner of the NW extension.  From there, he could see into the cubby, where Pigott remained,  continuing to vocalize. (6:00 pm)

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For the next 20 minutes or so, Dot.ca and Pigott flew around the building, following each other and landing in different spots.  They both ended up back at the cubby for more “chatting” and then Dot.ca returned to the same SW corner he had been on earlier.  At 6:20 pm, he took off and I’m pretty sure he headed back downtown.  Pigott remained in the cubby vocalizing.

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Larry O and his dog Harold joined me on the watch just after Dot.ca left.  We were watching when Pigott flew out of the cubby and around the front of the building.  We found her on the south side vent.

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Larry decided to head downtown and I told him I would meet him there, since it was quiet at BS.  I left Pigott sitting quietly on the south side vent, watching over her territory.

At 7:00 pm, I joined Larry O on the Broad St Bridge (BSB).  He had checked his phone and we saw Beauty inside the nest box on the eggs.  So where was Dot.ca?  There were 100’s of some sort of swallow filling the airspace above the Genesee River on both sides of the bridge.  It was quite an amazing sight.  I don’t remember there ever being that many.  While we were enjoying the flight of the small birds, Larry spotted a falcon heading in.  We watched as Dot.ca came in for a landing on the Mercury statue’s heal. (7:15 pm)

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He stayed up there watching all the small swift birds flying around him.  He seemed as amazed by them as we were, but for another reason.  He was probably wondering if he could catch one!

It wasn’t long before he tried.  Dot.ca took off and flew directly over us heading towards the library at the east end of the BSB.  He reached the NE corner and stooped down the side of the library!  Down, Out and Up!  Whoosh!  Whoa!  The maneuvers Peregrines make are incredible. Larry and I are pretty sure he was chasing the swallows which were all around the library.  DC pulled up from his stoop and gained altitude, heading east.  He flew above the downtown buildings until we lost sight of him behind the Xerox Tower.

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Larry had to leave so I drove around the downtown area seeing if I could spot DC.  I had no luck finding him, so I returned to the BSB.  At 7:45 pm, the sun was setting and it was getting really cold.  Time for me to leave.  As I was driving down Exchange heading north, I spotted a falcon flying back towards the Times Square Bldg.  I turned around for a quick look, but couldn’t find him.

So I only saw Pigott and Dot.ca during my watch because Beauty was brooding the eggs the whole time.  All three Rochester falcons accounted for, making it a very good day!

Goodnight everyone and be sure to click on any pictures you would like to see larger.

By Rochester Falcon Watcher MAK

I was quite surprised when I checked the temperature before leaving for my watch this morning-61 (F) 16 (C). A cold front was close and it came thru during my watch making the temperature drop 10 degrees while I was out. It was very dark and overcast too.

I arrived on the Broad St. Bridge (BSB) just past 5:30am and could see no falcons in the area. I tweeted out that Dot.Ca hadn’t shown up yet at 5:45am and a few minutes later Donna let me know that he had been on the eggs since 5:28am. I missed the switch by a few minutes. So where was Beauty then-I went in search of and upon returning to the BSB I spotted the Beautyful one on the top ibeam southeast side of OCSR. I drove down to Graves St. across Main St. from OCSR and next to Aqueduct Park to watch.

Remember to click on my pics to see the full version

Beauty kept gaping, a behavior where the head is thrown back and the bird appears to be swallowing air. Although in still shots it can look to less experienced watchers as if he’s calling, there are no sounds made during gaping and it’s actually a very different “look” than when they are vocalizing. Researchers are not sure why gaping takes place, but there are a couple theories: one is that gaping is a peregrine’s way of dislodging feathers that may get caught in the throat following preening. The other theory is that gaping equalizes the air pressure in their ears after a change in altitude or “sudden changes in barometric pressure, as when a cold front moves in” (described by Steve Sherrod in “Behavior of Fledgling Peregrines”). So I believe she was gaping because of the cold front that started coming thru around this time. She stayed up there about 15 minutes and then flew east over the river and out of my field of vision around 6:30am.

I went looking for Beauty but didn’t find her so I drove over to the Brighton Site (BS). I had no luck finding Pigott for the 2nd day in a row. Soon after I got there, camera watcher Campgee tweeted that DC left the eggs and returned kakking and shortly after Annette tweeted the same, so I headed for downtown to see what was going on. Thank you for the heads up ladies! Upon arriving on the BSB I scanned the buildings and airspace finding nothing to be alarmed about and spotted Beauty back on the top ibeam of OCSR.

Once again I drove down to Graves St. to be closer to Beauty.

At about 7:50am Beauty flew to the nest box and DC flew out taking a little flight around the area before landing on the 2nd ibeam southeast side of OCSR.

<Beauty  DC>

After a couple minutes DC flew to the northeast wing  taking off after a few seconds and going over to the southeast wing ledge before disappearing off the back side of it where I couldn’t see.

I drove over to look for him but he was gone. I then saw him a minute later on the top ibeam southeast side of OCSR at 8am. DC flew off 5 minutes later when I wasn’t looking. Traffic was picking up on the BSB as people were starting to arrive for college graduation ceremonies at the Blue Cross Arena starting at 9:30am. The bridge parking would fill up quickly so I opted for going back to BS. I tried driving in from the back access road as it gives me a good view of the site but it was blocked off so I turned around and went to the main driveway into the place. 2 gentlemen stopped me and said they were parking Lilac Festival parade participants only. I asked to get thru to check for the falcons that dwell there and they let me go for a few minutes. I found DC  on the east end of the south side vent plucking feathers in a frenzied state.

5 minutes later he stopped and started scoping out the territory to the east and south. DC continued to watch in those directions and then he flew off circling the building twice before vanishing to the north out of view leaving his prey behind.

Again there was no sign of Pigott and DC certainly didn’t act as tho she was there.  I made a trip around the complex before leaving  at 8:50am but didn’t see or hear her. The local roads were being closed and I didn’t want to get closed in until the parade was over so back downtown I went. Carol tweeted that DC was on the eggs and Beauty was out. Traffic was heavy and the BSB parking was all full up when I returned. I stopped real quick and took a look around finding Beauty on the top ibeam southeast side of OCSR. I chose to end my watch at 9:05am and get away from the busy streets of downtown. I wish I had seen Miss Pigott-perhaps she has gone on  a mini vacation-Peregrines are wanderers after all. Keep smiling everyone for we are getting closer and closer to hatch time at 45 Exchange Blvd.-the penthouse nest box! 🙂

If you wish to view videos from my watch all you need do is click the links below

http://youtu.be/M5IhyBjybVU
http://youtu.be/Xmg8vKticME
http://youtu.be/C5KQ0wVj_QE

By Rochester Falcon Watcher Carol P.

Warm air and dark clouds were moving into Rochester.  I decided to head downtown directly from work.  I knew I didn’t have long before the rain moved in.

I arrived downtown just before 4:00 pm and was happy to see that the Broad St Bridge (BSB) was empty, well except for a few parked cars.  For the last 10 days, all the bus traffic was rerouted from Main St to Broad St due to the Spiderman 2 filming on Main St.   So, for the last 10 days, the falcon watchers had not been allowed to park on the BSB.  It was good to have it back.

After parking on the BSB, I looked all over hoping to spot a falcon.  I wasn’t sure who was in the nest box brooding the eggs.  Many thanks to Forum Falcon Watcher Annette for tweeting out that it was  Dot.ca in the nest box.  I looked all over for Beauty, but could not find her.  So I decided to go over to the BS location.  At 4:15 pm, I circled the building a couple times and did not see or hear Pigott or any other falcons.  That is not to say she wasn’t on the building somewhere.  The Canada Geese were again honking loudly.  Time to head back downtown.

At 4:40 pm, I was back on the Broad St Bridge, facing east, when I spotted my first falcon of my watch.  I knew that Dot.ca was in the nest box, so this had to be Beauty.  She was soaring gracefully over the downtown buildings, stretching her wings and possibly on a hunt.  She flew high above the Xerox Tower before turning back towards me, heading for the Times Square Bldg. (TSB)

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Beauty flew over me and up to the TSB where she landed on the nest box platform.  Within a couple minutes, Dot.ca got off the eggs and flew out of the nest box, landing on the Mercury statue’s moneybag hand.  Beauty went directly into the nest box to take her turn at brooding the four eggs.

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The dark clouds approached from the west, behind the Times Square Bldg.  When they arrived, it started to pour.

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After it started to rain, Dot.ca took off.  I did not see where he went. (4:53 pm)

I remained on the Broad St Bridge, facing west, towards the Times Square building, waiting to see if Dot.ca would return.  He did not while I was there.  Fellow Falcon Watcher Pat  walked by on her way home.  She stopped for a few moments to chat and then went on her way.

The rain continued, so at about 5:15 pm, it was time for me to head home.  On my way home, it started to thunder and lightning.

I saw only Beauty and Dot.ca during my short, late afternoon watch.  Hopefully I will see Pigott tomorrow.

I’ll leave you with a few pics I took during my watch.

I couldn’t believe how low the Genesee River had gotten, since the last time I saw it.

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The base of the Main St Bridge is congested with all kinds of trees and limbs.  They will really need to clean up this area soon.

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Last, it was the first day of the Lilac Festival at Highland Park.  From what I’ve heard, the lilacs are blooming and ready for their many fans from around the world to view them and to smell their lovely fragrance.  I do love the Lilac Festival!  If you go, have a wonderful time!

By Rochester Falcon Watcher MAK

Another warm morning here in Western New York at 55 (F) 13 (C) when I left for downtown. It started out sunny but became overcast before I left for home and has since rained.

I arrived on a quiet, litter strewn Broad St. Bridge (BSB) (post Spiderman movie) finding Dot.Ca (DC) on the Mercury money bag (MMB) around 5:30am.

5 minutes later he flew to the nest box to relieve Beauty on their eggs-she in turn flew to the base of Mercury as is their regular morning ritual. I drove down to the hole (Aqueduct St.) to watch her.

Beauty did some preening and stretching but no eating as DC didn’t bring anything this morning and there must not have been any cached food on the base.

She hopped up on the green part of the base and then back down to the concrete southwest corner with her back to me so I went back up to the bridge to view her from the front.

We hung out for the next 45 minutes and then the Beautyful one flew east. I followed her as she went behind Midtown out of view and then I drove over there. I spotted Beauty on the northwest corner of HSBC and she was having a bite to eat at first. It must have been a very small bit of cached food for she was done by the time I found a place to observe.

She seemed to be in hunt mode but the pigeons weren’t willing to come out and play so at about 6:50am she flew west out of my field of vision.

I had a feeling Beauty was going to the nest box and sure enough I got a tweet from Annette that DC was off and Beauty was now on their eggs. Thanks! When I got back to the BSB at 7am I could see DC on the MMB-it sure is nice to have the bridge back after being off limits for parking during the Spiderman movie filming.

DC kept looking up while I watched him and I have no idea why because I couldn’t see anything above us. Of course I don’t have the eyesight of a Peregrine Falcon either.

10 minutes later DC waved goodbye and flew off to the southwest toward Cornhill out of view.

I then drove to the Brighton Site (BS) but found nobody to be home. I stayed about an hour but I never saw or heard Miss Pigott. I returned to downtown just before 8:30am and got a tweet from Annette that a switch had been made leaving DC on incubation duties. I stopped on Exchange Blvd. by Cornhill where you can see the south side of all the downtown buildings but saw no bumps. I turned down Broad St. on my way home to check the Frontier Communications Tower (FCT) but saw nothing there either so I ended my watch at 8:35am. I had to smile for as I left downtown Annette and Donna informed me  that Beauty was on the base of Mercury hiding from me-they all like to play hide and seek with us watchers! 🙂

Click on the links below to view more pics and videos if you wish

http://share.shutterfly.com/action/welcome?sid=0AaN3DFm0ZMWqiBe

http://youtu.be/YHLGbcIVoWc
http://youtu.be/HBzHXycsZp8
http://youtu.be/-ru_W4YE6lA
http://youtu.be/8KcL2XE5MIw