By Rochester Falcon Watcher Carol P.

Finally an up close and personal visit with KPF, the Peregrine Falcon hanging out in the Kodak Park area!  Guess what folks, she’s definitely banded.  I am looking through my pics now to see if the band is readable.  So bare with me.

When I got out of work today, I was greeted by KPF flying directly over me, circling higher and higher up into the Ozone.

REMEMBER TO CLICK ON PICTURES FOR LARGER VERSIONS.

I had an appointment to go to in Greece, so it was later that I was able to get out.  Joyce and Brian were downtown with Beauty, so I decided to check out the KP area once again.  I was near a cell tower on Ridge Rd directly on the other side of Ridge Rd from Kodak Park and saw a falcon fly in and land on a communication tower.  Talk about being in the right place at the right time.  This was the closest any of the Watchers had gotten to KPF and I was really excited.  I was joined by fellow Watcher Ruth.

At one point, KPF stooped off of the cell tower and swooped really low over a berm to our right, then returned to the tower.  She didn’t stay too long, but I was able to get some pictures before she left.  I can tell you with certainty that KPF does have bands.  Ruth had to leave, but I remained near the cell tower hoping that she would return.  Joyce and Brian joined me and we chatted until it got dark.

Oh, and while we were there, Lisa McK texted that she had two Pefas at the BS location ee-chupping and kakking.  She is fairly certain that based on behavior,  it was Dot.ca and Pigott.  Looks like Pigott may be making trips out of the area and then returning.  Of course we’ll keep watching over there to keep track of what is happening.

To end my evening report, I’ll leave you with some pictures I took of KPF tonight.  I truly hope that we are able to ID this falcon soon.  I would love to know who she is.  Or maybe I’m wrong and it’s a he!  You never know!  Goodnight everyone!

By Rochester Falcon Watcher MAK

It was a short watch for me this morning as I had to get AC(Angel Car) registered and spend the day with my 2 aunts. Thankfully Beauty cooperated by showing up long enough for me to get my falcon fix. I first found her on the southeast corner of HSBC as I parked on Chestnut St. by Manhattan Square Park.

The Beautyful one took off after about 10 minutes and headed west toward the river so I went to the Broad St. bridge to look for her. While I waited for her to show up I checked the river and found a gull beating a pretty big fish on the rocks and softening it up with its beak before swallowing the whole thing!

GULP!

When I turned around Beauty was on the base of Mercury looking around in every direction. Not sure if she was looking for breakfast or Dot.Ca.

5 minutes later she took off and flew to the east and left my field of vision behind Midtown. After I put my binocs down from following Beauty I saw another gull by the Rundell Library eating a crawfish.

He dismantled it first ripping the front claws off and the head before he flew off with the rest of it swallowing on the fly. 30 minutes later I took a ride around Cornhill and spotted a falcon on the northeast corner of Xerox.

I’m pretty sure it was Beauty. Time was getting short so I drove over to BS for a look see before I ended my watch to take care of business. No sightings over there but I was content with seeing Beauty and drove away smiling! 🙂

I have 4 videos from this mornings watch-simply click the links below to view them

http://youtu.be/G9XBkgowOeA
http://youtu.be/jDHslE7YKjM
http://youtu.be/BkqBphQ5dfs
http://youtu.be/vkWgYyftIRI

By Rochester Falcon Watcher Carol P.

I was out and checking for the KP falcon at 3:45 pm.  I looked over the north and east side of they buildings.  I drove around to the south side.  No Peregrine seen today.  It is really hit or miss at Kodak Park.  Today was a miss.  Ah, well.  Onward.  Downtown Rochester was next.

At approximately 4:10 pm, I arrived downtown.  I immediately found a falcon on the top arm of the Frontier Communication Tower (FCT).  After checking to make sure there wasn’t a 2nd falcon there, I headed over to the Andrews St Bridge (ASB) for a wider view. There were no other falcons on FCT, but there were men working on the roof of the OCSR building that our falcons favored.

After checking out all the buildings in this area, next stop the Broad St Bridge (BSB).  I found a spot on the bridge where I could keep an eye on the falcon on the FCT.  From here I was able to see a Peregrine assumed to be Dot.ca about half way down on the jail communication tower.  I could see two falcons now from the BSB.  At 5:40 pm, fellow Watcher Debbie H joined me for a little while.  I loaned her my binocs so she could get a good view of both Beauty and Dot.ca.  After Debbie left, so did B and DC.  lol  Now I had no falcons in view.  Gotta love these sneak Peregrine Falcons.  🙂

Sights from the Broad St Bridge.

There were lots of birds on Mercury, but they weren’t falcons.  The Starlings had taken over.

Flocks of Pigeons flying back and forth in front of the Freddie/Sue Bridge.

Beautiful colors above the jail communication tower.

This Pigeon? was on the building just to the south of the FCT.  This is the exact spot that Beauty uses to bathe.  I saw this bird from the ASB and thought, due to the coloring, that it was a falcon.  I drove over to check it out and I guess it’s a Pigeon, but it didn’t really look like the Rock Doves I was used to seeing.  Something was different.  Carazzy!  Any thoughts?  I know, it’s a Pigeon.  Hahaha!

While I was studying the Carazzy Pigeon, a falcon flew in and landed on the FCT.  It was Dot.ca.  Checking out the rest of the tower I spotted Beauty a little lower and she had prey that she was plucking.  Dot.ca seemed to be just sitting above her, watching her patiently.  Waiting for maybe just a nibble.  After awhile Beauty took off with the food and landed close to Dot.ca.  To me it looked like there was a bit of a tug-o-war that Beauty won.  She took off with the prey and flew SE towards the TSB.

Dot.cat stayed for a few minutes and then took off heading in the same direction as Beauty.  OK, time to follow the leader.

I found Dot.ca on the Widows Walk, near the TSB.  He was very alert, looking everywhere.  He took off and flew towards the Mercury statue landing on the heel of the kicked back foot.  Beauty was there on the base of the statue.  I quickly drove over to Aqueduct St for a closer look.

Beauty was on the base of the statue, without the prey she carried over.  I’m sure she cached it somewhere for later consumption.  Dot.ca was on the heel of the foot of the statue above her.

Dot.ca didn’t stay long.  He took off heading NW, back towards the FCT.  Beauty remained where she was until it got dark, which was just before 7:oo pm.

Larry O joined me for awhile on the Broad St Bridge.  We both missed Beauty leaving.

As the sun set, the sky turned beautiful shades of pastel colors.  Like Larry said, it’s worth coming out late to watch the falcons and the beautiful sunsets.  I have to agree.

At the end of my watch, I drove around the downtown area, but had no luck finding either Beauty or Dot.ca.  There were no falcons on the south side of the Xerox building or anywhere else.

It was time for me to head home.  Goodnight everyone!  Tomorrow promises to be a warm, sunny day!

Be sure to click on any of the pictures if you like to see a larger version.

By Rochester Falcon Watcher MAK

The air was very humid and heavy thus making for some light fog this morning as I arrived on the Broad St. bridge(BSB). My first run thru bagged no falcons in the area so I drove over to the east side.  As I approached HSBC from Court St. I spotted a falcon on the southwest corner. It left while I was in traffic so I returned to the BSB. I could see a falcon now on the Frontier Communications Tower top arm north side but again it left while I was enroute. So then I went to the Andrews St. bridge and could see a pefa on the base of Mercury. Once again I was off to get a closer look and thankful I wasn’t having to chase this falcon(I think it was B the whole time) on foot! Parked on the BSB now I was sure that it was the Beautyful one and she was in hunt mode looking everywhere.

2 pigeons came out from under the bridge and Beauty stooped on them missed and then chased them over the river and Aqueduct Park before they all vanished behind the Thomson Reuters building. She returned to the base of Mercury to look around some more for a meal. Beauty took off fast to the south chasing pigeons over Court St. and returned about 2 minutes later landing back on the base.  She wasn’t alone tho for Dot.Ca(DC) came in right on her heels and landed up top on the money bag hand of Mercury.

Click pics for full version

DC didn’t stay there for long as he flew down to the heel with Beauty on the base. It’s really nice to see them hanging out so close to each other lately. They both were in hunt mode looking to and fro just waiting for prey to show itself. Suddenly DC took off to the south and Beauty followed right behind him, I lost them over Cornhill when they scared up the pigeons that roost over there.

Click the pic to see DC taking off

Almost immediately after our Peregrine pair left a flock of pigeons came flying out from under the BSB obviously they were in hiding just waiting for their chance to fly. Beauty came back a minute later and now she was on the heel of Mercury.

She and I shared some quality time together for about 45 minutes before she stooped into the river gorge toward Court St. only to return with no prey again.

She did however land on the very top of Mercury on her rightful spot the money bag hand which was a victory in my eyes!  I cheered to myself as I started clicking away with my camera!!!

10 minutes later Beauty was off stooping again over Cornhill and eventually landing on the jail tower. Right after she left a few Starlings took over the Mercury statue. lol

I drove over to Troup St. which is right across from interstate 490 and the jail tower but when I got there she was already gone. I then decided to go over to BS before ending my watch with no luck finding a pefa, but there were lots of Starlings,Grackles and a Blue Jay making a lot of noise. Just seeing our Rochester Peregrine Falcons is enough to make me smile but when Beauty landed on that money bag…well let’s just say the drought is over and MAK was SMILING! 🙂

Check out the links below for more pics and videos of our resident Peregrine pair

http://share.shutterfly.com/action/welcome?sid=0AaN3DFm0ZMWrKUA

http://youtu.be/jwEPIu04eD8
http://youtu.be/K-75PmKGYhs
http://youtu.be/VFIoMhipD2M
http://youtu.be/qum4ySTwrGY
http://youtu.be/AMGt7ptJA0g
http://youtu.be/N3cqJTLGkdY

By Rochester Falcon Watcher Carol P.

After a long, hard day at work, I couldn’t wait to get out and see some Peregrines.  Even though it was lightly raining and cloudy, I was determined to see some falcons.

From my parking lot, I have a view of the north side and a little bit of the east of the buildings that KPF has been seen on.  When I got to my car, I took a look at her normal spots and saw she was there.

BE SURE TO CLICK ON THE PICTURES IF YOU’D LIKE TO SEE THEM LARGER

I watched from my car for awhile, then decided to drive over to the south side of the buildings for a different view.  By the time I arrived at the parking lot we are allowed to watch from, she was gone!  That was about 4:00 pm.

My next stop was downtown Rochester to see if I could find Beauty and Dot.ca.  Just as I was approaching the west side of the Frontier Communication Tower (FCT) I spotted a falcon on the west side of the platform.  This falcon took off and quickly flew to the SE.  I got over to the Andrews St Bridge as quickly as traffic would allow and faced west, where I had a good view of the FCT in front of me and the OCSR on my left.  From there I could see that Beauty was on the east side of the platform on the FCT and Dot.ca was on the north side of the OCSR on the 3rd Ibeam down.

OK, that was 3 of the Rochester Falcons.  These two seemed to be quite content, so I decided to head to the BS location.  Would Pigott be there?  Although we have not seen her in over a week, the Rochester Watchers will continue to check out this location in case she returns.  Or maybe another Peregrine or two.  This location is a favorite with a Wintering pair of falcons that have stayed there in the past.  Joyce arrived while I was there and neither of us found any Pefas.

Back downtown, we found that Beauty was still on the FCT platform, but Dot.ca was gone from the OCSR.  I looked all over downtown and could not find him.  I did notice that there was a change on the Times Square Bldg.  The large corner marker that usually had TIMES SQUARE on it was replaced by WellCare Health Plans.  Interesting.

Well after 2 1/2 hours, it was time for me to head home.  I was really happy to see Beauty, Dot.ca and KPF, who I really hope we will be able to positively ID some day.  Would love to know who she is.

Here are a few more pictures from last Friday (9/27) that I did not have a chance to post.

Last Friday evening, I was joined by fellow watcher Barbara.  Dot.ca had spent a lot of time on top of Camera #4.  We spotted Beauty on what we call “Archer’s Nook”.  This was one of his favorite spots and Beauty seems to have taken it over.  I’ve seen her there quite a few times recently.

Dot.ca eventually came off of Camera #4 and flew around the building, finally settling on a small ledge behind her on the south side of the building.

It was cute how he would peak around the corner of the building to get a look at her.  🙂

Found this gorgeous little one on the ground next to the Blue Cross Arena.  Some kind of Yellow Warbler?  Looks like the reflective glass front of the building doomed yet another migrating songbird.  So sad.  I moved him to a grassy area in a nearby park.  Just didn’t want to see him lying on the ground like that.  Fly Free Little One.  🙁

One last image to leave you all with.  On my way home on Friday, I stopped at Kodak Park for a last look for KPF.  I had no luck finding her, but the sunset was amazing and I had to share.

There is so much beauty in this world of ours.  Enjoy it while you can and share it with everyone.

Thanks for reading my reports everyone.  Take care and goodnight.

Carol P.

By Rochester Falcon Watcher MAK

I’m happy to say that today was my very first falcon watch with my very own car! An angel came to me over the weekend and offered me a 2001 Mercury Sable no strings attached.  I couldn’t turn down a free car whether I can afford to keep one on the road or not! I have retired my drag behind cart and boy do I feel free!

As I drove up to the Broad St. bridge(BSB) about 7:00am I found no pefas in the area nor did I see any on the east side. Upon returning to the BSB I got out to check the river I watched a starling eating bugs on a light that hung over the side of the bridge. I looked to the east and noticed a bump on the southwest corner of Xerox. I turned my camera on,flipped open the LCD screen and zoomed it all the way and unfortunately the falcon was gone when I pointed at Xerox. No problem cuz nearly an hour later after DebbieH stopped on her way to work I spotted a falcon under the southeast wing of the Times Square building(TSB) with its back to me. I walked down to the hole for closer viewing and it left while I was enroute!

10 minutes later I spotted Beauty on the deck next to the main cam and the next time I looked she was gone. Dot.Ca(DC) was under the northeast wing and feathers were a flying!

Out of nowhere Beauty appeared above me in the hole a couple minutes later and flew to Mercury coming to rest on the base.

The Beautyful one moved to where I couldn’t see her so I walked up to the BSB and while I did she left. So back down to the hole I went ending up next to He’s Chinese Restaurant to view DC eating his breakfast. 10 minutes later I looked at Mercury to see that Beauty had returned to the base.

I enjoyed the company of our downtown Peregrine pair for 30 minutes before DC decided to leave. I walked down to Aqueduct park to be closer to Beauty when the sky started to spritz some fine little raindrops down on us.

I went to my car( I like the sound of that) parked behind the Phillipone building and Beauty left. I decided to ride over to BS to have a look see before ending my watch. It was raining harder when I got there and on my second pass around the building the only thing I saw were 6 geese crossing the driveway. I believe Pigott has migrated as she is a young falcon and that’s when they do their wandering. The more we observe the more we learn about the worlds fastest animal the Peregrine Falcon. I drove off in my car and I swear I haven’t stopped smiling since I got it! 🙂

Click the links below for pics and videos from my watch

http://share.shutterfly.com/action/welcome?sid=0AaN3DFm0ZMWrKNg

http://youtu.be/Fgyqwba7zmY
http://youtu.be/ciuKsHCfig4
http://youtu.be/Xuze4qdrXVE
http://youtu.be/bQ1R5pKa62o

By Rochester Falcon Watchers Carol P, Lisa McK & Kathy O

Not much to report today.  We were all out at different times, but there isn’t much to report on this first day of October.

Carol P – I checked KP twice, once in the morning at 6:45 am & once around 4:00 pm.  Both times, I did not see any Peregrines.

Kathy O reported from the BS location.  She spent quite awhile out there this afternoon and did not see any falcons during that time.

Lisa McK spent some time downtown from 6-7 pm.  She reports the following:

6:10 pm – One falcon on TS below the NE wing.  Juvie Herring gull hanging out with the ring billed gulls.

6:30 pm – Falcon disappeared while I was watching the gulls.

6:31 pm – Now it is back by the base of the SE wing.  I think its Beauty.

6:40 pm – Heading home.  1 falcon on TS, 1 watcher on BSB, 1 herring gull in the river and 1 tourist with questions.

Just a quick Falcon Watch update from the Rochester Falcon Watchers that were out today.