By Rochester Falcon Watcher Carol P.

The winds of change were really whipping today.  They were ushering in very cold air into the Rochester area that would remain with us for awhile.  Brrrrrr!

This is the flag on top of the Powers Bldg.  Click on it to see the whole picture.

*

*

*

*

*

Today I didn’t start my falcon watch until 11:00 am.  I started out at KP where I saw no falcons.  But I did see two Red-tail Hawks soaring above me.  They weren’t going to let a little bit of wind stop them.  I’m pretty sure that this is the local pair that nest near KP and have raised young in the past.  Looks like they would be there again this year.  Yes!  Love watching the young Red-tails in the spring and summer.

My next stop was downtown Rochester where I found Beauty on the top IBeam on the OCSR, SE side.  Her head was in constant motion.  At 11:50 am, she stooped off and flew low over the river heading south.  I was down on Aqueduct St, so I didn’t see where she went.  From the Broad St Bridge, I could see lots and lots of panicked pigeons flying between me and the Cornhill area.  They were everywhere, but I couldn’t find Beauty in that mass of feathered frenzy.  It wasn’t long before Beauty returned to the top Ibeam of OCSR, very close to where she was before she went off on a hunt.  I remained on the Broad St Bridge for awhile before heading out to the BS location where Kathy O was reporting from.   She had no falcons there, but there were three deer keeping her entertained.  The momma and two young ones that we have seen hanging out there.

*

*

*

*

*

I drove around the building at the BS location and could not find Kathy, but I did find Pigott on the tree ledge on the east side and she had food.  Couldn’t tell if it was a fresh kill or if she had retrieved cached prey.  Kathy joined me.  She had been in the back area near the woods where the deer were hanging out and grazing.

*

*

*

*

*

Pigott did some flying, enjoying the high winds.  She returned to the tree ledge where she was buffeted by the winds, causing her to lose her balance now and then.  During the time Kathy and I were there, BST did not make an appearance.  We were there from 12:30 til 2:40 pm.

On our way home, we both checked the downtown area but had no luck finding Beauty.  The temps were dropping and it was getting really cold.  It was time to head home to warm up!

I’ll leave you with a picture of the Gannett building which is home to Rochester’s newspaper the Democrat & Chronicle.  It was just announced that this building was being put up for sale.  It is located just south of the Times Square Bldg. where the nest box is located.  Just another sign that things are changing and not always for the best.

REMEMBER TO CLICK ON ANY PICTURES YOU WOULD LIKE TO SEE IN A LARGER VERSION.  THANKS!

By Rochester Falcon Watcher MAK

When I left the house this morning one thing was evident-the strong winds that were forecast to usher in a bitter cold front had arrived. I didn’t really expect Beauty would go up on Mercury given the windy conditions so I drove around to look for her. I checked the elevator shaft first but she wasn’t up there taking shelter so onward I went to the east side. There was a very interesting sky as the sun was coming up in the east.

Click on all pics for a full version

Making my way back to the Broad St. Bridge I parked and waited as one by one the pigeons flew up from under the bridge. Less than 5 minutes later I spotted Beauty on the top ibeam southeast side of OCSR.

I drove down to the hole to observe her as the sky opened up with a burst of snow making it difficult to do so.

Within 15-20 minutes the snow stopped and the sun tried to come out from behind the clouds.  The Beautyful one was looking for a possible meal to come thru as she was turning her head to and fro.

Beauty had left the building when I wasn’t looking. I took a trip around our fair city but didn’t find her. I suspect she was hunting near the Liberty Pole for I saw pigeons in fright flight near there in my travels. It was off to our Brighton Site to look for Pigott and BST her winter companion. There were no falcons present, in fact there were no birds of any kind around as the wind was worse than downtown. I noticed the parking lot markers and an outhouse had been blown over as I pulled into the east side parking lot.

Click it

Larry came by shortly after I arrived for a quick update and off he went with  his dog Harold. I stayed for a bit to see if a falcon would show up and then I returned to downtown. While I was in the parking lot at City Hall checking the Frontier Communications Tower for Beauty I discovered a speed limit sign on a fire escape.

That was one of the stranger things I’ve come across on a falcon watch. Unsuccessful in locating our resident downtown Peregrine Falcon Beauty I ended my watch just before 10:00am. It is my hope that all 3 of our falcons will have themselves a nice big meal before the days out so when the temps plummet to the teens and single digits they can stay warm. I’m not looking forward to the cold coming to us this week but I will keep smiling thru it! 🙂

2 Links below to view Beauty during and after a snow squall

http://youtu.be/q7SmPjqXIe0
http://youtu.be/ORfhvCSh8fc

By Rochester Falcon Watcher Carol P.

While MAK, Larry O and Dana were at the BS location this morning, I decided to start my watch downtown.  I found Beauty on the NE side of the OCSR on the top IBeam.

*

*

*

*

*

I stayed with Beauty for awhile, but since she seemed to be settled and preening, I decided to head over to the BST location to join the others.  When I arrived, only Dana remained.  It was very windy and the temps were warmer than the last couple days, but it seemed cold due to the wind.

Dana told me about Pigott going after a gull earlier.  We both remained in our cars to watch both BST and Pigott who were on the east end of the building.  BST was quite content on his tree ledge, preening and dozing.  Pigott was anything but content to remain in one spot.  While we were there, she did quite a bit of flying, always returning to the building on one spot or another.  Quite a few times she landed on the same ledge as BST.  Twice we watched her walk towards BST and he took off, once to another windowsill and once back to the tree ledge where she was located.

*

*

*

*

*

*

*

*

*

*

Pigott found some cached food for a quick snack.  Looked like a wing and a shoulder.

*

*

*

*

*

Both Pigott and BST spent a lot of time on the same ledge or windowsill, but always a few feet apart.

*

*

*

*

*

During the time I was there, I saw Pigott go after a Red-tail Hawk twice (not sure if it was the same one or not) and two Geese that she almost drove to the ground.  Don’t worry, they were ok and way too big to be a meal for this feisty female.  Joyce and Steve joined Dana and I for awhile.  It was great seeing Joyce out and about.  Thanks for taking her falcon watching Steve!

Pigott was very active the whole time we were there.  BST did a little bit of flying, but not much.

*

*

*

*

*

She was here, there and everywhere!  When she wasn’t flying around, eating or chasing things, she was content to just preen and look gorgeous.

*

*

*

*

*

*

*

*

*

*

PLEASE CLICK ON ANY PICS YOU WOULD LIKE TO SEE IN A LARGER VERSION, THANKS!

After everyone left, I decided to stay a bit longer.  Pigott was on the SE corner of the east extension and BST was on the tree ledge at the east end.  First Pigott and then BST took off heading east.  I watched both of them start to dive down on a few Crows that were passing through on their way to their nighttime roost.  BST returned to the tree ledge, but Pigott relentlessly chased a Crow back towards the building.  The Crow was flying very fast, but not nearly fast enough to evade Pigott who was hot on his tail.  The Crow flew right up to the back (south side) of the building, between two extensions and Pigott followed.  I lost sight of both of them for a few seconds.  I held my breath waiting to see what would happen.  It seemed forever before Pigott flew out very low and very fast.  She flew over me and did a U turn back to the building landing on the tree ledge a few feet to the right of BST.

I waited to see if the Crow would show itself.  Was it hurt?  Finally, the Crow flew out from the building heading south over the wooded area.  Whew!  I was really worried that the Crow had been injured.  I was happy to see that it survived.  Hopefully learning a valuable lesson.  Never bother a Peregrine Falcon!  Avoid them at all costs!  🙂

It was a fun Saturday watch with lots of action.  Tomorrow will be much colder and very windy, with wind gusts over 50 mph.  Brrrrr!  Hang on to your hat and keep your eyes to the sky!

By Rochester Falcon Watcher MAK

It was 25 degrees warmer than yesterday morning and yet the wind made it feel almost just as cold. I wasn’t on the Broad St. Bridge more than 5 minutes when Beauty made an appearance on the base of Mercury.

She was in hunt mode but took time out to eat a few leftovers she had up there. And nearly an hour passed when the Beautyful one took off flying directly east across the river.

She scared up the pigeons over by Midtown and they all disappeared behind Xerox. I checked over there but couldn’t locate her so I headed out for the Brighton Site. Pigott was on the northeast corner as I drove around to the east side of the property. 5 minutes later at just about 9:00am BST flew in from the east landing on the southeast corner of the ledge that is under the rooftop tree.

Pigott BST              Click pics for full version

Another 5 minutes went by when Pigott flew over to the same ledge BST was on and landed.

Larry and Harold came by about 15 minutes later as Miss Pigott started eating a small bit of leftovers. I assume it was what  BST had eaten earlier as he was wearing a full crop underneath that cute face.

Dana came by around 9:30am saying “hello stranger”. That would be the first time I’ve watched falcons with her since before I went to Arkansas in November I believe. It was good to see her. It was almost like a shift change as I was just about ready to call it a watch. Larry left and in the next 20 minutes BST changed his perch when he flew straight down to a window ledge 3 levels down from where he was under the roof top tree. And Pigott flew out after a gull who had a lot to say about it. She then flew back to land on the southeast corner of the east extension.

Just before I ended my watch at close to 10:00am Pigott flew over to the window directly above BST and walked from one side of it to the other. I was very pleased to see each one of our current Peregrine Falcons today and a couple fellow watchers was a bonus.

I told Dana I was going to head out and she said she would be leaving soon as well. As I drove away I couldn’t help but smile for I know when a falcon watcher says they’re leaving soon that can turn into hours later! 🙂

Click the links below to view more photos and 5 videos

http://share.shutterfly.com/action/welcome?sid=0AaN3DFm0ZMWrT0A

http://youtu.be/hH15FvhzjfY
http://youtu.be/32wsOq3gEfE

http://youtu.be/Kmog_wtMHsg
http://youtu.be/V7mLDjcF0WY
http://youtu.be/v95jXveeLtc

By Rochester Falcon Watcher MAK

Having gotten 3 in. of snow overnite I did some snow clearing before heading out for my watch on a crisp 12 degree fahrenheit morning. The sky was pretty light on my way downtown so I knew we’d have a nice sunrise.

Twas a slow start falcon wise as I never saw Beauty until just before 8:00am some 45 minutes into my watch. I was parked on the Andrews St. bridge when the pigeons that hang out on the top of the Radisson Hotel scattered into fright flight. Beauty came flying from the east and proceeded to chase them toward me as they all were dipping and diving, zigging and zagging back and forth over the river. They changed direction and shot straight upriver to the south past OCSR over the Broad St. and Court St. bridges where I lost them. Wow slow was done and action had taken over even tho it lasted probably all of half a minute it seemed like longer. I looked for Beauty as I made my way toward Cornhill on my way to Brighton(BS) to check that site without finding her. Just before 8:30am I arrived at BS and spotted BST our visiting winter unbanded tiercel(male) Peregrine Falcon being the first time all week that I had seen this endearing falcon.

He was on a south facing top window ledge on the east extension at the inside corner. At first BST was preening and I think he tired himself out cuz he soon got sleepy and started nodding off.

Pigott flew in after half hour and landed on the northeast corner of the east extension after flying above BST and checking him out.

She was looking especially lovely and light in the sweet sunshine as she preened and watched over her territory. She too got sleepy at one point while there. She also watched a plane fly overhead.

They both seemed pretty content to just bask in the sun for the 2 hours I spent with them. At about 10:15am Pigott spread her wings readying for flight and took off  to the east.

10 minutes later BST walked over to the corner of his window and discarded a feather that was obviously bugging him from cached food he had up there. He then jumped/flew to the window across from the one he was on,walked to the far corner of that ledge and tucked in for a nap.

Click pics for full version

I left him to it and and headed back downtown to find the Beautyful one. She made it easy for me as she was in the bright sunshine on the top ibeam southeast side of OCSR looking like she was lit up.

She took off 10 minutes later while I wasn’t watching thus ending my watch at 11:00am. All 3 current falcons seen sent me on my way smiling! 🙂

Links below for more pics and videos

http://share.shutterfly.com/action/welcome?sid=0AaN3DFm0ZMWrTtg

http://youtu.be/NvxG8KNhNDY
http://youtu.be/T4OBUQKxEa4
http://youtu.be/UVT4IGA7A98
http://youtu.be/Ud3heUjhDqs
http://youtu.be/gFzURkweAV8

By Rochester Falcon Watcher Carol P.

Bitter cold and lightly snowing.  I was happy to find all three current Rochester Falcons while out for a quick Falcon Watch before heading home.

Not much activity, but here are a few pics.  Enjoy!

At BS Location – Pigott on the south side of the east extension.  Snow softly falling.

*

*

*

*

*

At BS Location – BST on north side of the east extension, third window down; this is where their nighttime roost is.

*

*

*

*

*

Downtown – Beauty on Mercury’s Moneybag.  She took off soon after I took these pictures.

*

*

*

*

*

I’ll leave you with one of my favorite quotes. This was written by William Beebe, an American Naturalist, explorer and author.

Beebe summed up the value of nature and the necessity for conservation in The Bird (1906), when he wrote,

“The beauty and genius of a work of art may be reconceived, though its first material expression be destroyed; a vanished harmony may yet again inspire the composer; but when the last individual of a race of living beings breathes no more, another heaven and another earth must pass before such a one can be again.”

To think we almost lost this beautiful creature, the Peregrine Falcon.  I, for one, am very thankful they still breath.

By Rochester Falcon Watcher MAK

Winter is slowly creeping back into Rochester with temps forecast to go down as the day progresses. This means it will be very important that our falcons eat and keep their feathers cleaned properly to keep warm. Me too! lol  At just about 7:30am from the Broad St. Bridge(BSB) I could barely see Beauty in the darkness over on the top ibeam southeast side of OCSR. I drove over to Aqueduct Park for closer viewing but the dark conditions made for poor quality pics today.

15 minutes went by and suddenly Beauty stooped down the front of OCSR. The Aqueduct pigeons had awakened and come out from their night time roost under the BSB and she was right on them chasing them up and over the bridge to the south. 4 of them escaped and landed on the Blue Cross Arena but only briefly as she flew back into the area scaring them off. She then circled above the Mercury statue and I thought she would land but instead she flew high above the river due east fling behind the Hyatt Hotel where I couldn’t see her. A couple minutes later she came back into view touch landing on the southwest corner of Bausch&Lomb(B&L) we call Archers corner and off again going behind Xerox this time. I waited a few minutes then drove over to the east side to find her. As I was stopped at the traffic light at Clinton and Court St. I spotted Beauty on another southwest corner of B&L so I drove into the B&L traffic circle to observe the Beautyful one.

She remained up there for 5 minutes and took off flying west back toward the river leaving my field of vision quickly as I was surrounded by buildings.

<I messed around with this pic as it was a bad photo and this is the result

I looked but couldn’t find her so I moved on to the Brighton site hoping I would break my bad luck string of 3 days with no sightings there. Hallelujah! Pigott was home perched on an east facing window ledge in the corner top row where the east extension connects to the building.

It was snowing down real fine snowflakes and I watched as they would land on my glove and instantly start to melt. I had to snap fast to get a pic before it melted.

I stayed with Miss Pigott for a little over an hour hoping BST would make an appearance but he did not so I left her with the snow coming down harder and the wind whipping it around. With my last check downtown I found Beauty on OCSR right where I first found her in the dark this morning on the top ibeam southeast side of OCSR.

I shared space with her for 15 minutes before ending my watch at 10:19am and drove home happy to have seen our 2 resident female Rochester Peregrine Falcons smiling all the way! 🙂

There are 2 video links below waiting for you to click on them to see our girls hanging out in the snow

http://youtu.be/MSaz10e4YPo
http://youtu.be/XfZsC9biJcA

Bonus video of a fast melting snowflake-http://youtu.be/yl6Z2aXNPYk

By Rochester Falcon Watcher Carol P.

Just a quick report and a few pictures to share.

I was out for a little over an hour tonight and saw all three current Rochester Falcons.  Larry O joined me at the BS location for a short while.

Just wanted to share a few pictures I took.  Enjoy!

Downtown – Beauty was on the Frontier Communication Tower below the platform.

*

*

*

*

*

BS Location – Pigott on the SE corner of the east extension.

*

*

*

*

*

BS Location – BST on the north side of the east extension two windows down aka the nighttime roost.

*

*

*

*

*

BS Location – Pigott joined BST on the same window .  She took the right side and he took the left.  Larry joined me for a short while.  As I was leaving my text that they were tucked in for the evening, I could hear them chatting with each other, ee-chupping softly.  They are a joy to watch.   🙂

By Rochester Falcon Watcher MAK

It was darker than usual this morning with heavy cloud cover but it didn’t stop Beauty from finding and snatching her breakfast. As I was parked on the Broad St. Bridge waiting for her arrival I saw DebbieH drive by on her way to the South Ave. garage to park. 5 minutes after that Beauty arrived on the base of Mercury with a meal.

Pat walked by on her way to work at Thomson Reuters and stopped long enough to say it was good to see Beauty. A few minutes later Debbie came by and talked to me for a few minutes while keeping an eye on the Beautyful one as she ate breakfast.

I watched that girl pluck and feast on her catch for over an hour getting feathers stuck to her beak adjusting and re-adjusting her grip and position.

I thought there would be nothing left as her crop got bigger and bigger, but she fooled me and saved a morsel to cache somewhere. Just before 9:00am she moved up onto the green part of the base with her treasure situated herself for takeoff and off she went across the river landing on the Granite/Alliance building.

Beauty rested there a minute or two, moved down to the corner and took off to the south. I watched her until she went in front of  Bausch&Lomb then I lost her behind Xerox as she turned east.

I looked quick on the east side for her and set out for the Brighton site. No luck seeing Pigott or BST for the 3rd day in a row telling me that they have established a new morning routine which doesn’t include me. lol I sat and watched there for a half hour before deciding to head home. I stopped downtown on the way and found Beauty on the top ibeam northeast side of OCSR where she likes to digest her meals and from the looks of that crop she would be there a good long time!

It makes my heart smile to be able to share time with Beauty every day and in turn share with all of you! 🙂

For more pics and videos from my watch click the links below

http://share.shutterfly.com/action/welcome?sid=0AaN3DFm0ZMWrTWA

http://youtu.be/h0hlWjmU-Wo
http://youtu.be/T_LgUFxEw3Q
http://youtu.be/c1pbZ4wSyyk
http://youtu.be/8EyHYSo2fr8

By Rochester Falcon Watcher MAK

What a time I had playing hide and seek with falcons on this mornings watch. I was running a few minutes later than usual and as I sat on the Broad St. Bridge looking for Beauty to show up I got a text from Donna one of our camera watchers. She said Beauty had left Mercury at 7:18am-probably only a minute before I arrived. That should have told me right there what kind of luck I would have for the rest of watch!

I spent the better part of an hour looking for the Beautyful one and about half way thru that time I spotted a falcon near the Liberty Pole as I drove down Main St. I figured it was most likely Beauty as it stirred up pigeons off the old Sibley building and then chased them behind it where I couldn’t see them. I also came across a couple guys washing windows at Bausch&Lomb with very long poles.

In my travels I stopped by high falls on the east end by the Genesee Brewery-when I first started falcon watching I spent quite a few mornings on the Pont De Rennes footbridge with Dan our longest falcon watching member. He is my mentor whom has taught me a lot and told me some great stories from the Mariah and Kaver era. Spring will bring him back out to watch on the Broad St. Bridge again for a new and hopefully successful Peregrine season.

Southbound on St. Paul Blvd. toward the city from high falls. Make sure to click the pic for full version

I left for our Brighton Site (BS) to look for Pigott and BST her unbanded male winter companion. I spent 45 minutes or more searching the building and surrounding area to no avail. I saw wild turkeys again tho!

We certainly see a lot more than falcons on our watches here in Rochester,NY! So I returned to downtown and spent 2 hours looking for Beauty. Finally as I drove down Fitzhugh St. toward City Hall I spotted her on the southeast cube of the Frontier Communications Tower. I had to drive over to Plymouth Ave. to get a look at the front of her.

She was checking out her nail polish as I got settled in to watch. A flock of Starlings whizzed by her not once but twice!

I no sooner got a few pics and a video taken when a security guard came running across the street from Frontier saying this is a secure building and what are you doing? He wasn’t the regular day shift guard that I know and educated last summer about our beloved falcons. This guard now knows a little bit about them! 🙂 As he left me I looked up at the tower to find Beauty had left while I was distracted and the starlings had flown in immediately and laid claim to the tower.

I checked Brighton one last time but it would prove futile as Miss Pigott and BST were not home. So in a 5 hour watch I saw a falcon for a total of about 10 minutes but rest assured I was smiling for all of that 10 minutes! 🙂

Click the links below for video of high falls and Beauty

http://youtu.be/5vz7sRp2cEs
http://youtu.be/88L9_2ZmlgY