By Rochester falcon watcher MAK

Hi everyone! I arrived downtown this morning with no falcons in sight at first, so I took a ride around. After no success locating any I went to  my usual spot on the Broad St. bridge and parked. I didn’t wait very long before I spotted Beauty land on Mercurys money bag hand. She was there very briefly and then she flew east towards Midtown. She came back into view and landed on the northeast corner of the Bausch and Lomb building. She was hunched over as if she were eating so I jumped in the truck and headed over for a closer look. When I finally found a good place to park below Midtown Mr. T had arrived and was watching her eat from another corner just above her.

Beauty

Mr. T

Shortly thereafter he flew over about 10 ft to her left on the same ledge. He stayed there for a few minutes and decided to get closer.

Mr. T on left, Beauty on right.

He inched closer and closer after that and then flew around to land right in front of her. You can only see part of him in the next picture.

The time was getting close to when I would have to leave so I video taped a few minutes of them and concluded my watch. Here’s the link :  http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=czPtEl7YIHI

Have a great day everyone! 🙂

By Rochester falcon watcher MAK

The last few days Beauty and Mr. T(the unbanded male in town) have been hanging pretty close to each other.

Be sure to click on pics for full version.

These two have been spotted by our watchers and myself on all the usual spots and some old ones too. Xerox,HSBC,Mercury,OCSR,FCT,jail tower,Kodak arch and launchpad,Times Square and the nest box. Seems to me Beauty might be showing Mr. T around town. Hurry home Archer that’s all I’m saying!

I have gone on a couple afternoon into night watches in the last few days with Joyce and Brian.  CarolP was with us today in Charlotte and Irondequoit with no Peregrine Falcons to be found. We’re thinking the female seen in these two locations may have left the area. There has been no shortage of nature to enjoy all the same. Here is a link to pics I’ve taken the last few days…http://www.kodakgallery.com/gallery/sharing/shareRedirectSwitchBoard.jsp?token=964243971213%3A1312484872&sourceId=533754321803&cm_mmc=eMail-_-Share-_-Photos-_-Share

We don’t know what the future holds for our Rochester falcons but one thing  for sure we watchers will keep our eyes to the skies!  You do the same!! 🙂

By Rochester Falcon Watcher – Carol P

It was a wonderful day with lots of adventure.  Check out my pics and reports here.  No sign on needed.

http://www.kodakgallery.com/gallery/sharing/shareRedirectSwitchBoard.jsp?token=1092106820105%3A2096833335&sourceId=533754321803&cm_mmc=eMail-_-Share-_-Photos-_-Sharee

Enjoy!

Carol P.

By Rochester falcon watcher MAK

When I left my house at 6:40am it was cold and windy but clear. As I arrived downtown it started snowing so instead of going to the Broad St. bridge I parked by Aqueduct Park and Main St. to have a better view up into the elevator shaft of the Old Changing Scenes Restaurant (OCSR) building. Beauty and Mr. T have been spending their nights there out of the elements. I pointed my trusty spotting scope and although it was too dark and snowing too hard to see up in there I did see one of them fly out to the top ibeam of the OCSR on the southeast side. I drove around the corner to Aqueduct St. to get a better angle for pics but the snowy and dark conditions made for very bad pics. Soon after both Beauty and Mr. T were on the top ibeam about 6 ft. apart. I could barely see them through the heavy snow that was coming down.

I decided to walk over to Subway to get breakfast and when I returned they were gone. I drove up and parked on the Broad St. bridge to have a look around while I ate. As I finished Dana came along to join the watch. I gave her the low down on things and said I’d drive to City Hall to check out the Frontier Communications Tower. Nobody there but before leaving I checked Kodak and lo and behold there I spotted the Beautyful one! I tweeted it out so Dana would know enough to join me and then headed over for a closer look and pics.

The snow ebbed and flowed and I finally called it quits after it started coming down too hard to see Beauty anymore. I said goodbye to Dana and left. Another watch in the books! 🙂

Here are a couple pics from yesterday.

Beauty on Mercury 2-18-11

The Beautyful one

Red-tailed Hawk at Kodak Park 2-18-11

By Rochester falcon watcher MAK

It was like old times this morning on the Broad St. Bridge. My watch started with the Beautiful one on the money bag hand of Mercury. I don’t recall the last time that happened.

Beauty flew off between the Crossroads building and the Old Changing Scenes Restaurant and out of sight. I decided to sit there a few minutes to see if she would return. Watcher DebbieH came by on her way to work and chatted a few minutes. It had been a long time so it was good to see her. Soon after Debbie left Beauty returned chasing and stooping on pigeons. She was unsuccessful and returned to Mercury. CarolP arrived at this time followed by LarryO with his dog Cleo. Mr. T showed up after Beauty took off from Mercury and they were flying and hovering together above us,the river,Xerox,HSBC and Midtown. Larry and Cleo left and we lost our feathered friends. I left Carol on the bridge and found Beauty on the Frontier Communications Tower just below the platform on the north side.

A security officer knocked on the window to tell me this is a restricted parking area. I thought here we go again but when I told him about Beauty and showed him a pic of her on my camera he became interested and started asking questions. After chatting a bit he said he had learned something today and that I could stay.

I met Carol at Kodak Park after leaving downtown where we watched a Red-tailed Hawk and 2 crows messing with each other. Here is a pic of the hawk in a tree.

No pefa here so Carol went back downtown and I went to Charlotte. No CB(Char-bay) or eagle around but I did see the transmitter gull,many other gulls and shorebirds.Here’s the link to a video taken at the boat launch.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0kCic4-Im5Q

I went down by the pier took some pics and left. I drove to Shumway Marina on the other side of the river (the Summerville side) for a quick check. Here’s a link to my pics.http://www.kodakgallery.com/gallery/sharing/shareRedirectSwitchBoard.jsp?token=462161471213%3A1290089688&sourceId=533754321803&cm_mmc=eMail-_-Share-_-Photos-_-Sharee
I decide to go see my brother after leaving Charlotte and wish him Happy  Birthday. On my way home I stopped at Kodak Park and found Lady Pefa on the black stripe of the blue building in her nook. She was eating on something. I took a few pics and ended my watch for today.  🙂

Rochester Falcon Watcher – Carol P.

I arrived at Kodak Park around 10 a.m.  It took me awhile to find Lady Pefa (LP).  She was on a very narrow ledge just below the top of the blue building on the south side.  I kept trying to figure out how she was sitting.  It just looked strange.  I zoomed my camera to the max.  This pic is cropped.  Looks like she was enjoying the sun, laying down with her left wing hanging over the ledge.  🙂  I’ve seen both Mariah and Beauty in this same positiion.   Around the corner of the building, to the right, were about 20 Pigeons that kept peaking around the corner at her.

LP stood up and took flight, first landing on a railing on the west side of the blue building for a few moments.  She then took off again, flying east towards the tall, slim, silver stills.  I thought she was going to land, but she turned back towards the blue building flying past the panicked Pigeons that were now flying back and forth.  LP ignored them and landed in her nook, but not for long.  She took off again and landed on the black band ledge on the south side.  After sending a text, I looked up and she was gone.  Ahhhh, such is the life of a Falcon Watcher.  lol  It was time to head downtown to look for Beauty and Mr. T.

 I arrived downtown around 11:30 am.  I checked all the normal spots, with no luck, and parked on the Broad St. Bridge.  I took a look at the elevator shaft on the old Changing Scenes Restaurant and spotted a Falcon up inside the elevator shaft.  Due to size and coloring, I thought it was Mr. T.  I drove over to a spot across the river from OCSR and walked to a spot where I could see up inside the elevator shaft.  Yep, just as I thought, Beauty was up there too.  In this picture, Beauty is on the left and Mr. T on the right. 

They seemed settled, so I headed down to Charlotte.  I had no luck finding the Falcon that we’ve been seeing there, so I headed home.

It was a beautiful, sunny day, but very cold.  Spring will be here soon, I just know it!

By Rochester falcon watcher MAK

Hi everyone! Another short report but a bonus today of live video coverage. I found who I thought was Beauty on the ledge below the southeast wing of the Times Square building tucked in close to the wing with her back to me. She had made a kill and the air around her was full of feathers. I quick tweeted it out and when I looked again Mr. T had joined her. He was hanging on the edge about a foot away from her watching very intently also with his back to me. When I got a front view I saw how white the chest was on the falcon eating and so it was Mr. T who had caught breakfast and Beauty who was waiting for leftovers.

Once he shared a tidbit with her I could see the salmon color on her chest. He then flew over to the ledge under the northeast wing, preened for a minute or so and left. I watched Beauty for a few more minutes and then ended my watch. The video is shaky because I digi-scoped it without my tripod as 2 of the legs don’t stay secured. I hope you enjoy it just the same.  🙂 http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NDUp39ucQtE

By Rochester falcon watcher MAK

Happy Valentines Day to all!

This mornings watch was just like the wind today…fast and furious!  Not much to report really but nevertheless EXCITING! After 45 minutes of watching everything but birds flying on the Broad St. bridge they came zooming in from the north. Pigeons flying in a frenzy above the river up over the sidewalk rail and to the south side of the bridge. Suddenly a falcon appeared behind them fast as I’ve ever seen. A second later zoom another falcon came streaking across the bridge in front of me. I contemplated trying to video tape it but there was no time and they were moving way to fast. So I jumped out of the truck and just enjoyed the show. What’s faster than a falcon chasing pigeons? A falcon with 40mph sustained winds on its tail feathers that’s what! Beauty and Mr. T were zigzagging back and forth up and down the river. Separating and swooping back towards each other and the pigeons. Working together to split the pigeons up into smaller groups. Fast,fast,fast! In the end they were unsuccessful in catching breakfast but wow what an intense 2 or 3 minutes. They ended up flying over to the top Ibeam of the Old Changing Scenes Restaurant on the northeast side(riverside).

They remained there for the remainder of my watch, no doubt catching their collective breath and resting for the next attempted hunt for food! They surely took this watchers breath away! 🙂

By Rochester falcon watcher MAK

Hi everyone! After a week away I was treated to a fun watch courtesy of Beauty and Mr. T. Sue and  I joined CarolP on the Broad St. Bridge where we saw Mr. T up under the northeast wing of the Times Square building. Shortly after we went down to Aqueduct St. where we joined watcher Dana and found Beauty on the Widows Walk.

A Coopers hawk flew right over Beauty on Widows Walk and Mr.T on Times Square without any attacks.They both flew off a bit afterwards and we lost them behind the buildings. The search was on…Dana left first followed by Carol and then Sue and I. I spotted Beauty on the roof of the Hall of Justice where she looked like she was eating . Less than a minute later Mr. T flew in and landed on the east ledge and watched her. They both took off while I was tweeting. Next  I saw Dana driving back to Aqueduct St. I followed behind where she had located Beauty under the northeast wing directly above the nestbox and Mr. T on the ledge to the north of the nestbox where Jemison and Calidora used to hang out by pan cam.

Mr. T flew up to a spot on the wing which Dana referred to as a plank which was located below and to the north from where Beauty was roosting. Dana and I were giggling at him for he was teetering on the plank trying to get his bearings at first.

Carol rejoined us and BrianH also joined the watch at this time. Beauty and Mr. T left the Times Square building so I decided to drive down to Charlotte and see what was happening there. I told Carol and Brian of my plans and we parted ways. Sue and I arrived to a very congested and busy Charlotte. The Winterfest  event was in full swing. I found a spot at the boat launch but didn’t see CB on the cranes or the railroad trestle out in the river.

We next went down near the pier and came up empty there too. While driving back towards the boat launch we spotted pigeons scattering near the apartment tower to the west of Lake Ave. Suddenly Sue said what’s that fast bird flying after them? I said it looks like a falcon judging by size and the way it turned on the speed. As fast as it appeared it then disappeared and so did the pigeons. We rode over there to try to locate it to no avail. Sue not being a true falcon flake by any means was ready to go home. So that was the extent of my first watch since February 4th.  A real nice watch! 🙂

PS    Make sure to click on pics to get full sized version.

By Rochester falcon watcher MAK

This mornings watch was like a falcon scavenger hunt. I had Beauty on the top Ibeam of the Old Changing Scenes Restaurant (OCSR) southeast side(riverside) to start. She flew off before I had a chance to get my scope and camera out. Flying west behind the Thomson Reuters building and out of sight. I waited a few minutes to see if she would return. When she didn’t I headed out on the hunt!

Circling the downtown area several times I finally came upon the Beautyful one on the Bausch and Lomb (B and L) building.  I pulled over in a spot below the Midtown Plaza where taxi cabs park. I started to text my tweet when a cabbie pulled up next to me. I put down the window and asked what he wanted. Quite miserably he said I can’t park here this is for cabbie parking only. I responded I’ll be just a moment. Again he said you can’t park here. I said sir I’m texting and I’ll only be a minute more. Once more he told me this is a taxi landing and I must move. I said sir there’s plenty of room pull in front of me and when I’m done I will leave. Showing much disgust he grudgingly pulled in front of me. I finished my tweet and left as another cabbie pulled up behind me. Sheesh it seems like everybody wants to kick us watchers out of places. I could have gotten a good pic of Beauty eating her breakfast as the sun was out in full force and shining right on her. By the time I found a spot to park where I could see her she was gone.

Again I was on the hunt! After several more trips around the city I found Beauty on the OCSR building top Ibeam on the northeast side all by her lonesome with a very full crop!

My sciatica was starting to really get to me and I figured in usual Beauty fashion she would be up there for hours so I decided to end my watch at this point and go home. This will be my last watch for a week as I am leaving town this afternoon. I’ll see you when I return!  🙂