July 5th, 2020

Here is my morning movie, of video clips and pictures of our Peregrine Falcon juvies- by Auntiewood.

By Rochester Falcon Watcher Carol P.

So, here we are. It’s almost that time of year again, when our young eyases are losing their white fluff and getting ready to take their first flights. The Rochester Falcon Watchers are preparing to start the fledge watch. The eyases still have a lot of white fluff, so we still have a little bit of time.

It was a beautiful Sunday morning. Temps starting out in the 50’s, with bright sunshine and a brilliant blue sky. Dana and Lisa McK joined me for the morning watch. We decided to watch from the hole (aka Aqueduct St). From there we could see the eyas that had made it out onto the wall.

Our young falcons will not be banded this year due to the corona virus. So, we are looking for ways to tell them apart. We’re pretty sure that we have one boy and two girls. The smaller, blue footed eyas is the first to make it out onto the wall and is most probably a male. The two larger, yellow footed eyases are probably females.

From our position, we could see the eyas on the wall. Beauty was on top of the Mercury statue and Dot.ca was on top of the Times Square Bldg (TSB) under the NE wing.

Then there was our eyas playing peek-a-boo from the wall.

Here are some pics of the wall walking eyas that I took during the watch.

Finally all three eyases came into view!

Here’s the girls!

It’s just a matter of time before they join their brother on the wall.

When we ended our watch, Dot.ca was up on top of the TSB on the wing ring. We weren’t sure where Beauty was, maybe on Cam 4.

On our way home, we checked Seneca Towers. There was one adult up on the railing of the building. Last week we saw both adults (Billie & Beau?). We’re definitely keeping an eye on this area.

Please keep safe everyone!

By Rochester Falcon Watch Carol P.

Memorial Day is a time to remember those we’ve lost. Never forget.

This is actually my watch report from yesterday, Sunday, 5/24/20. My good friends Kathy O and Lisa McK joined me on the Court St Bridge (CSB). We set up our chairs more than 6 feet apart (that’s 2 falcon wingspans apart). It was a gorgeous Sunday morning.

When I first arrived, Beauty was on pan cam, keeping watch over the three eyases in the nest box. Dot.ca was on top of Mercury.

From the Court St Bridge, we could see an eyas inside the nest box.

It was so enjoyable being out in the fresh air and sunshine. Others had the same idea. Lots of joggers, bike riders and people just enjoying the beautiful day. The sky was bright blue with wispy clouds. The sound of running water from the river below filled the air. We did spot one Great Blue Heron, fishing on the river near the library.

The streets were mostly empty of cars, still from this corona virus. Such sad days. I do hope that some day, we will be able to return to how it was before.

Dot.ca flew in with a small package of food and landed on the nest box platform. Beauty met him there and took it into the hungry eyases.

After handing off the meal, Dot.ca (DC) flew out to the Frontier Communication Tower (FCT) and landed on the top arm.

Beauty finished feeding the eyases and we could see her in front of the nest box. Dot.ca flew over to the TSB and landed on the ledge under the northeast wing.

After awhile, Beauty moved up to the nest box roof. From there, she could keep watch over the eyases without them seeing her.

The morning grew warmer and the clouds began to move out, leaving a most beautiful blue sky. More people were out and about. Most moved out into the street to pass us. The wonderful smell from the Dinosaur BBQ reached us. Can I tell you, it smelled so delicious!

Back to the falcons… First Dot.ca and then Beauty took off.

Both took to the sky! Dot.ca landed in front of the nest box, his turn to guard the eyases, and Beauty flew above us, higher and higher. One of my favorite things to do is to watch a falcon fly, soaring with hardly a wing beat. Using the winds to rise up. Now that the eyases are larger, she does not have to be with them all the time. Dot.ca is more than capable to baby sit. 🙂

Kathy, Lisa and I just sat back and enjoyed the show.

This was our view from the Court St Bridge.

This is when we ended our Sunday Morning Falcon Watch. Three hours flew by, almost as fast as a Peregrine Falcon!

We were all saddened by the loss of our fourth eyas. Life goes on and we will watch over the three remaining eyases, but will never, ever forget the one we lost. Fly Free little one.

I’ll leave you with one last picture I took during Beauty’s flight. It just seemed appropriate to post on this Memorial Day. Take care everyone!

By Rochester Falcon Watcher Carol P.

Well here we are. It’s Spring, but it feels like Winter. The sun was out, but the air was frigid!

I started my watch on Aqueduct St. aka “the hole”. Due to our city being pretty much closed due to Covid19, the streets were close to empty. Thankfully, Beauty and Dot.ca continue to do their falcon duties. They have 4 young eyases to feed!

The pigeons in the hole immediately flew down for their Sunday morning seed. After that, I spotted Dot.ca (DC) on the Times Square Bldg (TSB), on the ledge below the SE wing.

Dot.ca was busy preening while I watched. Then he went still and all his attention was on the birds flying below him. It was time to hunt. He took off in a stoop, towards the street below.

I lost sight of him when he went behind the building between me and the TSB. I didn’t see him come out either side.

A couple minutes later, DC returned carrying prey towards the nest box. His hunt was a success.

He landed on the nest box platform, and brought the meal to Beauty and the eyases.

He stayed in the nest box for awhile, helping to feed the eyases. While I waited for him to come out, a Great Blue Heron flew overhead.

Finally Dot.ca flew out of the nest box and landed above on the NE wing ledge.

All was quiet, so I headed over to the Court St Bridge, where I ran into fellow falcon watcher Larry O and his dog Zeke.

From there we could see Beauty in the nest box and Dot.ca above under the NE wing.

Larry had to leave, so I made my way over to the library, where they are redoing the terrace on the north side of the Rundel Library, next to the river. For those folks that are watching the live streaming video, this is where the loud sounds are coming from.

It was time for me to end my Sunday morning watch. A quick check of our cameras showed Beauty and the eyases sleeping in the nest box. Dot.ca was above them, keeping watch over his little family.

I hope that all you moms had a wonderful Mother’s Day and that everyone is doing well and staying healthy!

Oh, and if you’ve been wondering, I have seen Billie and Beau at Seneca Towers over the last few weeks. They are still together and doing well.

By Rochester Falcon Watcher Carol P.

Hello Falcon Fans!  Here is a report and some pics from my weekend watches.  Both days, Beauty and Dot.ca were seen, and Billie and Beau too!  Plus some other exciting sightings.

Saturday, February 15, 2020

Early Saturday morning, I received a tweet from Watcher Larry O.  He had both Beauty (B) and Dot.ca (DC) on the Times Square Bldg (TSB).  Beauty was on the NE wing ledge and Dot.ca was on Cam 1 (aka Pan Cam).  By the time I arrived, DC was gone, but Beauty was still up on the NE wing ledge.

<– Beauty on TSB.

Soon after I arrived, Watcher Dana joined me in the “hole” (aka Aqueduct St).  I checked the RFalconcam pics to see if Dot.ca was around.  One picture showed a falcon on top of the Mercury statue.  My first thought was Dot.ca, but it seemed small.  Dana and I were surprised to find a Merlin siting on top of Mercury’s moneybag.

<– Merlin on Mercury.

The Merlin didn’t stay long. S/he took off and attempted to hunt the nearby pigeons with no luck.

Dana had to leave, so I headed over to High Falls for a quick look.  It was so cold over there, so I didn’t stay long.  Here are a few pics of my quick visit.

<– High Falls.

On my way home, I stopped at Maplewood Park and spotted both Billie and Beau on ST.

<– Billie and Beau at ST.

Sunday, February 16, 2020

I went out again Sunday morning.  When I arrived at the “hole”, the first thing I did was put down some seed for the pigeons that lived next to the Times Square Bldg.  I try to do this every weekend.

<– Pigeons in the “hole”! (This is for you Lynne! – lol)

From the “hole”, I could see that Dot.ca was at the TSB nest box, sitting on Cam 4.  Thanks to all those on-line watchers that let me know that it was Dot.ca.  (Linda, Joyce and Shaky)

<– Dot.ca at nest box.

While I was on the Court St. Bridge checking out the Mighty Genesee, Dot.ca took off.  I found him with Beauty on the north side of OCSR, top IBeam.

<– Beauty and Dot.ca on OCSR.

On my way home, I spotted a dark bird sitting on an apartment building, half way between downtown and ST.  I found a parking spot and was able to see that it was an unbanded juvie Peregrine Falcon.  Hmmmm, could this be one of Billie and Beau’s little ones???

<– Unbanded Juvie.

I left the juvie, who was settled in and had a very large crop.  Based on size, I’d guess this was a female.  I was really hoping it had been Lakota or Jupiter.  I wonder how they’re both doing.

At Maplewood Park, I spotted both Billie and Beau on ST.

<– Billie and Beau at ST.

From there, I drove to Charlotte and along the lake.  At the old Crescent Beach Restaurant, I saw a very large bird in a tree nearby.  It was a juvenile Bald Eagle!  So gorgeous!

<– Juvie Bald Eagle near Lake Ontario.

What a wonderful way to end my weekend watches!

By Rochester Falcon Watcher Carol P.

After Rochester was hit by a snow storm over the past couple days, I could not wait to get downtown to check on our pair.  We got quite a few inches, with some icy rain in-between.  I really can’t wait for spring!

My morning watch was a short one.  After feeding the pigeons in the “hole”, I looked everywhere for Beauty and Dot.ca.  I wasn’t able to find Dot.ca, but I did find Beauty on the Kodak Tower.  She was tucked in on the arch ledge above where the old Mariah and Kaver nest box used to be located.  It was very cold, and I’m sure there might be some heat leaking from the top of the building.

As you can see in the first picture, many of the Kodak buildings that I worked in for many years, have been taken over by Monroe Community College.  Nice to see them filled again, but it is very bittersweet.

On my way home, I stopped at Maplewood Park for a look at Seneca Towers (ST).  I was very happy to see both Billie and Beau on the railing on top of the building.

Here are some pictures from the nest box cameras that I thought you’d like to see.

The first two are of Beauty visiting the TSB nest box on 2/4/20, before the snow storm hit.

Here are the nest boxes after the storm.

Enjoy the snow and keep warm and safe!

By Rochester Falcon Watcher Carol P.

Well, here we are.  It’s 2020 and January has ended.  Hooray!  We always used to be so excited when February came, especially February 14th.  That was the date that Kaver returned home every year to join Mariah.  The Rochester Watchers would be out on that day just to see their reunion.

With Beauty and Dot.ca, it’s different.  Dot.ca remains in Rochester through the winter.  Most days we see them interacting with each other year round.  I and other watchers have been out keeping an eye on our Rochester pair.

Today I arrived downtown around 8:30 am.  After driving around for a while, I finally found Dot.ca on the north end of the Cross Rds bldg.

<– Dot.ca on the Cross Rds Bldg.

I was parked on State St, keeping an eye on DC, when he took off and landed on the building above me.  I got out of my car and looked up.  lol

<– Dot.ca above me on the Ellwanger & Barry Bldg.

I turned around and parked on the other side of the street.  DC was on the Ellwanger and Barry bldg.  I could see his black over black band and the “Y”.

<– You can see most of Dot.ca’s band here.

I got out of my car to get a better view.  From further down the street, I could see the American flag from the Powers Bldg, waving behind Dot.ca.  I love these pictures.  🙂

<– Dot.ca and the flag.

Dot.ca took off and came back to the same corner.  When he returned, he started chupping softly.  I could hear a responding chup coming from the building.  Beauty was up there somewhere.  He took off again and landed on a lower ledge.  There she is!

<–Dot.ca joins Beauty on the ledge.

Beauty had been up there the whole time eating breakfast.  It was time for Dot.ca to get a bit of what remained.  He approached her and grabbed a small piece.

<– Dot.ca taking a small piece of Beauty’s leftovers.

Dot.ca took his small morsel back up to the corner of the building, while Beauty watched from the ledge.  She was surrounded by feathers (pigeon) and had a full crop.

<– Beauty on the Ellwanger & Barry Bldg.

After a few minutes, Beauty took off and flew north.  I found her on top of a nearby church’s cross.

<– Beauty on a Church Cross.

She took off heading towards OCSR while Dot.ca continued to eat above me.

<– DC with food on the Ellwanger & Barry Bldg.

I drove over to the Andrew St Bridge.  From there I could see Dot.ca finishing his meal.

<– DC finishing his meal on the Ellwanger & Barry Bldg.

After he finished, he joined Beauty on the top Ibeam on OCSR.  It started to snow, so it was time to end my morning watch.

<– Beauty and Dot.ca on OCSR.

On my way home, I stopped to check out Seneca Towers.  I could see one falcon on the north west corner of the building.  Yesterday, I saw both Billie and Beau up there.

Can’t wait for the start of our falcons nesting season!!!

By Rochester Falcon Watcher Carol P.

I love looking through the pictures and videos I took during this year’s fledge watch.

This report includes a picture and a couple videos from June 16, 2019.  The watchers were in the hole (aka Aqueduct St), keeping an eye on all four eyases out on the wall.

Video of all 4 on the wall!  Beauty joins them for a moment, before taking off.

https://youtu.be/Ng-iZLV-vhQ

As we were watching them, Donna decided it was a good time to spread her wings and flap, flap, flap like crazy!  We always get nervous when they do this, because, at this point, she was nowhere near ready to take her first flight.  One little slip and !!!!  Well take a look for yourself.  🙂

https://youtu.be/2xxHGkVA1YE

By Rochester Falcon Watcher Carol P.

It was another beautiful (but chilly) fall morning here in Rochester, NY.

As usual, my first stop, after getting a breakfast sandwich to go along with my coffee, was Seneca Towers (ST).  From Maplewood Park, I could see one falcon on the NW corner with a breakfast of their own.  Too far to tell if it was Billie or Beau.

On my way to Kodak Office, I passed the home of the Rochester High Falls Mounted Patrol.

From Kodak, I could see a falcon on the NE corner of the Powers Bldg.  With a closer look, I could ID the falcon as Dot.ca.

I found Beauty on the north side of OCSR on the top Ibeam.

This was my view from the Andrew St Bridge (ASB).  I could see both Beauty and Dot.ca from there.

Rochester Falcon Watcher Kathy O joined me on the watch.  Soon after she arrived, a juvie Red-tailed Hawk flew over us with a gull escort.  When the hawk got to close, Dot.ca took off and chased it to the west.

Dot.ca did not return.  Beauty was still on OCSR when I ended my Sunday morning watch.

On my way home, I passed by Seneca Towers again.  There were no falcons on the building.  But I did spot a falcon on the antenna on top of the Kodak Research Labs.

I was unable to see if this falcon was banded, but I assume it was either Billie or Beau, since it was so close to ST.  The falcon took off, stooping down and then off to the south.

Time to really end my watch!  🙂

Now for the bonus pics and video from 6/15/19.  I’m slowly going through my summer pics/videos.

<— All 4 juvies being fed by Beauty on the TSB wall.

<— 2019 Rochester Fledge Watch Mtg.

Just click on this YouTube link to see a video of Beauty feeding the eyases on the wall!

https://youtu.be/ss8IC6mttSQ

By Rochester Falcon Watcher Carol P.

Here we are in fall already!  Where has the time gone?  The Rochester Falcon Watchers are feeling very sad after losing Donna and Phoenix.  With Jupiter doing well in rehab, only Lakota is flying free.  Thankfully, watcher Dana saw him last week.  Well, it’s been awhile, but here is my watch report from this past weekend.  I’m a bit rusty, so hopefully you’ll enjoy.  🙂

Saturday, 10/5/19

I’ve been out falcon watching at least once a week, usually Sunday, sometimes Saturday.  Since the weather was going to be sunny on Saturday, I decided to get out early.  It was chilly, but the sun made it tolerable.

My first stop was Maplewood Park, where I could see Seneca Towers (ST) across the river.  I first spotted Billie on the north end window ledge.  A few minutes later, Beau came flying by her and landed on the NW corner.  It was great seeing both of them.

<— Billie and Beau on ST.

Next was downtown.  I drove by Kodak Office first to check the tower.  Also, from there, I had a good view of the downtown area.  There were no falcons in view.

One of the Kodak buildings has been taken over by Monroe Community College.

While I was checking out things from the hole (Aqueduct St), Dana tweeted that Beauty was on the old RG&E antenna.  I headed over and stopped where I had a good view of Beauty.

<— Beauty on antenna.

Beauty took off, heading west.  That’s when I heard the wonderful sound of a juvie calling from above!  From where I was located, I couldn’t see any falcons.  I quickly texted to Dana that I could hear a juvie and she responded that Beauty and the juvie met west of Xerox over the river.  She was able to see them from where she was.

I headed over to the Court St Bridge.  From there, I could see Beauty up on the Times Square Bldg on the NE wing ledge.  She had food and was eating.

<— Beauty with food on the TSB.

Well, darn.  I had missed seeing the juvie, that I assumed was probably Lakota.  But I was happy to hear that wonderful cry.  It had been a long time.

Beauty finished her meal and ended up flying over to the north side of OCSR.  When I caught up with her, she was sound asleep.

Sunday, 10/6/19

It rained on and off during my Sunday morning watch.

I took the same route Sunday morning, that I did the day before.  From Kodak Office, I could see a falcon on the Frontier Communication Tower (FCT) NE box.  It was Beauty.  The FCT looks good after a recent paint job.

<— Beauty on FCT.

From the Andrew St Bridge (ASB), I could see Dot.ca on the north side of OCSR and Beauty on FCT.

<— Dot.ca on OCSR.

I returned to keep a closer eye on Beauty.  The rain cleared and Beauty settled in for a good preen.  She then spread her wings and took off heading south.

<— Beauty on FCT.

I lost sight of her and started my search.  Dana was also out on a falcon watch.

Having no luck finding her, I parked on the Court St Bridge.  From there, I could see a falcon on the NE corner of Widows Walk.  By the time I got over there, the falcon was gone. Or so I thought.  I saw movement on the old City Hall (Irving Place) roof line.  It was Beauty and she was on the move.

<— Beauty on old City Hall.

She walked out of view.  Where did she go?  After a few minutes, Beauty came back into view.  She had taken a bath.  Beauty spread her wings and started to flap, flap, flap.

<— Beauty on old City Hall after her bath.

I took a quick video to share.  Click the link below.

https://youtu.be/WHAhn9_RiE4

Beauty took off and headed back to the Frontier Communication Tower.  I ended my watch with Beauty on FCT and Dot.ca on OCSR.  All was quiet and peaceful.

I have thousands of pictures and videos to go through from my Summer watches.  I hope to share some of them some day.  lol

A couple weeks ago, Dana and I walked out on the newly opened Riverside path that starts on the Court St Bridge behind the Dinosaur BBQ.  It gives you a wonderful view of the river and the downtown area.  Here’s a picture I took of the Times Square Bldg with the Powers Bldg behind it.  You can see both nest boxes.