Friday Afternoon Falcon Watch – 2/21/14 – Dot.ca & Beauty; Dot.ca and Pigott
By Rochester Falcon Watcher Carol P.
The days continue to get longer. Sunrise at 6:58 am and Sunset at 5:47 pm.
When I left work today, it was 40 degrees and overcast. The sun did come out for a short time during my watch. I checked the Kodak Park (KP) smoke stacks and surrounding area and could not find the KP Falcon. Just after I tweeted that out, I looked up in time to see a Peregrine Falcon zipping down the tree line, heading west. It passed directly in front of me and continued towards the west end of the complex heading northwest. My camera was not turned on, so I grabbed my binoculars and got a very good look. It was not the adult KPF that we have been seeing. This was a juvenile Peregrine Falcon and based on size, a female. I tried to locate her, but had no luck.
Pat had tweeted that both Beauty and Dot.ca were on the Time Square Bldg, so I headed there first. When I arrived on the Broad St Bridge, Beauty was gone, but Dot.ca remained on the ledge below the northeast wing.
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While I kept an eye on Dot.ca and looked for Beauty, I watched the river on the north side of the Broad St Bridge (BSB). The number of Red-Breasted Mergansers had increased. There were approximately 40 of them down there today, diving and swimming and just hanging out. It makes me very happy to see them doing so well.
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While I was watching the Mergansers, Beauty flew in from the northwest and circled the OCSR before going up into the elevator shaft. She landed on the north ledge and I was able to see her from the BSB.
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Dot.ca took off and Beauty came out of the elevator shaft and landed on Camera #1 near the nest box on the TSB.
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I left Beauty to go check on Pigott at the BS location. She was up on the northeast corner of the northeast extension.
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Dot.ca had joined Pigott and was on the southeast corner of the southeast extension above the tree ledge.
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Pigott flew around to the south side and landed on the southeast corner of the southwest extension. She walked in a bit and found some cached food.
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After she found the cached food, she took off with it and landed on the east end tree ledge, just below Dot.ca.
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Fellow Watcher Kathy O joined me for a little while. After watching Pigott eat for about 15 mins, Dot.ca took off and flew to the north side of the building. I was pretty sure he had headed to their nighttime roosting spot.
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At approximately 5:45 pm, Pigott finished her meal and joined Dot.ca at their night roost on the north side of the building near the east end. Pigott was 4 windows down and Dot.ca was 2 windows below her.
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It was time for me to end my watch, happy to have seen all three resident Rochester Falcons doing well, plus the juvenile Peregrine Falcon at Kodak Park. Goodnight everyone!
