By Rochester falcon watcher MAK

Jeeze I thought yesterdays conditions were bad…not compared to todays cold,dark,rainy and foggy weather. No problem for the falcons or this falcon watcher. To my surprise I found Beauty sleeping in on her night time roosting spot high up on the 5th column of the Xerox tower! She left as I was getting my camera out to take her pic. Still pretty dark out it probably would have been a terrible photo anyway. So I left the east side and went to the Broad St. bridge where I spotted a falcon on the top arm of the FCT. I raced over to city hall just in time to watch it fly off! Remember when you were a kid playing tag and how frustrating it was when you couldn’t tag someone…lol! So I decided I’d much rather be chasing falcons at this early hour than laying in my warm bed and yes I was smiling! I know I’m nuts but hey someone has to do it! Having returned to the Broad St. bridge I saw a falcon flying around and above the Times Square building before landing in the nestbox area. I next saw Archer on the southeast ledge 1 level below the nestbox so I was able to determine Beauty was the one visiting the scrape.

FYI because of the horrendous weather conditions I had to doctor the pics  so they will be grainy looking. Beauty managed to fly over to the Wilder building without me seeing and landed on the green strip in the same place I left her yesterday. The misty rain started to intensify so it was time to stick the umbrella out the window to protect my camera because the show must go on!

Archer flew over to join the Beautyful one on the Wilder building and they were once again in the same spots as yesterday when I left them.

After 15 minutes Archer left her and flew back over to the Times Square building to perch on the southeast ledge. He then flew off after 20 minutes circling above Beauty as she stayed perched on that green strip and then he flew above the scrape before returning to the southeast ledge once more. I believe Archer was trying to entice Beauty to join him at the scrape for some bonding but she wasn’t having any of it.

I missed Beauty leaving the Wilder building and when I looked back to Archer he took off as well. I left the confines of Aqueduct St. for the Broad St. bridge where I could see so much more and noticed how much the fog was really starting to roll in and put a crimp in my watch. I could barely make out a white splotch over on the OCSR building top ibeam southeast side smack dab in the middle and then I saw a dark falcon shaped blob down by the elevator shaft on the same ibeam. I surmised the white blob was Archer and the dark one Beauty. Here are the terrifically horrible pics!

Bring on the snow, I’m ready!!! lol  Smile people… it doesn’t hurt and it’s FREE!  🙂

By Rochester falcon watcher MAK

Brrr! It feels more like the 1st of November than October, which incidentally is my favorite month! Dark with a fine misty rain falling and 49 degrees out when I left my house. I managed to finally spot a falcon on the OCSR building top ibeam north side from the Andrews St. bridge but it flew off as soon as I stopped the truck. My right hand girl and trusty assistant on the cams Donna texted me that Beauty was at the nestbox so I headed over to the Broad St. bridge. Beauty was still up there when I arrived.

As usual she left when I wasn’t looking and 20 minutes later I spotted her on the Times Square building in a spot I’d never seen her before. I parked on Exchange St. in front of the main entrance to the Blue Cross Arena and viewed her on the south side of a column that was 1 level lower than the nestbox.

I didn’t see him at first but Archer was to her right at the southeast corner of the same level below where Jemison made his first flight.

Click on pics for full view

He had his feathers all foofed up to stay warm so I couldn’t see his white spot on the right wing and so I didn’t know if I had a different falcon or Archer. I soon spotted it and was able to tweet out that it was indeed Mr. Archer. Both he and the Beautyful one flew off to the northeast and I found them over on the Wilder building on the green strip. Beauty was to the left of the fire escape ladder and Archer was to the right. Both preening and staying out of the wind as best as they could.

I don’t often get these two close enough to tape them together so I took full advantage of this opportunity and made 2 tapes of which I will post the links at the bottom of this report. I watched them for about 15 minutes as they preened and occasionally Beauty whined at him and he for the most part ignored her. It got to be time for a pitstop, breakfast and meds so I ended my watch leaving Beauty and Archer on the green strip of the Wilder building satisfied that all was well in our downtown falcons’ world. Enjoy this first day of Rocktober, stay warm and smile! 🙂

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7S6ah_CvgB0

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=I5-WH3lK6tA