By Rochester Falcon Watcher MAK

The morning started out a bit chilly at 36 (F) 2 (C) and a little breeze but it warmed up nicely with sunshine and blue skies.

I made my way downtown by 6:10am and when I got to the Broad St. bridge(BSB) I could see a falcon on the well wall. Dan was in his chair and Donna was reporting Beauty in the nest box and UT (unbanded tiercel) on the well wall. Thank you very much! Afew minutes later UT flew toward the river and doubled back going to the nest box. I didn’t know where Beauty had gone because she wasn’t in the nest box anymore. I drove down to the hole (Aqueduct St.) and found the Beautyful one on the base of Mercury northwest corner where you can’t see her from the BSB.

She was eating and suddenly UT came from nowhere and mated with her. I don’t think Beauty was expecting it any more than I was and so my pics were all blurry as I was taken by surprise.

When he was done UT flew over to the Times Square building (TSB) and landed on one of the north side columns for like 10 seconds and then he was off behind Widows Walk out of view.

Remember to click on pics for full version

10 minutes later Beauty flew off Mercury and as I was back up on the BSB with Dan we saw UT flying near the Radisson with food. A few moments later Donna was reporting Beauty and UT in the nest box bowing. I told Dan and we just looked at each other like-how did we miss that!? Anyway, UT flew out the nest box over to the southeast corner of Crossroads and then seconds later off he went. Next I spotted a falcon on the top ibeam southwest side with food missed it leave shortly after and then UT was at the nest box.

Honestly, this tiercel is lightening fast and gives us a hard time keeping up which is why I nicknamed him Rocket the first time he came to town. Joyce had compared pics from last nite and was 99.9% sure it’s the same unbanded male. So he has been lurking all this time perhaps.

At 6:50am Dan and I could see no PEFAs  and a few minutes later we saw one fly to the nest box from behind the TSB. It was UT and he flew out after a couple minutes going south then doubling back to fly past Beauty who was on the top ibeam west corner of OCSR.

Now it was around this time that UT disappeared and Dot.Ca (DC) showed up. I reported UT went to the southside of  the TSB but my pics don’t show any real evidence of whether it was UT or DC in a defensive posture up there.

We saw no battle,no chase just suddenly DC flew to the Mercury money bag (MMB) and at the time I thought it was UT. I was able to confirm that it was DC when he flew off 10 minutes later after seeing black leg bands.

DC flew to the TSB and came to rest under the northeast wing while Beauty napped on OCSR.

Just before 7:30am they both flew to the nest box and DC left less than a minute later going back up to the northeast wing. Just before Dan left around this time a couple guys stopped to ask about the falcons. The first man was Jack and the second Brian. Brian said his late aunt Martha Bentley had been a big bird watcher in New York City. He was quite schooled about birds! Donna,Joyce and Ei let me know Beauty was still in the nest box about 10 minutes later. We watchers are very fortunate to have cam watchers to help us when we can’t see a falcon in the nest box. Thanks ladies!

DC flew off a few minutes later circled Mercury and returned to the northeast wing and 5 minutes after that he went down to the deck. He and Beauty both left the nest box area. At 8:00am DC was eating at the northeast wing. I didn’t find Beauty until 20 minutes later as I spotted her on the top ibeam west corner of OCSR. DC flew over and went by her then returned to the TSB northeast wing and Beauty was gone from OCSR. 5 minutes after that DC was gone and Beauty was back on the west corner of OCSR. Sheesh! I watched Beauty for the next 15 minutes and when DC wasn’t showing himself I drove to State St. to check the north side of OSCR and that’s where I found him. He was on the top ibeam about a quarter of the way down from Beauty.

DC moved closer then he and Beauty bowed to each other just before she stooped off the building.

Click it to see them

DC remained on OCSR as Beauty showed up on the base of Mercury with food and was plucking feathers as I arrived in the hole to observe.

She had her fill and then cached the leftovers on the other side of the base.

At 9:15am Beauty and DC met at the nest box briefly then DC shot out of there while Beauty stayed to get some shut eye with a full crop.

DC was nowhere to be found so I let Joyce know that he might be on his way over to the Brighton site where she was watching. He did show up there soon after. Since Beauty was resting I decided to join Joyce and discuss the events of late. That is when she told me about comparing pics and finding that UT was the same bird that got along so well with Beauty just before DC returned from migration. I never saw Pigott as she was in the cubby while I was there with DC up on the northwest corner. DC left 10 minutes after I got there so I went back downtown and Joyce followed soon after. DC beat me easily and was under the northeast wing when I arrived on the BSB.

DC flew north as Beauty was in the nest box and at 10:30am I ended my watch as all was quiet. These guys kept me hopping and smiling today! 🙂

Click the links below to view my photo album and some videos from the watch

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http://youtu.be/xsz6ACxFBbE
http://youtu.be/dC22rhM5sfE
http://youtu.be/NU4QoBgF36M

By Rochester Falcon Watcher MAK

When I left for my watch at about 6:05am the temperature was a cool 37 (F)  3 (C) with a bit of a breeze,no precipitation and the Beautyful one was on cam 4.  9 minutes later as I arrived on the Broad St. Bridge (BSB) Beauty was on the Mercury money bag (MMB).

Click my pics for a full version

At 6:25am Beauty flew to the nest box as Dot.Ca (DC) came flying in with food. He landed under the southeast wing and Beauty flew up next to him.  I drove up farther on the bridge to watch and found Dan in his chair. DC let Beauty have his small package and then he flew across to the northeast wing of the Times Square building (TSB).

10 minutes later he would fly west out of our view.  Meanwhile, after plucking feathers from the prey item making it look like it was snowing, Beauty had a meager helping and flew over to the base of Mercury. She wasn’t there long before flying to the deck next to the main cam at 6:55am.

Just about a half hour later Dan left so I went down to the hole first where Beauty had her back to me and then I went and parked in front of the Blue Cross Arena.

The sun had come up and made an appearance in between clouds that were rolling through. I left for the Brighton Site (BS) to see if DC was there and sure enough I found him on the southeast corner of the east extension.

He spent most of the time preening and every once in a while I heard Pigott making soft chupping sounds and whining but I couldn’t see her. I decided from where the sounds were coming from she was way back on the tree ledge. At 8:20am DC took off and flew to the west side and I took off in hot pursuit after him.

Surely you must click these 2 pics to see the full version LOL

I came up on the cubby real slow and put my window down so I could hear anything going on up there-ECHUP ECHUP ECHUP chup chup and loud too! This went on for a few minutes then the sounds turned to a soft low key and then a crow flew by real close. That was the end of that for DC popped out to the edge of the cubby and took off after the crow which smartly landed in the middle of a tree so DC couldn’t thump on it. He passed over the top of the tree and came back to land on the southwest corner.

The whole time I could hear soft sweet sounds coming from the cubby as Pigott stayed in there and wouldn’t come out to show herself to me. That’s ok-hearing her is just as good as seeing her as far as I’m concerned! 10 minutes later DC took off without me seeing cuz I was fixated on the cubby waiting for Miss Pigott to come out and play. She was whining softly at this point and I had to leave for a bit. When I returned I couldn’t see or hear any falcons so I drove downtown to wind up my watch at around 10:30am. From the BSB I could see a falcon at the nest box with its back to me. I would find out when I got home that it was Beauty.

Pigott insisted on hiding from the old MAKster today and I’m pretty sure there will be a lot more of that in the coming days and weeks as she will probably lay eggs somewhere out of sight (if she hasn’t already) and begins incubating. In the meantime we are on egg watch for Beauty as she seems real close to dropping one and you know we’ll ALL be smiling when that finally happens! 🙂

Click on the links below if you wish to view more pics and a couple videos from my watch

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http://youtu.be/neejPRQVWKo
http://youtu.be/3oCLlR0WlJk

By Rochester Falcon Watcher MAK

Today I started my watch at  6:30am with a temperature of 43 (F)  6 (C) with a misty rain falling at the start. It stopped shortly after I arrived on the Broad St. Bridge (BSB).

Dot.Ca (DC) was on the base of Mercury and Beauty at the nest box. I drove down to the hole (Aqueduct St.) where I could see the front of him.

10 minutes later Beauty flew over to the base and they had a quick stare down then DC flew up and around to land on her to mate.

DC flew off and then Beauty flew to the nest box. 5 minutes later DC showed up on the Mercury money bag (MMB).

I drove up to the BSB to find Dan sitting in his lawn chair on the south sidewalk. I joined him and checked out the river to see how mighty it was after all the rain we’ve had the past few days-it was quite high and rolling along pretty darn fast. DC was flying above the river to the east side and back landing under the northeast wing. He stayed only a few minutes then stooped back behind the Times Square building (TSB)  at 7am leaving our field of vision. 5 minutes later Beauty flew out from the nest box to the base of Mercury.

We watched her until Dan left at 7:30am, then I left for the Brighton Site (BS) to see if DC had gone to pay Miss Pigott a visit. There was a rolling billboard by the Blue Cross Arena advertising the American Heart Associations “Heart Walk” which was taking place today filling up the bridge parking.

Click pics for a full version

When I arrived at BS around 7:45am Pigott was on the west end of the south side vent. DC was not present anywhere on the building.

She was tilting her head to and fro watching the starlings that were in a tree near the lower building where the geese nest on the roof. She may have been watching the lone goose that was on the front edge of that roof.

Pigott flew north at 8:10am and didn’t return so I went back downtown. As I was stopped at the traffic light at Exchange and Broad St. I spotted a falcon on the MMB so when the light changed I drove to the hole. Just as I arrived and looked up I caught Beauty and DC mating on the money bag. He flew to the deck next to the main cam.

I lost sight of him and Beauty so I went back up to the BSB to have a look at the nest box area from farther out and could see someone up there with their back to me. Donna let me know that it was DC  (TY) but where was Beauty? I had visions of her and Pigott going at each other until 5 minutes later when she showed up on the base of Mercury. Phew!

So at 8:45am we had a role reversal of DC at the nest box and Beauty on Mercury. I must say that DCs demeanor toward Beauty certainly changed after the scrape at BS got covered yesterday. I find it interesting tho one thing may not have anything to do with the other. Just before 9am Beauty flew off and DC showed up on the heel of Mercury.

He flew off a minute or two later and went to the northeast wing ledge right above the nest box where Beauty was at this time. Thanks to Ei for letting me know Beauty was in there. We all stayed in our chosen spots for the next 45 minutes and during this time I also watched a guy in a cherry picker change the 2 old American flags on the front of the Times Square building for new ones.

DC flew off and Beauty went to the MMB as I chose to end my watch at 10am. All was quiet and all 3 Rochester Peregrine Falcons had been seen and were doing just fine. I love the American flag and the bonus of seeing 2 new ones put up on Times Square put a very big smile on my face! 🙂

To view more pics and videos from my watch click on the links below

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http://youtu.be/rIDM5YHqDXs
http://youtu.be/ueguGKy7Wuo
http://youtu.be/KHrMBZkO5J8
http://youtu.be/hztPWlSxPDQ
http://youtu.be/BcYc38e9PfI

By Rochester Falcon Watcher MAK

It was raining and 34 (F) 1 (C) when I left for my watch this morning at 6:15am. I had planned on making it a short watch due to the weather but due to circumstances it turned into a 7 hour watch.

It took me a few minutes to notice the bump of a falcon on the west corner top ibeam of OCSR from the Broad St. Bridge (BSB). I drove to State St. across from the Rochester Plaza Hotel to view from the front for identifying it.

It was Beauty and I sat there for a few minutes pondering whether to stay. I decided she would be there for a while and so I went to the Brighton Site (BS) to see what goes on there this early in the morning. It turned out to be a big bust as I could find no falcons. While on my way back downtown both Joyce and Donna reported that Beauty was at her nest box. Thanks for the help ladies it’s much appreciated. As I approached from Exchange Blvd. I could see a bump on the northwest corner railing of the Crossroads building. I pulled over in front of the Blue Cross Arena at 7:14am and was able to ID it as Beauty.

This is one of her hunting perches but with the rain pouring down I didn’t think she was going to have much luck with that. She would stay there getting soaking wet for an hour and then she flew off to the OCSR building top ibeam southwest side. She flew off a few minutes later and went to the nest box and Dot.Ca (DC) was also there at some point. As I pulled onto Aqueduct St. I saw him fly off the Wilder green strip toward OCSR. I then drove up to the BSB and located DC on the top ibeam southwest side. He stayed only a minute or two and then flew off. I found Beauty on the west corner 2nd ibeam of OCSR so I went back to my spot on State St. to observe. Turns out that was a good call for I never would have seen DC on the top ibeam on the northwest side.

Click my pics for a full version

At 9:43am the Beautyful one took off  and DC stayed. A few minutes later she flew up to where DC was and as she landed he took off flying southwest.

After checking around for DC I went to BS to see if he went there. I found Pigott on a west facing top window near the northwest corner just out from the scrape. I pulled over and noticed an SUV parked with its flashers on just ahead of me. It pulled away and then came up behind me and stopped. I didn’t know if it was someone just watching or maybe there to disturb the birds so I kept my eye on it.

I was parked parallel to Pigott and couldn’t see the scrape so I had no idea what was going on up there until I drove around the building to look for DC. As I got to the front of the building I stopped and checked out the SUV and saw a DEC emblem on the drivers side door. I eventually pulled up behind it and got out to see that it was Jenny Landry the DEC biologist assigned to our area. She explained to me that she had contact with the building owner and there were maintenance people covering up the window where we believed there to be a scrape. This was done for the falcons safety as there were 2 broken windows up there and any eyasses born would be at risk. No eggs were found-good news that Pigott and DC would not be disturbed in that process. This building is a poor choice for nesting as there are constantly vagrants breaking into it so the idea here is to discourage the falcons from nesting there.

Surprisingly, Pigott was calm while the windows were being covered whining a little here and there. When the job was done she took off from  her window and flew back and forth in front of the scrape vocalizing for a few minutes. DC came in sometime after and joined Pigott vocalizing much louder than her and flying around the area and going up to the scrape ledge then turning back.  Pigott flew to the northeast side of the building and landed on a west facing window. She couldn’t see the scrape or DC who had landed on the northwest window and sat there looking at the scrape.

DC

A while later they both flew off loudly vocalizing to the west and Jenny said she saw a 3rd bird which disappeared quickly. They came back with Pigott landing on the 4th window down and DC the 2nd window down on that northwest side. Just before noon DC flew off and returned 5 minutes later with prey landing next to the window he was previously on. Miss Pigott was whining and DC was chirping.

<Pigott  DC>

Pigott flew up to the northwest corner and DC  left with his prize. Jenny and I stayed a bit longer to observe Pigott. When we were satisfied that she seemed relaxed and not all worked up about the scrape we left. I thanked her for trying to make things safe for our falcons and then I drove downtown to check on things there.

Pigott

Beauty was in the nest box and DC on the northwest wing ring .

He flew southwest fast and Beauty left the nest box only to return when DC came back and landed at the northeast wing above her. DC left after a few minutes and then Beauty left as well. I ended my watch about 1:10pm. Hopefully things will stay quiet and settled and eggs will be laid soon giving all of us a reason to smile! 🙂

Click the links below to view more pics and a video

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http://youtu.be/MgTZSmIx0vM

By Rochester Falcon Watcher MAK

It was 35 (F) 2(C) when I left the house with some wind and dry conditions. Well that certainly changed as ice pellets and driving rain dominated the 6 hours I was out watching.

I checked the cams before leaving and at that time Beauty was perched on cam 4 but when I got to the Broad St. Bridge (BSB) at 6:25am she was gone and I didn’t see her anywhere in the area. I took a ride over to the east side in vain as I haven’t seen her over there in a week or so and today was no different. Returning to the BSB Beauty was perched on the Mercury money bag (MMB).

Beauty was having some trouble keeping her balance as the wind was blowing pretty hard.  Around 7:30am it started raining down little ice pellets and light rain with the wind picking up as well. At 8:00am I left for the Brighton site (BS) finding 1 falcon on the east end of the south side vent. It was raining moderately by this time and the bird was scrunched down making it impossible for me to ID it.

I would find out that it was Dot.Ca (DC) 15 minutes later when Pigott showed up on the west end of the vent and the east end bird flew over and mated with her in the pouring rain.

When they were done DC flew off toward the front of the building out of my view and Miss Pigott remained on the vent. When I didn’t find DC with a trip around the building I left for downtown to see if he was there. At 9am I found Beauty taking shelter from the cold driving rain on the top ibeam  southwest side of OCSR.

I stayed an hour with no visit from DC so I returned to BS finding Pigott in the same spot I left her on the west end of the south side vent. An hour later on one of my many trips around the building I found DC on a west facing window ledge on the northwest side just out from the scrape. Miss Pigott remained on the vent.

Bigger ice pellets were falling at this point along with the rain making it hard to see. Things stayed like this for the next 45 minutes until I took a ride around to the back to see if Pigott was still on the vent-she was so I went back to the west side to watch DC. Right after I made my way back he flew to the scrape and loud echupping rang out.

While I was enroute Pigott had flown to the scrape-sneaky falcons they are! There was a couple minutes of quiet and then DC shot out and flew around to the southwest corner. Pigott stayed behind in the scrape.

Just before noon DC left BS and didn’t return so I left for downtown. When I first arrived I didn’t see any falcons from the BSB. I then drove down to the hole and spotted a falcon fly up to the deck then I didn’t see it and then a falcon flew out of the nest box. A minute later I saw a falcon fly out from the nest box and go northwest past Widows Walk and out of view. At 12:30pm I spotted the Beautyful one on the base of Mercury and she was whining.

I wasn’t able to find DC and ended my watch at this time. Once again the Rochester Peregrine Falcons put a smile on this watchers face as I left downtown! 🙂

Links have been provided below for you to view some videos if you so choose

http://youtu.be/ihUODw04YGM
http://youtu.be/flxNuaveO-Y
http://youtu.be/rvdXOOMWo38
http://youtu.be/zr8-_WGAai8

By Rochester Falcon Watcher MAK

We got some thunderstorms during the night but they were done when I left for my watch. It was 45 (F) 7 (C) and very foggy when I arrived downtown at 6:25am.

Click my pics to see full version

I drove around and checked as well as I could, but let’s face it conditions were poor. I didn’t even notice that there was a falcon up on cam 4 until Donna let me know it was Beauty.

<Before fog lifted   and after>

At 7:05am Beauty flew to the Mercury money bag (MMB) and started whining. She would whine and wait a long time today for Dot.Ca (DC) to come a callin’!  By 8 o’clock the fog had lifted well enough to see the tops of buildings from the Broad St. Bridge where I was parked. The Beautyful one did a lot of stretching while up on Mercury and she was kept busy watching something down in the river below her.

At 8:30am I decided to go to the Brighton Site (BS) to look for DC who was very late this morning. As I arrived I could see 2 falcons doing the bookend trick in the back of the building. Pigott was on the southeast corner with some very wet feathers and DC was on the southwest corner.

<Pigott

<DC

Just after 9am Pigott took off to the front of the building and then DC flew off to the west. I drove around twice before I found Pigott as she was just leaving the window scrape on the west extension. She flew around to the southwest corner that is above the cubby on the west side. DC was nowhere to be found so I left for downtown thinking he went there.

I landed on the BSB at 9:30am and found that Beauty was still on the MMB. I also noticed the elevator over on the outside of the OCSR was going down and it went back up all the way to the top. They were probably testing it for an event to take place next month where people scale the side of the building for charity. Less than 10 minutes later when I wasn’t looking, Beauty left Mercury. When I looked toward Times Square I saw a falcon on cam 4 so I tweeted it was Beauty-wrong, it was DC and Beauty was in the nest box as told to me by Donna one of our cam watchers. TY  DC flew off to the north where my view was quickly blocked by buildings so I drove down to the hole and found him on the green strip of the Wilder building.

He was watching some starlings below him and I kept expecting him to dive on them but he never did. He also would whine every once in a while, which I had never heard him do before.

20 minutes later Beauty flew over to the southwest corner of the Wilder building and a few minutes later DC flew up to her and they copulated.

Don’t forget to click on the pics

DC flew off to the west when they were done and Beauty stayed for the next 20 minutes circling the Times Square building and coming to rest under the northwest wing. She was at the back of the ledge and started picking at some cached food.

When DC didn’t appear again I went to BS to check one last time and found that Pigott was by herself and still on the same southwest corner from before when I was there. The fog was starting to drop back down on the city and rain was coming soon too so I ended my watch at 10:40am thinking the falcons would hunker down for a while. Another fun watch in the books making me smile! 🙂

Click the links below if you want to see more pics and videos

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http://youtu.be/7EDHPOKQyxc
http://youtu.be/1RyFkxxBzW4
http://youtu.be/mOHHcXpKUk8
http://youtu.be/jz2cbN8id3I
http://youtu.be/AXOG8fUdXxs

By Rochester Falcon Watcher MAK

Another warm start at 49 (F) 9 (C) with overcast skies and a busy breeze made for a nice watch.

I made my way downtown at 6:20am today and never saw a falcon until just before 7:00am when I spotted one fly to the north side of Widows Walk. It left while I drove to get closer so I could ID who it was. I was parked on Basin St. by the Wilder building looking toward Widows Walk when a young man named Eric stopped and asked if I was seeing anything good. Well actually I’m watching Peregrine Falcons I said, and then he started asking more questions. I gave him some important information and handed him an rfalconcam card and told him to check us out. He said he studied the environment like wetlands and such and was definitely going to have a look/see with his 18 month old son. So I found Beauty on the Mercury money bag (MMB) and drove up to the Broad St. Bridge (BSB) to watch her. She stayed standing leaning forward tail up slightly and her feathers were poofy looking. All a good sign that she may be laying an egg soon.

Click the pics for a full version

Beauty flew to the nest box about 10 minutes later when she saw Dot.Ca (DC) coming from the south. He went to the southeast wing ledge and landed.

DC flew off about 5 minutes later and sometime in the next couple minutes Beauty left the nest box and flew north. A minute later I noticed something up on the money bag but it was small-I raised my binocs to look and could see that it was an American Kestrel. Never saw one on there before and lucky for the Kestrel that Beauty wasn’t around!  5 minutes later I was looking at DC up under the southeast wing and Beauty had gone back to her nest box. DC dropped off the back of the ledge to the south behind the Times Square Building and out of sight. Beauty flew to the MMB minutes after he left and began watching toward the Brighton site (BS).

I left for BS after 15 minutes or so to see if DC had gone there. Arriving at 8:30am I found Pigott on the southwest corner and DC on the southeast corner-falcon bookends.

<Pigott  DC>

DC flew off to the north about 9:00am and Pigott flew to the front of the building. I made 2 trips around and on the second I noticed movement in the window scrape. It was Pigott popping her head up and she was by herself and very quiet going back and forth between the 2 windows.

She stayed in there about 15 minutes and then she came to the outside ledge and took wing.

Pigott flew around to the back of the building and I found her on the southeast corner. I then saw DC come from the north to land on the southwest corner. Minutes later DC flew to Pigott and they mated then he flew northwest out of view.

I left Pigott on the southeast corner to go downtown and arriving just before 10am I located Beauty under the southeast wing looking south toward BS. Oh how these girls watch for their man. So the Beautyful one and I hung out for half hour or so as she seemed restless and fidgety-turning completely around a couple of times. She flew over to the money bag and stayed 20 minutes took off,circled and returned to it before taking off to the nest box when she saw DC fly in from the south and land under the southeast wing.

<Beauty  DC>

Around 11am DC flew off to the north and Beauty followed shortly after-then I saw Beauty go to the nest box area real quick and it looked like she had food in her talons. I watched DC fly in front of the Times Square building just above the nest box area and fly north again, straight up State St. and out of sight. Both falcons would elude me as I drove to the Andrews St. bridge to view the northern end of the territory. No luck in finding them when I returned to the BSB and so I ended my watch at 11:30am as 2 mounted police passed by me.

I left  falconless but smiling, for I had another calm and peaceful (well as peaceful as the city gets on a work day morning lol)watch and I saw all 3 of our Rochester Peregrine Falcons! 🙂

Click the links below to view more pics and videos
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http://youtu.be/PS1iFaVNNhQ
http://youtu.be/gDN6j1WHZsE
http://youtu.be/VBVe9TuDp5Q
http://youtu.be/eLmpJvcpHRA

By Rochester Falcon Watcher Carol P.

Along with the warmer temperatures, comes rain to Rochester.  By the time I parked on the Broad St Bridge a little before 4:00 pm, the dark clouds were approaching from all sides.  I knew it was just a matter of time before it started raining.

I checked the downtown area before parking on the Broad St Bridge (BSB).  I could not find any falcons, but I didn’t have to wait long to see one.  At 4:10 pm, a peregrine falcon flew in from the south and landed on the NW wing ledge on the Times Square Bldg. (TSB)  This falcon stood there for just a moment and then walked into the base of the wing where I could no longer see it. I tweeted and just as I was pulling away from the curb to go to the other side of the TSB for a better look, fellow falcon watchers Joyce and Brian pulled up behind me.  I walked back to their car and explained what happened and where I was going.

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They remained on the BSB while I drove over to the west side of the TSB for a better angle.  Even from the west side, I could not see a falcon up there.  That’s when Joyce texted that they saw a falcon fly over them heading SE.  I thought that this was probably the one I had seen land at the SW wing, but I was wrong.  From in front of the Blue Cross Arena, I was finally able to see the falcon I had seen come in when I first started my watch.  It looked like Beauty and she was up there eating cached food.

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When she was through, she flew off of the TSB and landed on the Mercury statue’s money bag hand.

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Since there was no sign of Dot.ca, I left Joyce and Brian on the BSB and headed over to the BS location.  Dot.ca was obvious as soon as I pulled in.  He was up on the NW corner of the NW extension.  But where was Pigott?  There was no vocalization at all.  It was very quiet.  That’s when I saw a small flash of white from the window scrape.  There was Pigott, or at least her head. (5:00 pm)  lol

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At 5:10 pm, first Dot.ca took off and flew around the back of the building and then Pigott came out of the window scrape and landed on the same spot Dot.ca had vacated.  Dot.ca flew back to the front of the building and he and Pigott copulated on the NW corner.  She remained there and Dot.ca flew over to and landed on the NW corner of the NE extension.  Now there was a falcon on each end of the north side of the building.  That’s where they were when I left to check on Beauty one more time before heading home.  The rain had finally arrived.

Beauty was still on top of the Mercury statue, facing the river (east).  I was happy to find both locations quiet and peaceful.  No juvies or unbanded tiercels in sight.  Dot.ca continues to visit both locations and continues to copulate with both Beauty and Pigott.  We know that as of my writing this report, Beauty has not laid an egg in the nest box.  I’m not so sure about whether Pigott has laid an egg or not in the window scrape.  There is no way of knowing for sure.  The Watchers will continue to watch and report what they see.

At 6:45 pm, I ended my watch with Ms Beauty sitting on one of her favorite perches in the gentle rain.  We all will have to wait to see what happens.

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Oh, and some good news!  Both Rhea Mae and Quest have laid their 4th eggs today!  The M&K legacy continues on.  🙂

Goodnight everyone and remember to click on any pictures you would like to see larger.   Thanks!

By Rochester Falcon Watcher MAK

At 40  (F) -1 (C) it was 10 degrees cooler than yesterday to start my watch but still a nice morning with overcast skies and calm winds. Matter of fact todays watch was calm as well, which was just fine with this falcon watcher.

I arrived on the Broad St. Bridge (BSB) at 6:30am and didn’t see any PEFAs so I continued on to the east side . I would repeat this twice as there were no falcons to be found until I returned to BSB  and saw a falcon fly to the nest box at 6:50am. Less than 5 minutes later Beauty flew to the Mercury money bag (MMB) and in a blur because it happened so fast, Dot.Ca (DC) mated with her as she landed for like 2 seconds and then he flew to the jail tower. Well, that’s a fine how do you do and good morning to you too DC!

10 minutes later both Beauty and DC flew west out of sight.

I drove to the Court St. bridge to have a look from there and as I turned off Court onto Exchange Blvd. I spotted Beauty up on the northeast wing ledge. I pulled over in front of the Blue Cross Arena to observe the Beautyful one as she walked to the back of the ledge and grabbed some cached food.

She spent the next half hour plucking feathers and eating. When she was finished she cached what was left at the back of the ledge and flew off to the MMB where she started cleaning up after her snack.

I left Beauty to check the Brighton site (BS) and when I arrived there were 2 falcons flying over the west extension. I pulled over and watched them split up with 1 flying north in the direction of downtown and the other flying south both leaving my field of vision. I drove back downtown thinking DC was the one that flew north. Beauty was alone and still on Mercury so I turned right around and went back to BS. I found Pigott on the northwest corner ay 8:15am.

I stayed about 30 minutes checking around the building a couple times and decided to return to downtown. I landed on the BSB as Beauty was still on the money bag and decided I would just stay put and wait with Beauty for DC to show up.

At around 8:50am Beauty flew to the nest box and DC came flying in to land on the MMB.

10 minutes later DC flew down to the base of Mercury and appeared to be looking for cached food. While he was doing that Beauty flew over to the Mercury money bag and then DC flew up to her and they had another quick copulation. Beauty flew to the nest box and DC to the deck-I think he went there to look for cached food because he never went in with Beauty, just stood there and then left.

<DC     Click on pics for full version <Beauty

DC did not return and Beauty flew over to Mercury coming to rest on the money bag. Around 9:30am Beauty,who had been watching a prey item below her somewhere took off, circled the Thomson Reuters building then above the Blue Cross Arena and back to the MMB.

At this point I thought I would give one more shot at BS and it paid off as I found Miss Pigott on the northwest corner of the west extension and DC in the back on the southwest corner.

<DC  Pigott>

Kelly a fellow falcon watcher stopped by and chatted with me for a few minutes and checked out the birds on her way thru around 10:00am. Almost an hour later DC flew over and mated with Pigott on the northwest corner of the west extension and then he flew to the cubby and started echupping. Pigott joined him and they both were echupping for a couple minutes then it was quiet for a bit followed by soft vocalizations and then DC flew out and left the area.

Pigott to cubby

2 minutes later Pigott came out to the edge of the cubby and whined a bit.

Pigott flew over to the northwest corner and watched in the direction of downtown. I figured that’s where DC went so I left to check downtown one last time before ending my watch. I spent 45 minutes looking but failed to find a falcon anywhere downtown so I called it around 11:45am. It was a calmer watch than any from the past few days and I did see all 3 of our falcons-2 good reasons to smile! 🙂

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

http://share.shutterfly.com/action/welcome?sid=0AaN3DFm0ZMWrcIA

http://youtu.be/1O1R4fBQOJU
http://youtu.be/_XFdc-ZJuZw
http://youtu.be/GaHBKwQ4s04
http://youtu.be/NoMtC_A625k
http://youtu.be/9UfAeDaRPgM

By Rochester Falcon Watcher Carol P.

What do you get when you mix peregrine falcons and high winds?  Flying Falcons!  lol

That’s what I had for much of my watch today.

It went up to 72 degrees in Rochester, NY and the wind gusts had to be 40-50 mph.  I’m just guessing, but that’s sure what they felt like.

I arrived downtown just before noon to find Beauty in the nest box and Dot.ca (I assumed) above her on the NE wing ledge.  Soon after I parked on the Broad St Bridge (BSB), Dana joined me.  She had been at the BS location before coming downtown.  Since it was quiet downtown and B&DC were on the TSB, she decided to head back to BS, while I remained downtown.  This way we could cover both areas.

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12:35 pm – Beauty took off and headed downtown.  She was flying over and around the buildings, it was hard to keep up with her.  Then Dot.ca joined her.  He ended up over the library and then over Xerox.  The next thing I knew, a Red-tailed Hawk (RTH) came in a little to close to the Times Square Bldg (TSB) and both Beauty and Dot.ca flew up to the RTH and started diving on it, taking turns, until they drove it out of the area, heading NE.

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Because of the high winds and warm temperatures, both Beauty and Dot.ca were enjoying flying high above their territory.  Also, moving through the area were lots of migrating birds, including Turkey Vultures and a group of Cormorants heading west.

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The usually graceful flyer the Turkey Vulture, was rocking back and forth, trying to control its flight.

At 1:00 pm, Beauty returned to the nest box on the TSB.

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At 1:05 pm, it looked like Dot.ca soaring over the downtown area.  He flew over to the Chase-Lincoln Tower (C-L Tower) and just hovered there, in place, not flapping his wings.  All of a sudden, he folded his wings and stooped on something at the top of the C-L Tower.  I saw a dark bird, approximately Dot.ca’s size come off , and Dot.ca chased it down the side of the building and behind the shorter buildings to the east.

At 1:20, I saw a peregrine falcon riding the winds heading SE.  I quickly texted that it might be D.C. heading back to the BS location.  At 1:25, Dana reported copulation at the BS location.  My bet is that it was Dot.ca arriving from downtown.

At 1:45 pm, Beauty was back in the nest box and there was a smaller falcon up at the NE wing ledge.  I assumed that Dot.ca was back, but with other peregrine falcons being spotted by the other watchers today, I couldn’t be sure.

Then he was gone!  Zipping back over the downtown area.

By 2:00 pm, I was seeing lots of raptors flying over downtown Rochester, including Turkey Vultures, Red-tailed Hawks and a Coopers Hawk.  The migration was in full swing today.   The high winds made it hard to take pictures.  They would literally push you, making it almost impossible to hold the camera steady.  Here is a picture showing my view on the north side of the BSB.

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A huge thank you to my two on-line watchers today, Ei & NCAFalcons (NT).  Without your help, I would have a really hard time seeing if Ms. Beauty was in the nest box or not.  🙂

Since it was very quiet downtown, I headed out to the BS location.  When I arrived there, one falcon was at the window scrape and the other one was zipping around the building.  I mean cranking.  This was definitely a banded adult male, not the juvie seen by Dana earlier or Joyce later in the day.  Pretty sure it was Dot.ca.  I found him on the east side tree ledge while Pigott remained on the window scrape.

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By this time, I was joined by Joyce.  Kelly stopped by for a quick visit before heading home.  She told us she had just come from Braddock Bay and that the migration passing near the lake (Ontario) was incredible.  She saw her first Golden Eagle and some Sandhill Cranes passed through.  Dot.ca flew over the building to the north side.  We found him eating on  the south end of the SW extension.

I watched until he finished.  He then took off again and this time flew over the building to the south side.

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I had to leave at 4:00 pm, but I told Joyce I would check the downtown area before heading home.  From the BSB, I could see Beauty inside the nest box at 4:30 pm.

I was very happy to see all three Rochester Falcons on this sunny, warm and windy Sunday.  It was definitely a very nice day!

Goodnight everyone!  Remember to click on any pictures you would like to see larger.  Thanks!