By Rochester Falcon Watcher Carol P.

Today at 11:00 am, the Rochester Falcon Watchers gathered on Broad St in front of the Blue Cross Arena (Rochester War Memorial) for our annual toast to the Rochester Falcons.  Watchers included Dan, Kathy O, Lisa McK, Jeanne, Shaky, Carrie, Lynda, Tim, Larry (with Zeke), MAK (with Bella), Joyce, Pat (with her falcon puppet friend) and me, Carol P.  Missing today were Brian H, Dana and Lou, who were unable to make it but were there in spirit.

We were all very thankful for a successful 2016 falcon season with four successful fledges, Matilda, Aria, Lilac and Leo.  Our toast was to a success 2017 for our Rochester Falcons, Beauty, Dot.ca, Billie and Seth!  We also hoped to see more of our young falcons in the coming years.  Seeing Genesee was such a treat!

Before the toast, I was able to find both Beauty and Dot.ca on the Ellwanger and Barry Bldg.  By the time I was able to get a closer look, they were both gone.

Here are some pictures from this year’s Watchers Toast.

Here’s one taken by our Rfalconcam cameras from the nest box on the Times Square Bldg.  Shaky was there to make sure that the rest of our falcon fans around the world could watch our toast to the falcons.

After the toast was over and everyone left, I drove around downtown before heading home.  I found both Beauty and Dot.ca on the OCSR.  Dot.ca was inside the elevator shaft and Beauty was on the top Ibeam on the north side.  I also ran into my friend and fellow watcher Kelly.  It was so nice to see her!  🙂

While Kelly and I were chatting, Beauty took off and landed on the Time Square Bldg on the ledge under the southeast wing.

It was wonderful seeing all those that gathered for the toast today and Beauty & Dot.ca.  Happy New Year everyone!

By Rochester Falcon Watcher Carol P.

Here we are.  Christmas is done and 2016 is coming to an end.  I wanted to get out today to check on our falcons. To do a headcount.

After a high of 50 degrees at midnight, it was 36 degrees during my watch.  Most of the snow that had accumulated over the past few weeks was all but gone.

After checking Charlotte/Summerville, Seneca Towers and Hawkeye, with no falcons found, I headed downtown.  It didn’t take me long to find both Beauty and Dot.ca side-by-side on the south side of OCSR on the top Ibeam.

I kept watch from Aqueduct St, aka “the hole”.  There wasn’t much traffic downtown due to the holidays, so it was easy to find a place to park.  The neighborhood pigeons came to visit and I gave them some of the seed I always carry with me in my car.  They were very appreciative!  🙂

Beauty and Dot.ca were settled in, so I drove over to the Brighton Site (BS).  I found a falcon on the east side tree ledge.  She never turned around the whole time I was there, so I can only assume that it was our unbanded female.

I stayed there for awhile hoping to get an identification.  No luck.

Back downtown, I parked on the Court St Bridge.  Beauty and Dot.ca were still where I had left them, on the south side of OCSR.

While I was there, Beauty took off on a hunt, chasing the pigeons down the river.  She returned, empty-taloned, landing next to Dot.ca.  Soon after that a Coopers Hawk flew through the area, again scaring the pigeons that had just settled down.  Both Beauty and Dot.ca ignored the hawk.

They were working on the Blue Cross Arena sign, removing the big “C” and replacing it.

I wanted to check out the pedestrian bridge at High Falls.  It had been awhile since I had visited.  There was a lot of water flowing over the falls and into the gorge from the melting snow.

The unique brewery Christmas Tree was on display.

There was a little bit of damage to the “G” on the Genesee Brewery sign.  Probably caused by the high winds we had last night.

On my way home, I again drove through Charlotte.  There was a juvie Red-tailed Hawk hunting near the Charlotte Lighthouse.

Abbotts is closed for the season, but spring will be here before we know it.  Ice Cream anyone?  🙂

I hope everyone enjoyed their Christmas with family and friends.

By Rochester Falcon Watcher MAK

It was overcast with light misty rain at times and a temperature of 37 (F) 3 (C) degrees

Merry Christmas from our Rochester Peregrine Falcons and myself!

I started my watch about 10 minutes before sunrise at Seneca Towers (ST) but nobody was home so I drove to downtown. From the hole (Aqueduct St.) I spotted both Beauty and Dot,ca (DC) on the top I-beam southeast side of OCSR. She was near the south corner and he was at the other end nearer to the elevator shaft eating. There were white down feathers all along the ledge surrounding him.

When I wasn’t paying attention they both left OCSR and flew over to the Mercury statue. I watched DC land on the money bag (MMB) while she was already on the base eating what I assume were cached leftovers as she didn’t spend much time chowing down.

Make sure to click on pics to see full version

DC was quite content to watch the Beautyful one from above with his very full crop. She soon went out of view before I realized she had flown off back over to OCSR on the same spot she had been earlier.

<DC

<Beauty

Beauty didn’t stay there for long when she left and flew to the MMB to replace DC who had flown over to the Times Square building (TSB) under the southeast wing.

<Beauty DC>

Beauty was on the hunt as she flew off to chase pigeons over the river near the Blue Cross Arena. She was unsuccessful and returned to the MMB as DC kept an eye on her.

I decided to check out the Genesee River scene from the Court St. bridge. Gulls were flying and ducks were swimming as I taped a couple videos of them. Beauty could be seen still on Mercury and DC on TSB from there as I left them to check the Brighton site (BS).

I had no luck finding our visiting winter falcon friend but on the way over I saw a juvenile Red-tailed Hawk land on a South Avenue light pole.

I was unable to find any falcons in Charlotte/Summerville or Irondequoit today. When I got home to ST I found only Billie on the south end top window ledge with a full crop too! She was busy looking over her surroundings perhaps waiting for Seth to show up as I was.

Seth never joined us so I ended my watch at 11am and left Buffalo Billie to relax and digest her BIG Christmas breakfast. So glad to have seen falcons this morning-no other gift makes me smile more! 🙂

Click on the links below to see today’s videos

https://youtu.be/CVqtckmCzQo

https://youtu.be/oJdVt3x6tDE

https://youtu.be/Lh_4vIdSe7Y

https://youtu.be/L9KYdd4hkpE

https://youtu.be/dMGkmkPVTQo

By Rochester Falcon Watcher Carol P.

My Christmas Eve morning watch started out with temps in the low 40’s and light rain.  The sun never did make an appearance while I was out.

I started my watch at the Charlotte/Summerville area, hoping to find Genesee or maybe a Snowy Owl.  No luck seeing either of them.  The Port of Rochester Pigeons were relaxed and the ducks were sleeping.  All was quiet here.

Nearby there was a Christmas Tree with a star at the top of it.

At Seneca Towers I found both Billie and Seth at home.  Billie was on the north end window ledge and Seth was on the northwest corner.

As I drove towards downtown Rochester, I checked out the old Hawkeye plant.  I could not see any falcons there.

Downtown, I found both Beauty and Dot.ca on the OCSR.  Dot.ca was inside the elevator shaft on the south side ledge and Beauty was on the north side top IBeam.

My last stop was the Brighton Site (BS).  I didn’t trust the driveway due to snow/ice, so I headed over to the next street where I had a good view of the east side of the building.  I found a falcon on the tree ledge.  I was too far away to get a good look, but I’m pretty sure it was the unbanded female we have been seeing there.

All was peaceful and quiet.

I want to wish all of you a very Merry Christmas!  Here are some beautiful Christmas lights I’ve seen over the past few days.  Enjoy!

Even the downtown buildings are very festive!

By Rochester Falcon Watcher MAK

It was 22 (F) -6 (C) degrees and snow covered when I set out this morning at 9am and when I ended my watch it was 35 (F) 2 (C) with overcast conditions throughout

I picked up fellow falcon watcher and good friend, Jeanne and her dog Bella around 9:30am to go look for Snowy Owls along the Lake Ontario shoreline. We made stops in Charlotte and Summerville to see if maybe Genesee was around with no luck. In Ontario Beach Park we watched as some gulls were feeding on berries in a tree. That was something neither one of us had ever seen before.

Make sure to click on the pics to see the full version

We also checked Buck Pond, Long Pond, Cranberry Pond and Braddock Bay with no sightings.We also made stops at the Medley Center Mall,  Seabreeze and the Newport Marina to check the Irondequoit Bay. We saw 4 deer, a couple Black-backed Gulls, Mute Swans, various ducks and geese but no Snowy Owls.

<Rudolph

Click> 

At Seneca Towers we found Billie on the northwest corner and Seth on the west side railing before he took off and didn’t come back. They both had a full crop with Buffalo Billie looking like she swallowed a baseball! lol

<Click

<Billie>

<Seth>

Next stop was downtown where we spotted Beauty on the northeast corner of the Crossroads building from the Andrews St. bridge.

Unfortunately, we didn’t find Dot.ca (DC) which might explain why the Beautyful one was looking around from her high perch. Hmm, could he have been over at the Brighton Site with the wintering female visitor !? I’m sure he knows she’s there.

I didn’t check there as they don’t plow it very good and I didn’t want to get stuck in the snow. We’ve gotten close to a foot of snow here in the last couple days. After I took Jeanne and Bella home I checked downtown again to find Beauty still on Crossroads. While checking the OCSR elevator shaft for DC she took off and ended up on the Mercury money bag where I found her from the hole (Aqueduct St.). She had her back to me and soon flew off heading east and quickly left my field of vision behind the Thomson Reuters building. The Broad St. bridge is still under construction so we can’t park on it to observe the falcons.

Finally, I ended my watch at 4:30pm with Billie still on the northwest corner of Seneca Towers and Seth had not returned. Even though we didn’t see any owls Jeanne, Bella and I had a nice day with lots of smiles! 🙂

Click on the link below to view a video of Beauty watching over her territory

https://youtu.be/ZWcdpIbe3Qk

By Rochester Falcon Watcher MAK

It was a chilly, windy morning in Rochester but the sun was shining for a change with a temperature of 20 (F)  7 (C)

After I had some blood work done this morning I set out for a falcon watch, so I had a late start. I didn’t see any falcons at Seneca Towers, Medley Center or Hawkeye when I checked on my way to downtown. When I arrived Beauty and Dot.ca (DC) were on the top I-beam southeast side of OCSR. As I pulled over at the Radisson Hotel by Main St. DC flew off circled above and out of view only to return to OCSR and fly up into the elevator shaft and land on the south side. He had food in his crop. I couldn’t see him from there so after I watched the Beautyful one for a few minutes I drove to the north side of the hotel and observed him from Bragdon Place where I could see that he had food in his crop.

Be sure to click on the pics to see the full version

Next I decided to go to Graves St. by Aqueduct Park to get a look at the front of Beauty. She was really washed out by the sun from that angle but from this vantage point I could see that she too had food in her crop. She had one eye lid closed and after a couple minutes she pooped and flew off over the river, circled back and disappeared behind OCSR.

I then drove back over to Bragdon Place to check on DC again and look for Beauty. I found her on the top I-beam northeast side of OCSR.

<Click it

I left them as they were and left to check the Brighton Site (BS). Once there, I spotted the unbanded female that Joyce has named Win (winter visitor). She was on the east face of the southeast extension 4 windows down in the corner where it meets the east extension. It was the first time she didn’t have her back to me and she actually walked to the other end of the window ledge, stretched and scratched! That was the most action I’ve seen out of this PEFA. She too, had food in her crop.

I ended my morning watch at that time as I was going to pick Joyce up to go to Buffalo and check on the Central Terminal (CT) site where Diamante (2008 offspring of Mariah and Kaver of Rochester) had  held the nest site and territory with Gleig (sister to Pigott from Hamilton,Ontario Canada). He was found injured yesterday, sustaining wounds that led the Department of Environment and Conservation (DEC) to believe he was in a battle over the territory. Gleig had been seen by Sage (Buffalo falcon watcher) earlier before we arrived. Unfortunately, she was not there when we were. All we saw was lake effect wind driven snow off Lake Erie and pigeons huddled along ledges trying to keep warm.

<Click>

There were some clear moments when we first arrived at CT but soon we were besieged by a snow squall so we left and headed for home as it weather was only going to get worse.

<Click

We stopped at the University of Buffalo before we left for Rochester but we didn’t see any falcons. Little did we know that we had just missed witnessing the tragic death of Dixie, the female at the site and mate to Yankee. Just minutes before, she had been seen stooping on a pigeon and was hit by a car. Our deepest condolences to all the Buffalo watchers and the fans around the world who watch the webcam there. An update on Diamante is that he was standing up and taking food today and that is enough to put a smile on our faces after all the bad news! 🙂

Click on the links below to see videos from today’s watch

https://youtu.be/fnXloabv3gM

https://youtu.be/_GBTq5hu1E4

https://youtu.be/P7VmhVAJmWI

https://youtu.be/U0roAJkrm2Q

https://youtu.be/4emZ3_XxWoA

By Rochester Falcon Watcher Carol P.

First I’ll start by saying, it’s been awhile since we’ve seen Genesee.  We hope he is safe and just out wandering.  That’s what they do afterall.  🙂  Hope to see you again soon Genesee!

Over the past week, I have seen Beauty and Dot.ca (Downtown Rochester), Billie and Seth (Seneca Towers), the unbanded female at the Brighton Site and a pair  at Hawkeye.  After checking my pictures of the pair at Hawkeye, I believe that the male was banded and the female had no bands.  It was quiet and peaceful at all locations.

Here are some pictures from my watches.  Enjoy!

<— Billie and Seth on the NW corner of Seneca Towers (12/1/16)

<— Sunrise over downtown Rochester. (12/4/16)

<— Dot.ca on Times Square Bldg wing ring.  Missed getting a pic of Beauty on OCSR. (12/4/16)

<— Dot.ca on Jail Communication Tower. (12/4/16)

Here are a few pics of the pair I found at Hawkeye. (12/4/16)

<— Billie and Seth on Seneca Towers from Maplewood Park. (12/6/16)

<— I had to take pictures of Seneca Towers over a HUGE pile of leaves! (12/6/16)

<— Sunrise over Irondequoit Bay. (12/6/16)

By Rochester Falcon Watcher Carol P.

I was out and about most days this week, checking on our falcons.  Most mornings and some evenings I see Genesee down at the Charlotte/Summerville area.  He usually shows up on the Shumway antenna between 6:30 – 7:00 am and heads out to hunt.  Now that it’s getting dark early, Genesee will show up between 4:30 – 5:00 pm before flying south.  I usually join watchers Dana and Kathy O for these early morning and late afternoon Genesee Watches.

On Friday morning, Genesee had two falcon encounters.  They may have been the same falcon, but he reacted differently in both situations.  The first one happened when a falcon flew in from the south, low over the river.  Genesee spotted the falcon, who may have been hunting ducks on the river.  He started to alarm kak and took off.  Dana and I watched as Genesee chased the other falcon over the O’Rorke bridge and then return to the Shumway antenna.  We know he is very territorial right now, chasing Coopers Hawks, Merlins, Red-tailed Hawks and Bald Eagles, so it did not surprise us that he would chase a Peregrine out of his area.

About an hour later, Genesee became very antsy, looking straight up.  This time he started to ee-chup, over and over, very loudly.  He never left the Shumway antenna.  While I was watching Genesee, Dana spotted a Peregrine flying overhead. This is definitely what got Genesee’s attention.  We thought that it may have been a female, since his behavior was different than the first encounter, ee-chup vs. alarm kakking.  Was he trying to call her down?  Being able to watch this young falcon’s behavior has been fascinating.  🙂

Over the past week, I’ve seen Genesee, Beauty & Dot.ca, one falcon at Seneca Towers (too far to ID), one falcon at Hawkeye on the railing (based on size a male, but I could not ID) and the unbanded female at the Brighton Site.

Here are some pictures from my watches.  Enjoy!

November 23, 2016

Genesee eating on the Shumway antenna.

November 24, 2016

An early morning sunrise over the Genesee River.  A glimpse of Genesee’s world.

November 25, 2016

<— Hawkeye – Unidentified falcon on railing.  Male based on size.

<— Downtown – Beauty eating on base of Mercury.

<— Brighton Site (BS) – Unbanded female.

November 27, 2016

<— Charlotte/Summerville – Early Sunday Morning – Genesee on Shumway before heading out to hunt.

<— Downtown – Beauty and Dot.ca on the Kodak Tower.

I found both Beauty and Dot.ca on the Kodak Tower today.  Beauty was on the south side arch ledge, above where the old Mariah and Kaver nest box used to be located.  Dot.ca was on the southeast corner of the playpen netting, just below her.  He was in hunt mode, stooping down the south face of the building, flushing and chasing the pigeons that were hiding on the Kodak letters ledge.  He did this quite a few times, but was not successful while I was there.  Beauty watched him from above.  🙂

After ending my downtown watch, I headed back to Seneca Towers (ST).  From Maplewood Park, I saw one falcon on the north end railing near the northwest corner.  It was too far for me to tell if it was Billie or Seth.

<— Seneca Towers – Billie or Seth?

Happy Thanksgiving everyone!

By Rochester Falcon Watcher Carol P.

It was time to go out for my weekend falcon headcount and I was happy to have my friend and fellow Watcher Kathy O join me.  It was an absolutely gorgeous fall morning.  Here’s what we saw.

Downtown, we found both Beauty and Dot.ca together on the Frontier Communication Tower’s northeast box.  They do so enjoy each others company.  🙂

The roof of the nearby church was covered in pigeons.

Our next stop was the Brighton Site (BS) where we found our unbanded female in flight.  This was a first for both of us.  She’s usually settled on one of the window ledges on the east side of the building, sleeping.  We enjoyed watching her fly over the building for a few moments before she headed south..  We waited for awhile, but she did not return.

We did check Medley Center, and found no falcons there.  I checked the area carefully for any evidence of falcons being there recently, but found nothing.

At Seneca Towers, the only thing we saw was a Coopers Hawk flying high above the gorge.  We lost site of it when it stooped behind the building.

Kathy ended her watch here and I continued on to the Charlotte/Summerville area.  Genesee was home on top of the Shumway antenna/tower.

I was joined by Dana and Lou.  Genesee was hyper-aware of his surroundings, watching everything that passed by.  After about a 1/2 hour, he took off heading northwest.  We followed, and Dana spotted him chasing off a Red-tailed Hawk. Before ending my watch, I checked out the area one more time and found G on top of the Coast Guard Tower (CGT).  I texted it out so that Dana and Lou were able to find him.  It was time to head home.  🙂

By Rochester Falcon Watcher MAK

It was a warm sunny morning by mid November standards with a busy breeze and a temperature of  42 (F) 6 (C)

Click on the pics to see the full version

I started my watch about 20 minutes before the sun came up and didn’t see any falcons at Seneca Towers (ST) when I left. On my way downtown, I spotted a falcon on the ring behind the dilapidated nest box at the closed Kodak Hawkeye plant. I didn’t see any bands on either leg.

I left after a few minutes and as I was checking the statue of Mercury I found a few starlings hanging out on it while there were no falcons around. My second check of the Frontier Communications tower (FCT) bagged me the Beautyful one on the northeast cube with a full crop.

A few minutes later Dot.ca (DC) flew in from the east and landed on a support beam to the northeast cube.

Soon after, DC made his way over to his mate and perched right next to Beauty. What a lovely pair they have become!

Beauty was napping on and off as her breakfast digested and DC kept an eye on their surroundings while doing some preening in between.

I left them to do their thing as it seemed they were settled in for a while.

I checked ST in passing on my way to Charlotte but again nobody was home. I had to wonder if the unbanded bird I saw at Hawkeye may have been the reason I didn’t see them-perhaps they were escorting it out of their territory. Anyway, I found Genesee on the Coast Guard antenna eating when I arrived in Charlotte. The sun was behind him causing some not so good pics so I headed over to Summerville on the other side of the river.

Once there, I parked in the Silk OLoughlins bar parking lot where I was much closer to Genesee and the lighting was perfect.

Genesee finished up with his meal shortly after I got there and then started working his way across to the opposite corner from where he started. He was feaking (wiping his beak) the whole way and stopped half way through to poop before starting to pick at his talons. Can’t be leaving any tidbits behind after all!

On the move again and after a slip he made it to the corner. There was more feaking and cleaning up after his messy breakfast-he also had a bit of blood on his full crop.

Right around 9am Genesee took wing and flew north over the lake and out of view.

I ended my watch at 9:15am after checking all of Seneca Towers with no luck finding Billie or Seth. It was fun sharing space with Genesee up close and personal, thus putting a smile on this watcher’s face! 🙂

Click on the links below to see today’s videos

https://youtu.be/cEebiCZpldk

https://youtu.be/cmICdaqjEiE

https://youtu.be/bfc8SC9ZAfg