By Rochester Falcon Watcher Carol P.

Just a quick report from this weekend’s headcount.

Genesee at Charlotte/Summerville.

Beauty and Dot.ca, Downtown Rochester.

<— Dot.ca in the OCSR Elevator Shaft.

<— Beauty on the south side of OCSR.

The unbanded female at the Brighton Site.

I was not able to find Billie and Seth at Seneca Towers, but they were seen by other watchers.

I’d like to end with some pictures of Genesee’s world.  We are so enjoying keeping an eye on him in the Charlotte/Summerville area.

By Falcon Watcher MAK

It was partly sunny and brisk with a temperature of  31 (F) 1 (C) and a bit of a breeze

Make sure to click on pics to see the full version

I started my watch at Seneca Towers (ST) just before the sun came up with no falcon sightings at that time. When I arrived downtown I found Beauty on the top I-beam southeast side of OCSR. Dot.ca (DC) showed up shortly after and landed close to the south corner.

The Beautyful one was looking around and trying to extract a pellet off and on and she was successful as can be seen in the snippet video. DC had his back to me and was doing a bit of preening.

<Beauty DC>

I left them to warm up in the sun and hang out together, just the way we like to see them. On my way to Charlotte to see Genesee I stopped at ST and found both Billie and Seth sharing a meal together. When I first arrived at the Northridge Church parking lot she was plucking feathers and he was eating. There’s no way to know that they were eating from the same prey or if it may have been cached food but happily they both had food to eat on a chilly morning.

<Click<Billie Seth>

They both finished eating before I left them and just before I left Dana tweeted that KathyO had joined her as Genesee left the Shumway antenna.

I joined them but Genesee never returned so we said our goodbyes and I left to check along the lakeshore. I found a Great Blue Heron in Buck Pond fishing for his breakfast.

I drove as far as the west end of Cranberry Pond then made my way back to Charlotte and also checked the Summerville side of the river with no luck. I took a few pics during my travels.

Lighthouse along the Lake Ontario shore

Weathervane on Pelican’s Nest  roof

Stained glass window on Port of Rochester <Click

When I was in a parking lot just south of the coast guard in Summerville I came across a deceased gull which had been decapitated with its head a few feet away from the body. I thought that perhaps it was a kill from a Peregrine as they take the heads off from their prey. Next I went to Turning Point Park and took a few pics of the foliage and then a pic of the O’Rourke bridge that spans the Genesee River and connects Charlotte to Summerville.

As I was making my way home I got a tweet from Dana saying she was watching an unbanded adult Peregrine Falcon eating on a pole on North Greece Rd. so I turned around and headed that way. As I was driving on the Lake Ontario State Parkway I spotted some Cormorants in a tree by Long Pond. I stopped to check them out as I like this species of water bird with their big black feet.

I made it just in time to see the falcon Dana had reported on a pole. It was done eating and had a fairly full crop as I pulled over to observe it. I got only a few pics before it scratched its head, roused and then flew off heading southwest out of view.

I ended my watch at 10:30am after a nice morning with my fine feathered friends that left me smiling! 🙂

Click on the links below to see today’s videos

https://youtu.be/kQ5CtorXcGY

https://youtu.be/uT62kVzH_tY

https://youtu.be/3UGa4acBPGc

By Rochester Falcon Watcher Carol P.

It was a beautiful fall day here in Rochester, NY.  Crisp temps in the 40’s, but the sun was bright making it seem warmer than it really was.

I started my watch at Charlotte, where I met Dana.  We had no luck finding Genesee today.  Hopefully he was just out on a day trip somewhere and will return soon.

Here are a few pics I took of Genesee from yesterday.  He was enjoying breakfast on the Shumway tower.

After leaving Charlotte this morning, I headed towards Seneca Towers to check on Billie and Seth.  From my vantage point at Maplewood Park, I could see both were home.  Billie was eating on top of the building at the north end and Seth was nearby on the west side railing.  I was too far away to positively ID them.

My next stop was downtown Rochester.  I quickly found both Beauty and Dot.ca on the Widow’s Walk (WW) bldg, which is located behind the Times Square Bldg.

–> Pic 1 Beauty and Dot.ca; Pic 2 Dot.ca; Pic 3 Beauty

They both took off, but returned to the Widow’s Walk a few moments later.

<— Dot.ca on WW.

<– Beauty on WW

<– Dot.ca (Front) & Beauty (Back) on WW.

Dot.ca took off and landed on the back of the Times Square Bldg.

Dot.ca retrieved a cache of food and flew with it heading north.  A few moments later, Beauty followed.  I found both of them on the Frontier Communication Tower (FCT).  Dot.ca was on top of the large white drum eating his meal and Beauty was neaby on the southwest box.

<– Pic 1 Beauty and Dot.ca on FCT; Pic 2 Dot.ca with food on large white drum; Pic 3 Beauty on SW box.

It was time for me to move on.  My next check was at the Brighton Site (BS) location.  I had no luck finding the unbanded female we have seen hanging out there.

I checked downtown on my way back through and found both Beauty and Dot.ca together on the southwest box.  These two have become quite the pair.

Continuing on, I noticed that the last of the buildings at the Beebee Station (old RG&E) were now gone.  There is an unobstructed view to the other side of the gorge now.  I have such wonderful memories of our falcons on the buildings and stacks that used to exist there.

<— Looking across the gorge, now that the Beebee Station is gone.

There is one remaining smokestack that still stands just north of where the Beebee Station used to be.  There were two Red-tailed Hawks on top of it, side-by-side.  Probably mom and dad of the young Red-tails we saw flying in the gorge during the summer.

Before heading home, I stopped at Charlotte for one last look for Genesee.  Again I had no luck finding him.  But I did find the juvie Coopers Hawk on the hunt.

The fall colors have been outstandingly beautiful this year.  Here are a few that I’ve seen during my travels this weekend.

By Rochester Falcon Watcher MAK

It was overcast and a bit breezy with a temperature of  49 (F) 9 (C)

I started my watch at Seneca Towers (ST) before sunrise. I took a few pics of the foliage surrounding ST yesterday-lots of yellow as we are a bit past peak with our colors. There were a bunch of gulls floating on a log down in the Genesee River.

Make sure to click on pics to see the full version

I drove down to the north end of the parking lot and found who I believe was Billie on the east end of the top window ledge. It was still somewhat dark out so the photo quality is not too good.

I left for downtown after a few minutes and found both Beauty and Dot.ca (DC) on the top I-beam south side of OCSR. He was near the south corner and she was 9 windows over to his right. I shared space with them from Graves St. and then I went over to the Radisson Hotel by Main St. They were both preening and looking around for breakfast to present itself. The Beautyful one gave me a shot at a nice fantail shot while DC stuck his neck out.

I taped them while on Graves St. and caught a rouse by Beauty that shook out a sizable dust cloud from her feathers. I think she ought to take a bath! lol Beauty was pulling out lots of white down feathers as she should be nearing the end of her molt and DC was busy looking for prey birds.

At 8:19am Beauty took off to the northeast, followed by DC who went into a stoop over the river and then they disappeared behind the Radisson Hotel. A few seconds later they came back into view flying over toward Times Square and then headed north past the Wilder building as DC again went into a stoop before leaving my field of vision.

<Beauty taking off

I searched the entire downtown area but couldn’t find either one of them again so I left for Charlotte where Dana had reported seeing Genesee on the Coast Guard antenna. On my way through I checked ST from the Northridge Church parking lot and found Billie on the other end of the top north window ledge from where she had been earlier.

I decided to go to Summerville first where I could be up close and personal with Genesee-first from Silk OLoughton’s bar lot and then to the parking lot on the other side of the chain link fence. I was taping Genesee and when I started scanning the surroundings he took off.

Dana reported that she missed Genesee taking off as well. I left to join her on the Charlotte side of the river and then Carol reported that Genesee was back on the Coast Guard antenna. On the way I came across a decorative lighthouse and some pretty purple flowers in the Charlotte side parking lot.

Genesee soon took off and ended up on the Shumway Marine antenna. The 3 of us met up in the parking lot across the river from it. He was in hunt mode for sure as he looked every which way. A bunch of Mallard ducks swam by and I couldn’t help but notice some pretty foliage behind us.

Master Genesee returned to the antenna with breakfast-a mourning dove.

He seemed to not like his footing or something so he flew off with it only to return after circling above the river. Genesee resumed preparing his breakfast as the feathers were flying to the north in the breeze. He seemed to lose his footing and soon after hopped to the other side of the antenna.

I had to get going at this point-I left Carol and Dana to watch him eat his meal. It was good to see them. I stopped on my way home to take pics of a couple more pretty trees along the way. I ended my watch around 10am with a smile! 🙂

Click on the links below to see today’s videos. I apologize for the shakiness as my hands are not very steady these days!

https://youtu.be/iWHzrZC1tZI

https://youtu.be/qV1PBd_k-gE

https://youtu.be/aoELKSZeUzs

https://youtu.be/PSch3P2DLHg

By Rochester Falcon Watcher Carol P.

I made the rounds on Saturday and was very happy to find all the Rochester Falcons in their home territories.  🙂

Billie and Seth at Seneca Towers (ST).

Beauty and Dot.ca on the north side, top IBeam of OCSR.

Beauty and Dot.ca on the Frontier Communication Tower (FCT).

The unbanded female at the Brighton Site (BS).

Genesee on the Shumway Tower.

Genesee was in hunt mode.  He took off heading north.  I caught up with him, spotting him on top of the Port of Rochester Bldg.  At first he was by himself, but was soon joined by a bunch of pigeons that landed to his left.  It wasn’t long before he took off and the chase was on!  🙂

By Rochester Falcon Watcher MAK

It was a chilly 37 (F) 3 (C) degrees with wind, snow and graupel (sleet and snow mix) on and off  and dark, overcast conditions

I began my watch about 15 minutes before sunrise when it was still a bit dark out. Neither Billie or Seth were up yet at Seneca Towers (ST) so I made my way downtown. After checking from the Andrews St. bridge I went to the hole on Aqueduct St.and found both Beauty and Dot.ca (DC) on OCSR. He was on the south corner and she was a few feet to his right. They both had their backs to me and as I moved down to Graves St. at the corner of Main St. for a closer look at our downtown pair DC moved off the corner a little closer to the Beautyful one.

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

After a few minutes I drove over to the Radisson Hotel to get a different angle. They didn’t seem like they were in any hurry to hunt as DC was preening and Beauty had her feathers all foofed up to keep warm.

<DC<Beauty

I left them to make my way back to Seneca Towers and also checking Hawkeye on the way, but still there was nobody home. Next stop was the Medley Center Mall in Irondequoit where I spotted a Red-tail Hawk on a light pole in the north parking lot.

I left to get breakfast and when I returned the hawk was on a different light pole with its own breakfast. Not sure what it was eating but I watched it swallow down a leg. Good thing they don’t have gag reflex like we humans do!!

I left him to it and headed toward Charlotte to check for Genesee-checking ST again to no avail on the way to Charlotte. I got a tweet from Dana that she couldn’t find him and was ending her watch. I didn’t have any better luck but I took some pics during my travels.

Remember to click on the pics

Lighthouse in Summerville

Canada Geese at Shumway Marine

<Pelicans Nest carvings>

Finally, as I returned home I found Seth on the west side railing on ST with his back to me. He was looking all around and turned to face me before flying down toward the river gorge.

A couple minutes later a falcon flew to and landed on the northwest corner of the railing. I believe this was Billie as it looked bigger to me.

That’s all she wrote folks! I left her on the railing and ended my watch with a smile on my face at 10:45am on this late October morning! 🙂

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

https://youtu.be/ZpDCt1wr5ak

https://youtu.be/ODtdDZvpl1w

https://youtu.be/SIOhJCbvm9c

By Rochester Falcon Watcher Carol P.

After two straight days of mostly rain, a cloudy and cool (40’s) morning was very welcome.  By the end of my watch, it had made it into the 50’s and the sun was peeking out from behind the clouds.

I arrived on the Charlotte side of the Genesee River at about 7:30 am.  Genesee was no where to be found, but I did meet up with fellow watcher Dana.  Genesee finally arrived at about 8:30 am on the Coast Guard Tower (CGT).

<— Genesee Arrives on the CGT.

We watched him preen for about a 1/2 hour before he took off and flew over the Port of Rochester buildings.  Dana found him on one of the red-peaked roofs.  I parked on the west side of the buildings, on the west side of the new marina.  From there, I could see Genesee on the roof.  There was a beautiful stained glass sail boat below him.

<— Genesee on the Port of Rochester Roof.

At 9:20 am, Genesee stooped off of the roof, flying over a lower roof.  I lost sight of him, but Dana quickly found him on a light pole in front of the building.  Dana had to leave, so I stayed where I was to keep an eye on Genesee.

<— Genesee on Light Pole.

Genesee was very interested in something nearby on the ground.  I checked it out with my binoculars.  It was a dead pigeon.  He must have dropped it there.

<— Genesee’s Pigeon.

He made three attempts at retrieving the pigeon off the ground.

Third time was a charm!  He swooped over the pigeon, grabbed it and carried it up to the roof of the building.

<— This was one of his attempts to grab the pigeon.

Genesee settled down with his pigeon on the roof and enjoyed his breakfast.  I was very happy that he did not eat on the ground.  Genesee was very determined to get it higher, where he could safely eat it.

<— Genesee eating his pigeon on top of a roof on the Port of Rochester.

<— My view of the Port of Rochester across from the Marina.

After finishing his meal, Genesee returned to the light pole he had been on earlier.  He left the remainder of his meal on the roof.

A Crow flew in and landed next to Genesee’s leftovers.  Big mistake!  Genesee took off and the chase was on!  Genesee chased the Crow, low over the marina, swooping on it over and over again, until it landed on one of the piers.  Genesee then flew up over the Port of Rochester buildings, back and forth and finally off to the west.  That’s when I lost sight of him behind the trees.  After Genesee left, the Crow took off and beat wings, fast!  lol

<— Pics of Genesee going after the Crow, then leaving the area.

I decided to check on the other Rochester Falcons.  No falcons were home at Seneca Towers (ST) or the Brighton Site (BS), but I did find Beauty and Dot.ca at home.  When I first arrived on Aqueduct St (aka “the hole”), Dot.ca was on the top Ibeam of OCSR, south side.  He took off and flew around the east end of the building.  The road work on Aqueduct St seems to now be complete.

From the Radisson, I could see that Dot.ca was now up inside the elevator shaft.  Beauty was nearby on the north side top IBeam.

<— Beauty and Dot.ca on OCSR.

From the Andrew St Bridge, I saw Beauty take off.  She flew past the Frontier Communication Tower (FCT) and continued on towards the Kodak Tower.  She landed on the south side arch ledge, above where the old M&K nest box used to be located.  By the time I arrived at the KTower, she had moved up to the southeast corner of the launchpad.

<— Beauty on the Kodak Tower.

The Beebee Station is almost totally gone now, leaving an unobstructed view of the gorge.

<— Bye Bye Beebee Station.

On my way home, I stopped at Charlotte one last time (for today!  lol).  Genesee was on the Shumway antenna, and he was very wet.  I watched him preen for about a 1/2 hour before ending my watch at about 1:30 pm.

<— A very wet Genesee on the Shumway antenna.

By Rochester Falcon Watcher Carol P.

Here I am catching up again and sharing some pictures I’ve taken over the past week while out looking for falcons.  🙂

Things have been pretty quiet in the Rochester Falcon world.  Just how we watchers like it!

Some watchers have been out and about and keeping an eye on things.  So far all has been peaceful and quiet.

Be sure to click on any pictures you would like to see larger.  There are some showing Genesee’s world.  Enjoy!

<— Genesee and the Jet . – 10/14/16

<— Juvie Coopers Hawk hanging out with Genesee in Charlotte. – 10/14/16

<— Genesee hunting over the trees near the beach. – 10/14/16

<— Beauty and Dot.ca on Frontier Comm Tower. 10/15/16

<— Genesee on Shumway antenna. – 10/15/16

<— Sunset on Buck Pond. Love the sunsets here! – 10/15/16

<— Moon Over Charlotte Lighthouse. 10/18/16

<— Stephen B. Roman with O’Rourke Bridge raised in the background. – 10/18/16

<— Red Sky in the Morning Over Summerville. – 10/20/16

<— Rainbow over the Charlotte Lighthouse. – 10/20/16

By Rochester Falcon Watcher MAK

A beautiful fall evening with a temperature of  70 (F) 21 (C)

I came home this evening to Seneca Towers and was greeted by Billie. She was on the south end of the building top window ledge. She was watching her territory quite intently, perhaps looking for her mate, Seth.

Billie had a depleted crop so she could have been looking for dinner even though I could see blood on the bottom of her right foot.

Whatever the case, Miss Buffalo Billie was keeping an eye out for something and I was oh, so happy to share a short bit of quality time with her.

I left her to it with a smile on my face! 🙂

By Rochester Falcon Watcher Carol P.

Overcast, cold, breezy morning.  Temps in the mid-50’s (F).

I started my watch early this morning, joining Dana on the Summerville side of the Genesee River.  Genesee had arrived and already had a successful hunt.  When I got there, he was eating breakfast on top of the Coast Guard Tower (CGT).

After finishing his meal, he took off chasing a small flock of Starlings to the east.  We searched for him and ended up on the Charlotte side of the river.  Genesee returned to the CGT, then flew to the Shumway antenna.  From there, he took off flying low over the river heading south.  We lost sight of him when he flew under the O’Rourke Bridge, but a whole bunch of Pigeons took flight further down the river.  I’m sure that Genesee had something to do with that.  lol

*Be sure to click on any pics you would like to see in a larger version.*

<— Genesee eating breakfast on the CGT.

I left Dana to continue my morning watch.  I wanted to do a Rochester Falcon head count.

Seneca Towers (ST).  Billie and Seth were together on the north end window ledge.

<— Billie and Seth together on the north end window ledge of ST.

Downtown.  Beauty was up inside the OCSR elevator shaft and Dot.ca was on the top arm of the Frontier Comm Tower (FCT).  When I first reported it, I had them the other way around.  🙂

<— Beauty up inside the OCSR elevator shaft.

<— Dot.ca on the top arm of the Frontier Communication Tower.

My last stop was the Brighton Site (BS), where I found the unbanded female on the south side of the east end of the building.  She was doing a lot of preening and pulling lots of small fluff feathers.  She’s definitely going through a molt.

<— Unbanded female falcon at BS.

I was very happy to have seen 6 of the Rochester Falcons before ending my morning watch.  🙂