Watcher: Jim P

Well, the afternoon was full of activity. I spoke with the DEC to inform them of Jemison’s condition. Mike Allen gave his approval for returning Jemison to the top of the Times Square building as soon as the veterinarian certified that he was in good health. I called the vet’s office again and was informed that the vet was confident that Jemison was OK and could be released. Good news to be sure.

I made a couple more phone calls to get everything prepared at Times Square for our arrival, then went and picked up Jemison from the vet. He was quite feisty, puffing himself up and putting on his scariest face as the veterinary technician placed him in my pet carrier. We appreciate everyone’s offers to help with veterinary bills, but at this time we don’t anticipate needing any assistance. The Genesee Valley Audubon Society and/or the DEC will take care of any costs related to Jemison’s care.

I called Carol P to let her know I was on my way to Times Square with Jemison. I covered the pet carrier with a light blanket to minimize his stress during the 15 minute drive, and arrived downtown just after 3:30. Carol and I took Jemison up to the top of the building. We intended to release him at the nest box, but unfortunately the door outside was padlocked, and the building manager (who had the only key) was unavailable. What to do, what to do…

Janet, our liaison with the folks at ePostmarks.com, the company that occupies the top floor office at the Times Square Building (where we banded Jemison and Callidora), suggested releasing him one floor down. She took us into their offices and we were able to gain access to the ledge just below the nest box level. There, I opened the pet carrier door and gently tilted the carrier up, to give Jemison a little assistance. All the while, Beauty and Archer circled nearby, kacking with displeasure.

Jemison walked out onto the ledge and almost immediately took off. I couldn’t see very well since my view was blocked by the pet carrier, but we assumed all had gone well. Unfortunately when we returned to ground level our other watchers informed us that Jemison had fallen several stories, then glided toward another building, bounced off a window, and finally landed on an air vent in the north side of the Times Square building about 2 stories up from ground level.

That wasn’t quite the result we’d hoped for. We located him without any trouble and backed away to avoid stressing him and his parents, who were still circling and calling. It seems like Jemison may have been disoriented, and he was almost surely stressed from the day’s events, so it’s not surprising that his return flight didn’t go as well as planned. The fact that he glided rather than flapping may mean that he strained a flight muscle, though there’s not really any way to tell.

In any event, other than being close to the ground, he looked none the worse for wear. I spent about 45 minutes observing him. During that time he snoozed some, but was alert when awake, looking around and actively tracking birds and other movements. He looks OK physically, and it may be that he just needs to take some time to reorient himself. Beauty went back to land on Mercury’s foot and Archer retired to the First Federal Plaza. Neither of them seem overly concerned. We’ve seen this situation before with our young fledglings, even those who appear to have been doing well. In fact, it’s possible he just tired himself out from all the flying he did this morning (more to come on that, along with lots of pictures). I left him with plenty of watchers. Hopefully after some rest and time to de-stress he’ll pick right back up where he left off.

Watcher: Jim P

I was on my way downtown for a noontime fledge watch when I received a phone call from Carol P stating that Jemison had been found on the ground outside the Crown Plaza hotel, and had been taken to the Vet’s office by Rochester Animal Control. I diverted my course and arrived at the Vet’s office at the same time as the Rochester Animal Control officer, to whom I identified myself. He took Jemison out of his van in a pet carrier. Jemison looked to be in good shape. He was quiet, but nothing was out of place, no obvious broken bones or injuries. His eyes were open and he was alert to his surroundings.

The Vet took him back into the aviary and performed a quick physical exam, during which Jemison was quite noisy. Jemison moved his legs, feet and wings normally. The doctor didn’t find any injury to Jemison’s wings, sternum, head or legs/feet, and pronounced that he appeared to be in good condition. Dana was also there (Grannywood on the forum– she works at the Vet’s office) so we have one of our own directly involved with Jemison’s care. He’s in great hands.

At the request of the Vet, I’ve sent an email off to Mike Allen at the DEC to see how they would like us to proceed. I then went downtown to update the watchers and get more information.

From what I’ve been able to learn, bystanders at the Crown Plaza found Jemison on the grass, flapping but apparently not able to fly (according to their reports). Someone called 911, and Rochester Animal Control was dispatched. Our watcher MAK was alerted by an RPD patrolman who drove up to let her know. By the time she got to the scene, Animal Control had already taken Jemison into custody.

Based on Jemison’s condition and the description of the scene, I suspect (though I don’t know for sure), that Jemison may either have just gotten tired and landed, or had a minor collision with a building or window, that caused him to be dazed. It is quite possible that with a little more time, he would have “rescued himself” and after a bit of rest, flown off on his own. However, the Animal Control folks certainly did the right thing gathering him up and getting him checked out.

As soon as we get more information I’ll be sure to post it. For now I’m not too worried about Jemison. It’s possible he has some occult injury, a concussion, strained muscle, or something else. Observation and a little time should bear out the Vet’s original prognosis or show us if anything is indeed wrong. If it turns out he’s fine, he’ll probably just get some rest and then get released. We’ll know more after we talk to the DEC.

I took a couple of pictures of Jemison at the Vet’s office. I had to use my camera phone, so the quality’s not terrific, but you can see that he’s in good shape overall (and seems not too happy about his present circumstances).

Click on Mercury here to see some pictures that go along with Carol’s report of last evening’s watch..

By Lou

Rochester Falcon Watcher:  Carol P.

I joined Carla P and MAK at Falcon Watch Central at 4 pm.  All was just about where I had left it at 6:40 am.  I did a quick Watch this a.m. and found Callidora in the same spot on the south side of the Time Square Bldg (TSB). The highlight of the morning Watch was a stoop by Archer down the face of the TSB.  Pretty incredible, although his hunt wasn’t successful.

OK, onto the evening Watch.  Watchers tonite included, Carla P, MAK, Kathy O, Janet, Dana, Lou, Jeanne, Dan, Theresa and a host of passersby, including a man that told us he had massive Peregrine Falcons visiting him on his balcony.  That’s a whole other story.  😉

When I arrived, Callidora was still in her spot on the south side of the TSB.  Jemison, Beauty and Archer were flying here and there together, while poor Calli just watched.  Jemison has found the base of the Mercury statue and at one time, he, Beauty and Archer were all sitting on it at the same time.

Beauty brought in a huge pigeon, landed on the Wilder Bldg and then took off, caching it somewhere.  We think Archer brought in food for Jemison on the Mercury statue.

At 6:55 pm, the real fun began.  Callidora made her way to the top of the higher SE corner of the level she was on.  She flapped and she flapped and she flapped those large wings until finally, there was lift off!  We all held our breath as Callidora made her way towards the river.  She flew around for a short while before heading for the old Changing Scenes Restaurant (OCSR).  She was flying straight and strong and gaining altitude until she landed on the top of the OCSR elevator shaft.  Yes!  We all clapped and WooHoo’d.  This was the strongest flight yet from Callidora that anyone had witnessed.  Archer flew around over her position and Beauty landed on the top I-beam below her.  Archer returned to the Mercury statue with Jemison.

Thoughout the next 2 hours, Callidora took flight a few more times, ending up on the very tippy top of the Time Square bldg.  She was gaining confidence and Jemison had joined her on her flights.  These two will be great playmates.

I’m pretty sure that Callidora found a scrap of food, at the base of the wing.  It wasn’t much, but it seemed to satisfy her for the moment.

When I left at 8:45 pm, I left many Watchers to keep an eye on her.  Archer was below the SE wing on a small ledge.  Jemison was on the base of the SE wing.  Callidora was on the base of the NE wing.  Beauty was on the top I-Beam of the OCSR.

It was quiet and peaceful.  Tomorrow’s Watch should be quite exciting!

Watcher: Jim P

Great flying from Jemison, showing Callidora how it’s done this morning. Lots of pictures and a write-up HERE.
http://birdblog.marchlords.com/2010/07/jemison-visits-schools-callidora.html

I checked on Callidora yesterday morning and tweeted that she was still there from the night before. I returned later in the day to find her on the south ledge of the Time Square building. She remained there all evening while Archer, Beauty, and Jemison did all of the flying ..and all the eating.

I snapped a few interesting shots from last night that I wanted to share. Click on the pic to view.

From,
Lou