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Archive for November, 2013

Saturday Falcon Watch – 11/30/13 – Beauty & Dot.ca Chase a 3rd Falcon Out of Their Territory!

Saturday, November 30th, 2013

By Rochester Falcon Watcher Carol P.

10:30 am to 3:30 pm

As I was driving south down State St I could see a falcon flying around the Kodak Tower.  I found both Beauty and Dot.ca on the north side, Beauty on the north side launchpad eating and Dot.ca below her on an antenna just above the playpen. (11:00 am)

Beauty on the Kodak Tower 11-30-13Dot.ca on the Kodak Tower 11-30-13Beauty & Dot.ca on Kodak Tower 11-30-13*

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I drove around to the west side of the tower to see if I could get a better view.  That’s when Dot.ca flew over carrying a small piece of prey heading towards the Frontier Communication Tower (FCT).  He landed on the northeast box and then up to the top of the large white drum on the east side of of FCT. (11:15 am)

DC Flew to FCT with Food 11-30-13DC Flew to FCT with Food 11-30-13*

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Dot.ca on FCT with Food 11-30-13Dot.ca on FCT with Food 11-30-13*

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At 11:40 am, Dot.ca finished his small meal and headed back to the Kodak Tower.

Dot.ca Flew Back to the Kodak Tower 11-30-13

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When I arrived at the Kodak Tower both Dot.ca and Beauty were on the launchpad, Beauty on the north side and Dot.ca on the northeast corner.

Dot.ca and Beauty on the Kodak Tower 11-30-13Dot.ca and Beauty on the Kodak Tower 11-30-13*

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Just after I arrived, both Beauty and Dot.ca started to kak, kak, kak! First Dot.ca and then Beauty took off and chased a 3rd Peregrine Falcon off to the north.  It wasn’t long before they returned to the north side of the Kodak Tower, Dot.ca returned to the northeast corner of the launchpad and Beauty landed at the base of the playpen on the north side. (11:50 am)

Dot.ca Returned to KTower After Chasing 3rd Falcon 11-30-13Beauty Returned to KTower After Chasing 3rd Falcon 11-30-13*

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Beauty on Kodak Tower 11-30-13Dot.ca on the Kodak Tower 11-30-13Beauty and Dot.ca on the Kodak Tower 11-30-13*

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Since it was quiet, I headed over to BS to look for Pigott and could not find her. (12:20 pm)  So, I headed back downtown to find Beauty and Dot.ca in the same spots I had left them.  Dana joined me on the watch. (12:40 pm)

We chatted for awhile and since all was quiet, Dana decided to head over to the BS location.  Just after Dana left, both Beauty and Dot.ca took off.  I checked out the downtown area and could not find them, so I also headed back over to the BS location.  We looked for Pigott and again could not find her.  At 2:20 pm, a falcon flew in from the north and landed on the northwest corner of the northwest extension.  We were pretty sure that Dot.ca had arrived.

Dot.ca We Believe at BS 11-30-13*

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A Red-tail Hawk was soaring over the east end of the building and Dot.ca started to kak kak kak! He chased the hawk to the east and returned to the spot he had vacated.

Red-tail Hawk over BS 11-30-13Dot.ca Chasing RTH Away From BS 11-30-13Dot.ca at BS 11-30-13*

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At 2:45 pm, both Dana and I ended our watch.  We checked the lake again and again could not find any falcons there.

I’ll leave you with a few pictures I took during my watch today.  Remember to click on any you would like to see larger.  Goodnight everyone!

Artwork Under Innerloop Bridge 11-30-13Sailing on a Frigid River in Charlotte 11-30-13Pigeons on Light Pole at Charlotte 11-30-13*

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Buck Pond Sunset.

Sunset on Buck Pond 11-30-13Sunset on Buck Pond 11-30-13

Morning watch 11-30-13

Saturday, November 30th, 2013

By Rochester Falcon Watcher MAK

Felt more like January than November when I stepped out the door this morning. When I got downtown the bank clock on State St. said it was 16 degrees (F)  -9 (C). It was clear and sunny to start with clouds moving in toward the end of my watch

I was a little later than usual to get downtown and when I did arrive at7:14am Dot.Ca (DC) was on the top ibeam south corner of OCSR. He was looking northwest and as I tweeted my findings DC left the building.

img_0002-dc1 img_0006-dc

So I went in search of and found Beauty 20 minutes later on the Kodak Office (KO) launchpad. She was perched on the northeast corner and she was looking for breakfast as I pulled over on State St. by Platt St..

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I moved to Mill St. to be a little closer.

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The Beautyful one was watching some pigeons that were trying to hide from her lower on the building. She flew off and flew back and forth trying to flush them out to no avail.

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Beauty returned to the launchpad and a few minutes later was off again circling the building many times and eventually disappearing behind the building to the west out of sight and didn’t return.

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I circled the building myself looking for her with no luck so I left for Brighton. I arrived there about 8:45am but after circling the premises I could find no falcons. I waited half hour or so to no avail-nobody showed up so I went back downtown. After a search I ended up back at KO where I found DC this time on the northeast corner of the launchpad.

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DC turned around showing me his back so I went down to Broad St. by State St. to watch him and a few minutes later he flew off going northwest and didn’t return.

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I checked all sides of KO and came up empty, then I took a look around downtown with no sightings. I decided to end my watch at 9:40am. Keep smiling people! 🙂

Click on the links below to view a couple videos

http://youtu.be/NgskGSuiJGY
http://youtu.be/SVrHc3swYFE

Friday Falcon Watch – 11/29/13 – Pigott is Visited by a Unknown Tiercel This Morning!

Saturday, November 30th, 2013

By Rochester Falcon Watcher Carol P.

11:00 am – 4:30 pm

What better way to spend a day off than to go out and look for Falcons!  The first hour of my watch was spent driving along the lake shore looking for Billy.  Sorry to say, I wasn’t able to find her.  So I headed downtown and found a falcon on the south side of OCSR on the top IBeam.  At first I thought it was Dot.ca (DC), but I am convinced now that it was Beauty in the blazing noon hour sunlight.  It was very cold, with temps never making it out of the 20’s (F), but with blue sky and brilliant sunshine it was a gorgeous day to be out and about. (Noon)

Beauty I Think on OCSR 11-29-13*

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I looked all over downtown, but could not find a 2nd falcon.  It was time to head over to BS.

On the south side of the building I found Pigott on a west facing window on the southeast extension and who I thought was Dot.ca on the southeast corner of the southeast extension.  From their positions, they could not see each other.  (12:30 pm)

Mystery Tiercel at BS 11-29-13*

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Pigott at BS 11-29-13Pigott at BS 11-29-13Pigott at BS 11-29-13*

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At first Pigott seemed to just be relaxing, then she started to move around and prepare for take-off.  That’s when I got a big surprise.  Pigott flew up to the tiercel I thought was DC at that time and WHAM!  He took off like a bullet with Pigott right behind.  I watched in amazement as Pigott chased this tiercel high and low, sometimes just skimming the ground then gaining altitude and making turns that seemed impossible.  Something you would expect from two of the fastest creatures on the planet.  The tiercel U-turned back towards the building and landed above the vent.  Pigott was not happy and she continually dove on him over and over again.  Each time the tiercel would duck and spread his wings in defense.  (12:50 pm)

Pigott Diving on the Tiercel 11-29-13Pigott Diving on the Tiercel 11-29-13*

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There was little vocalization during all of this surprisingly.  The tiercel took off and the chase was on!

Pigott Chasing the Tiercel 11-29-13Pigott Chasing the Tiercel 11-29-13*

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The tiercel again returned to the building and landed on top of the southeast extension.  Pigott did a flyby and then landed on the south side vent to keep an eye on him and take a breather.

Pigott Flies By Tiercel 11-29-13Looks Like a Silver or White Band on Tiercels Left Leg 11-29-13A Very Handsome Tiercel 11-29-13*

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The middle picture above shows a silver or white band on the left leg of this tiercel.  Both Pigott and Dot.ca have black bands on their left legs.  After a little while, they both took off and all was quiet at the BS location.  I waited to see if either of them would return.  After a 1/2 hr of waiting, I headed back downtown to find a falcon with its back to me on the Times Square Bldg on the southeast wing ledge.  I could not positively ID this falcon, but I do think it was Beauty.  Again, I looked all over downtown for a second falcon and could not find one.  (1:50 pm)

I Think Beauty on TSB 11-29-13*

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OK, time to head back to the BS location.  (2:25 pm)  When I arrived, there were two falcons on the south side of the building.  Pigott was on the west end of the south side vent and a tiercel was up on the southeast corner of the southwest extension.  They both looked like they had food.  Pigott was prepping a pigeon and the tiercel had a small tidbit that he finished quickly.  The tiercel flew past Pigott, who did not react much at all, and landed on the southeast corner of the southeast extension.

Dot.ca With Black Band on Left Leg 11-29-13*

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When he lifted his talon, I could clearly see a black band on this tiercel’s left leg.  It was Dot.ca!   He finished preening and looked over at Pigott, watching her prep lunch.  He spread his wings and flew over to land on the vent next to Pigott. (3:15 pm)

Dot.ca Takes Off 11-29-13DC Joins Pigott on the Vent 11-29-13Whatcha Got There Pigott - Want to Share 11-29-13*

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Dot.ca watched Pigott  pluck feathers, the breeze blowing them his way.  It wasn’t long before he walked up to her and broke off a bit of her meal.  She didn’t seem to mind.  lol  He took his small portion of prey back to the southwest corner of the southeast extension to eat it.  What a difference in behavior from this morning!

Dot.ca With Small Piece of Pigott's Meal 11-29-13DC at BS with a Bit of Food 11/29/13DC Takes Off and Heads West 11-29-13*

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Dot.ca finished his snack and took off, heading west.  Pigott continued to eat.

Pigott Eating on South Side Vent 11-29-13*

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Dana joined me on the watch.  I caught her up on what was happening.  We were thinking that Dot.ca probably headed back downtown, but boy were we surprised when he returned and landed on the south side roof of the west extension and he wasn’t alone.  He had gone on a hunt and what a hunt for a tiercel who would normally catch smaller prey than the females.  No starling for him.  He caught himself a very light colored (almost white) pigeon.  This pigeon was almost as big as he was!

DC with Pigeon 11-29-13*

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I have actually seen Dot.ca catch a pigeon before, but it’s always a surprise to see him with something so large.  After a quick rest on the roof, Dot.ca took off with his catch and landed on a east facing window on the southwest extension.  From there, he could see Pigott and she could see him.  If Pigott was impressed by Dot.ca’s successful hunt, she didn’t show it.  She continued to eat her own meal.

Dot.ca with Large Prey 11-29-13*

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Dot.ca again took off and carried his meal to the southeast corner of the east extension.  This is where he settled in to prep his meal, feathers flying.  Pigott finished her meal and joined Dot.ca on the east end of the building, landing on an east facing window below the tree ledge, her crop bulging.

Pigott with a Full Crop 11-29-13Pigott on an east side Window After Finishing her Meal 11-29-13*

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The crows were gathering and their vocalization filled the air.  A couple brave ones attempted to scare Dot.ca off so they could take his meal, but he wasn’t intimidated at all.  After a 2nd attempt, he yelled out a few KAK KAK KAK’s and the crows dispersed.  They knew it wasn’t smart to fool with a hungry tiercel!

Dot.ca Eating on East End of Bldg 11-29-13What Beautiful Brown Eyes You Have Mr Crow 11-29-13*

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Dana and I left Pigott and Dot.ca at a little after 4:00 pm.  It was time to end my watch and head home.  Goodnight everyone!

Morning watch 11-29-13

Friday, November 29th, 2013

By Rochester Falcon Watcher MAK

Another cold morning with clear skies and a temp of 20 (F) -7 (C)

Beauty threw me off a bit today as she was on the southwest side of OCSR as opposed to the southeast side. I stayed with her for a little more than a half hour then I went to Brighton (BS) to see if Dot.Ca (DC) was over there.

img_0002-beauty

I arrived at BS about 7:40am to find a falcon on the southeast corner of the southeast extension perched in an open spot where Pigott had cleared the snow of yesterday. It flew off as I barely got my camera pointed at it.

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Looked small and white chested so it clearly wasn’t Miss Pigott but I’m not so sure if it was DC or another male. Anyway, I drove round the building and found Pigott on an east facing top floor window ledge on the southwest extension and she was plucking feathers from a small piece of food.

img_0012-pigott img_0015-swallow-it-down-big-girl

Part of a wing fell off the edge and I walked over to the building below her to see if I could identify what kind of prey she was eating but it never made it to the ground. I snapped a pic of her above me showing only her tail feathers hanging over the edge.

img_0018-all-done-eating img_0020-pigotts-tail-hanging-over-edge

After she finished eating Pigott took a stroll to the other end of the ledge and started watching the starlings in the immediate area. She looked up, down and all around.

img_0024-watching-starlings img_0026-oh-its-you-again-mak img_0028-taking-a-stroll

img_0030-i-look-up img_0033-i-look-down img_0034-i-look-all-around img_0035-you-like-my-double-chin-mak

She then flew over to the opposite side of the building landing on a west facing window ledge on the southeast extension. This is where I left her to return to downtown.

img_0037-things-look-better-from-here

When I got to the Broad St. Bridge I couldn’t help but notice 2 white figures on OCSR.  I drove down to the hole  on Bank Place to observe them. The sun was shining bright on Beauty and DC who were on the top ibeam-she was still on the southwest side and he was on the south corner. They were so bright white that I thought I was seeing ghosts!

img_0038-bdc<Click itimg_0039-dc<DCimg_0040-beauty-has-turned-her-back-on-us-lol

I then went down to Graves St. by Aqueduct Park to see if a different angle would cut down on the glare but it really didn’t.

img_0044-dc-from-graves-st<DCimg_0046-beauty-from-graves-st<Beauty img_0047-ghostly<Click it

So I chalked up another 3 falcon watch and left the city smiling at 8:45am! 🙂

Click on the links below to view my videos

http://youtu.be/Hd0fS1NAqmg
http://youtu.be/nnfKtnKG1hc
http://youtu.be/YYpCKPmAN6o

Thanksgiving Thursday Falcon Watch – 11/28/13 – See All Three Today

Thursday, November 28th, 2013

By Rochester Falcon Watcher Carol P.

A Very Happy Thanksgiving to all of the Rochester Falcon Fans!  It turned out to be a very nice day, and after eating lots of turkey and all the fixins, I headed out for a quick look this afternoon.

The BS location was my first stop.  I found Pigott on the southeast corner of the east extension.  Just as I was maneuvering my car for the best vantage point, Dot.ca flew in and landed next to Pigott.  Before I could take a picture, he was off again, this time landing on the southeast corner of the south east extension, just above the tree ledge.  I’ve noticed that he really doesn’t seem to like to land in snow, and thankfully this corner was cleared from him.

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There were clouds moving through and sometimes the sky was blue and sometimes the sky was gray as you can see in these two pictures.

After awhile, Dot.ca took off heading south east over the trees.  I waited to see if he would return, but he did not.  After about a 1/2 hour, I headed downtown to look for Beauty.

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It didn’t take me long to find Beauty.  As soon as I turned the corner from Exchange onto Broad St I spotted her on top of Mercury’s moneybag hand.

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I went down to Aqueduct St, aka the hole and spent a little bit of time with Beauty.

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I was happy to see that Beauty had a very full crop.  She was very fidgety, turning now and then to keep an eye on the gulls as they flew by over the river.  I also noticed that Mercury’s face was covered in snow and ice was hanging off of it.  The sun had melted most of the snow off of the statue, but not all of it.  The sun was starting to sink lower in the sky, so it was time for me to head down to the lake for a quick look.  On the way down State St, I saw that there was a falcon on the southeast corner of the launchpad on the Kodak Tower and it looked like Dot.ca.  He sure does get around!

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As I was tweeting that he was up there, he took off.  Well, it was time for me to move on anyway.  I took the lake route home.  Took a look at Hawkeye, Charlotte/Summerville and Russell Station.  No falcons seen at any of these locations.

It was time to end my Watch and head home.  I hope that everyone had a very Happy Thanksgiving!  Goodnight!

Thanksgiving morning watch 11-28-13

Thursday, November 28th, 2013

By Rochester Falcon Watcher MAK

HAPPY THANKSGIVING!

It was a cold 19 degrees (F) -7 (C) but a clear,bright and sunny day with blue skies. We got 2-3 inches of new light fluffysnow overnight courtesy of Lake Ontario

I found Dot.Ca (DC) eating on the top ibeam southeast side of OCSR at 7am-I left to look for Beauty and when I returned she was up there with her mate.

img_0009-dc<DC img_0011-bdc<Click it img_0017-beauty2<Beauty

I stayed for a few minutes but I was antsy to get to the Brighton site and find Pigott since she hadn’t been seen since the nor’easter snow storm on Tuesday. Well let me just say I was very thankful on this Thanksgiving Day when I spotted her on the northeast extension. The sun looked like a fireball as it was rising in the eastern sky.

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Pigott was on a south facing window 3 floors down and looking lovely in the bright sunshine as she preened and stretched.

img_0027-pigott1 img_0032-isnt-she-sweet img_0040-pigott1 img_0042-stretch

Miss Pigott would stay up on that window for the next 40 minutes when she spotted a Kestrel fly in from the east. At exactly 8am she took off  chasing it away and returning to land on a snowy southeast corner of the southeast extension after aborting a landing on the northeast extension.

img_0049-pigott-takes-off img_0050-pigott img_0052-pigott1

img_0060-aborted-landing-in-snow img_0066-pigott-lands-in-the-snow<Click it

20 minutes later she was off and landed on a south facing window ledge on the northeast extension top floor. In the northern sky beyond the Colgate Divinity School I noticed a large flock of starlings flying around-always an amazing thing to see.

img_0067-snow-spray img_0061-starlings img_0070-pigott1

I left her around 8:30am and returned downtown where I found Beauty and DC on the top ibeam southeast side only 2 windows apart from each other.

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I was all ready to leave when Beauty flew off followed by DC a few seconds later. I didn’t see where the Beautyful one went but DC came to rest on the Mercury money bag. I left my spot by the Radisson Hotel at Main St. and drove to the hole for a closer look. DC took flight after a couple minutes flying north.

img_0085-beauty<Beauty img_0092-dcDC>img_0102-see-ya-mak

It was at this time I ended my watch around 8:50am. I’m very thankful for being able to share space with our Rochester Peregrine Falcons on this day that we should give thanks for all our blessings and for seeing all 3 of them today I must smile! 🙂

Click on the links below to view more pics and videos

http://share.shutterfly.com/action/welcome?sid=0AaN3DFm0ZMWqi-u

http://youtu.be/rYRgCeOs_rI
http://youtu.be/LwMDz6kRRvk
http://youtu.be/qCl9rcQ5yiA
http://youtu.be/uVhlTfhB3kQ
http://youtu.be/WqhYxMYsO8o

Wednesday Falcon Watch – 11/27/13 – Pre-Thanksgiving Snow Storm

Wednesday, November 27th, 2013

By Rochester Falcon Watcher Carol P.

2:30 – 4:30 pm

Rochester was covered in snow today.  Lots of folks lost power this morning after a snow storm hit Rochester overnight.  I got out of work a little early and took advantage of a bit more daylight than I am used to.  My first stop was downtown Rochester.  I looked around and could not find either Beauty or Dot.ca.  So, I parked on the Broad St Bridge and waited for them to come to me.  While I waited, I took a few pics of the still snow covered familiar Rochester Falcon landmarks.

Snow Covered Nest Box 11-27-13Snow Covered Mercury 11-27-13Snow Covered TSB Wings 11-27-13*

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It didn’t take them to show up.   First Beauty flew in from the east and landed on the top Ibeam on the south side of OCSR..  Dot.ca was right behind her, landing just to her left.

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My next stop was the BS location, where I hoped to find Pigott.  I circled the building a couple times, but had no luck finding her.  I parked on the south side of the building to keep watch.  Kathy O joined me. We were entertained by a whole lot of hungry Crows that decided to finish the apples on a nearby apple tree.  The Crows in the tree would take bites of apple and knock them out of the tree to their friends below.

Crows and Apples 11-27-13Crows and Apples 11-27-13Crows and Apples 11-27-13*

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At approximately 3:45 pm, a falcon flew in, clutching food in its talons.  We can’t be 100% sure, but Kathy and I believe that this falcon was Dot.ca.  He attempted to land on the snow covered south side vent 6 times. Obviously he did not want to land in the snow.  He tried to land at different spots on the vent and each time he would immediately take off again.  After the 6th try, he flew up to the southeast corner of the southwest extension.  But, he didn’t like that either and took off again, hovering over the building before flying to the north side where we lost sight of him.  Both Kathy and I circled the building attempting to find him.  Neither of us did.

Dot.ca We Believe at BS with Food 11-27-13Dot.ca Attempting to Land on South Vent With Food 11-27-13*

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During the time Dot.ca was flying around, there was no response from Pigott, so we had to assume that she was not home.

It was time for me to head home, via the Lake Ontario Route.  I checked out Hawk-eye, the Charlotte/Summerville area and Russell Station.  No luck finding Billy or any other falcons along the way.

I would like to wish all of you a very Happy Thanksgiving.  Enjoy your day with family and friends and safe travels to you!

I’ll leave you with a few pics I took during my watch.  Please be sure to click on any pics you would like to see larger.  Goodnight!

Last Night Buck Pond Before the Storm 11/26/13Snow Covered Tree & Ledge at BS 11-27-13Snow Crow at BS 11-27-13*

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A Passing Glance at Snowy Mt Hope Cemetery 11-27-13Storm Clouds Over Lake Ontario More Snow 11-27-13

Morning watch 11-27-13

Wednesday, November 27th, 2013

By Rochester Falcon Watcher MAK

Zowie-what a start to the day I had! Phone line down and draped across the top of my car and 6 inches of very wet snow to clear from the driveway.

img_0003-telephone-line-came-down-from-heavy-snow-draped-across-my-car Click on my pics to see full version

I got her done and was maybe an hour later than usual to start my morning watch. It was 33 degrees (F) 1 (C) very dark and overcast with very light snow falling as I pulled out of the driveway.

I was thankful that I didn’t have to search for Beauty and Dot.Ca as they were both near the south corner top ibeam of OCSR very close together when I arrived on the Broad St. Bridge at 7:45am. The roads were clear of snow but not the parking lanes so I went down to the hole. First I took pics of the snow covered Times Square building and Mercury.

img_0006-mercury-gets-a-snow-coating img_0007-snowy-wings-on-times-square img_0008-beauty-and-dc

I then drove down to Graves St. across Main St. from OCSR for an even closer look at the dynamic duo. They both had their backs to me but I didn’t care, they survived the storm and that’s all I cared about!

img_0012-bdc-from-graves-st<Click it  img_0064-snowy-mercury img_0015-tsb-and-snow

Now to check the Brighton Site for Pigott, but on the way I couldn’t help but take some pics and a video of the beautiful snow covered scenery of the Mt. Hope Cemetery and Highland Park.

img_0019-highland-park img_0027-snow-cave img_0029-mt-hope-cemetery I will provide a link to see more like these

So I made it to Brighton but Miss Pigott was not around as she sometimes isn’t when I go in the morning. I hung out for half hour or so but she was a no show. I returned to downtown finding Beauty on the 2nd ibeam southeast side of OCSR eating and DC on the 3rd ibeam down at the south corner looking for prey to fly thru. I started out parking in the hole and ended up at my spot by the Radisson Hotel and Main St.

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img_0036-dc img_0042-yep-im-watching-you-eat img_0055-nom-nom img_0057-there-goes-a-leg

While I was watching Beauty clean up after her meal DC snuck off his spot and when I looked his way he was now on the 2nd ibeam (same as the Beautyful one) with what I believe was cached food. I couldn’t help but notice the reflection of Mercury on the OCSR windows-I love seeing that. And I wondered if they had spent the night in the elevator shaft out of the snow storm with the elevator up at the top of the shaft.

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Beauty settled in with a full crop and DC finished his little chunk of meat so I ended my watch at 9:30am with a smile knowing they both had eaten! 🙂

Click on the links below to view a snowy photo album and some videos

http://share.shutterfly.com/action/welcome?sid=0AaN3DFm0ZMWqi-M

http://youtu.be/BIX15SrGJwQ
http://youtu.be/ijIT–uD-D0
http://youtu.be/NfAfcxpeesM
http://youtu.be/Y1xIrTBZmP0

Morning/afternoon watch 11-26-13

Tuesday, November 26th, 2013

By Rochester Falcon Watcher MAK

The downtown bank clock said 34 (F) 1 (C) with overcast dark conditions with the Nor’easter on its way to Western New York. The snow started falling around noon and is forecast to pile up to perhaps a foot when all is said and done. Get out the snow shovels Rachacha!!

I found both of our downtown falcons around 7:15am as I made my way back from the east side to the Broad St. Bridge (BSB). Beauty was on the base of Mercury and Dot.Ca (DC) was under the northeast wing of the Times Square building (TSB).

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About 10 minutes later they both flew northwest and I wouldn’t find them until 20 minutes later with Beauty under the northeast wing preening and I found DC 5 minutes later on the lower back part of TSB on a north side ledge just below the roof.

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They both did some preening, scratching and stretching in the time I shared space with them as I was parked in the hole by He’s Chinese.

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DC was very entertaining showing his big yellow feet, looking up over his shoulder at Beauty and just plain being cute.

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DC had one last stretch for himself, spread his wings and flew off to the northwest going into a stoop. Beauty stayed under the northeast wing.

img_0055-streeeetch img_0057-flight-bound<DC   Beauty>img_0058-beauty-stretches-too1

I left for Brighton to check on Pigott arriving there about 9:15am but she wasn’t around so I returned to downtown. I came across window washers on the south side of Xerox and the poop stained benches in Washington Square Park from the crows that roost there at night in the trees.

img_0059-window-washers-on-xerox img_0061-crow-poop-in-washington-square-park<Click it if you dare

As I looked around from the BSB I noticed the OCSR elevator was all the way up to the top. I hope Beauty and DC can still get up under the elevator shaft to get out from the storm with it there. I never located the Beautyful one but I did find DC on the northeast corner of the Kodak Office launchpad.

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I called it a watch on Mill St. at 9:35am. Fast forward to 2pm as I had to walk Bentley and Isabella (fellow falcon watcher Jeannes’ Sharpei dogs), I decided to go to the Brighton site so I could look for Pigott since I didn’t see her on my morning watch. When we first arrived there was no sign of her but when we got back to the car from our walk Miss Pigott was on the west end of the south side vent with food.

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So there you have it folks, all 3 resident Rochester Peregrine Falcons seen today making me smile as I drove away! 🙂

Click on the links below to view the days videos

http://youtu.be/qdGZ5WSI_6I

http://youtu.be/-a9gDlGk2Eg

http://youtu.be/3NJ6ANZQ6fA

http://youtu.be/IGWlBYwVJU4

Morning watch 11-25-13

Monday, November 25th, 2013

By Rochester Falcon Watcher MAK

Another cold start today with a temperature of 20 (F) 7 (C) with mostly cloudy skies

As I was parked on the Broad St. Bridge (BSB) at around 7am I saw Dot.Ca (DC) fly to the top ibeam southeast side of OCSR. I went down to the hole for a closer look.

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I took a ride to look for Beauty and when I returned DC was on the 2nd ibeam southeast side of OCSR plucking feathers. I don’t know if he caught breakfast or went to the food pantry for cached food but he spent about 25 minutes eating then flew to the Times Square building (TSB) landing under the northeast wing.

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5 minutes later Beauty flew in and joined DC landing right next to him as he had his back to me. They eechupped once or twice and from what I could see of their tails I think they bowed. After that it looked like Beauty was eating and a couple minutes later she was feaking (wiping off her beak) on the edge of the ledge. Beauty then flew across to the southeast wing ledge for a few seconds then back next to DC again.

img_0027-beauty-arrives <Click itimg_0036-beauty2 img_0040-beauty-flies-over-to-se-wing-ledge img_0043-nice-tail-beauty

Around 8:05am DC flew out as Beauty watched him and returned to land where Beauty had been eating-most likely looking for scraps and unbeknownst to me he slipped off the back of the ledge to the grating on the TSB.

img_0047-beauty-watches-dc-flying<Beauty img_0048-dc-lands<DC lands img_0051-dc-off-again<Beauty

I found DC there in the grating when I went up to the BSB to see if he was at the back of the northeast wing ledge. Let’s call him sneaky Pete! lol

img_0055-bdc img_0057-dc2 img_0059-bdc<Click itimg_0062-dc-aka-whitey

I left them to check on Pigott at the Brighton Site arriving there at 8:40am. I found Miss Pigott on an east side window ledge 3 floors down at the corner where it meets the northeast extension. This is where she remained for the half hour I spent with her just looking around at her surroundings and being her pretty self. She tried unsuccessfully to extract a pellet at one point.

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I left her around 9:10am to return downtown and see what the other 2 Rochester PEFAs were up to. I was stopped for a red light at Exchange and Court St. on my way back from BS when I spotted a falcon fly up to the northeast wing ledge of TSB. Upon closer inspection from the hole by He’s Chinese I could see that it was the Beautyful one blowing in the breeze.

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Beauty shook herself a couple times other wise known as rousing and that’s when I decided to end my watch at 9:30am. I left downtown with a smile as I saw all 3 resident Rochester Falcons this morning! 🙂

Click on the links below to view my videos of the watch

http://youtu.be/P9eVSBv1KwA
http://youtu.be/SFT6h1bbekw
http://youtu.be/1OIfMpRWQEo
http://youtu.be/in_j-v6VOW4



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