Morning watch 3-26-14
By Rochester Falcon Watcher MAK
COLD please go away now! Another start to my watch in the teens 17 (F) -8 (C) to be exact, with overcast skies, a biting wind and lake effect snow flurries.
I got downtown to start my watch around 6:45am and after driving around a bit Beauty decided to show up on the southeast side of OCSR top ibeam around 7am.
I was parked next to the Radisson Hotel by Main St. and 15 minutes later when I looked away Beauty flew off. I saw a bunch of gulls down river and beyond them it looked like a falcon flew to the Kodak Office (KO) tower so I drove over to State St. to have a look. Sure enough, Beauty was on the southeast corner of the launchpad. I parked down on Mill St. for the best angle on her as she had her back facing out.
At 7:30am I looked away for a second and the Beautyful one decided that was a good time to leave KO so I missed her again. On my way back to the Times Square area I got reports from Donna and Annette that Dot.Ca (DC) was at the nest box. Donna said he had food for Beauty. I was about to pull over in the hole when I spotted DC flying above me heading east toward the river. Annette reported bonding at the scrape just before DC flew over me. Thanks for your help ladies! Parked behind Keybank I couldn’t believe my luck as I watched Beauty fly to the southeast corner of the Wilder building green strip right in front of me. Beauty started eating the food DC had given her at the nest box.
Beauty spent about 10 minutes there finished eating and cleaned off her beak a couple times before taking off with a lot to say as she went.
Beauty landed on the south corner top ibeam of OCSR and put her tail up as DC came flying in. Just as I thought they were going to mate DC instead landed next to Beauty a couple feet away at 7:45am.
The snow was coming down too hard to see them very well so I thought I’d go check on Pigott at the Brighton site (BS). I had spoken to KathyO last night after her watch and she had thought it odd that she and CarolP hadn’t seen Miss Pigott. I suggested that perhaps Pigott had laid eggs and was in the cubby with them. (we can’t see in the cubby) Wherever she was we agreed that her behavior in the last week or so has been different. I arrived at BS around 8:10am and at 8:30am there had been no Pigott sightings. I had to go somewhere and when I returned a little after 10am there still was no Pigott. Stay tuned!
I went back downtown to find DC on the southeast side top ibeam of OCSR all by himself. Parked by the Radisson Hotel again I could see Kodak Office and when I looked with my binocs I saw who I assumed was Beauty on the southwest corner of the launchpad.
DC
I left DC to go to KO and make a positive ID that it was Beauty but she flew off as I got there heading south right toward the Times Square building. Less than a minute later, cam watcher NCAfalcon tweeted that Beauty and DC were at the nest box bonding. Thanks NCA! I opted to end my watch at that time about 10:35am happy and smiling as I was thinking about eggs coming soon! 🙂
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March 26th, 2014 at 1:06 PM
Nice shots of Beauty on Wilder, MAK! That is certainly an interesting supposition about Pigott. If you are correct, Dot.ca will be a busy dad this year.
March 26th, 2014 at 1:18 PM
Thanks Pat! I hope I am correct cuz I don’t want to think about any other possible reasons for Pigott not being seen. 🙂
March 26th, 2014 at 1:26 PM
Yep, we don’t want to go there.
March 26th, 2014 at 2:38 PM
According to the report posted here, you last saw Pigott out and about on March 25th, yesterday. That is not so long ago.
If she is now staying in the cubby to brood, it would mean that she has laid what she considers a full clutch. That would be a whole lot sooner than Beauty, who has gotten more visible (positive) attention from Dot.ca this season.
March 26th, 2014 at 5:20 PM
That would certainly be exciting. Pigott’s sister from an earlier clutch is currently sitting on 3 eggs. This is her 4th year laying. Last year was the first year any hatched (just one; hoping for more this year). Her mom and dad are also sticking close to the ledge where they have a scrape. No eggs yet, but there has been lots of bonding, some mating and Surge has delivered some tasty meals to his lady love. Historically, Madam X has laid her first egg as early as March 26 and as late as the 1st week of June.
Get busy Beauty and Pigott. We want babies!
March 26th, 2014 at 5:46 PM
We have no idea if Pigott laid eggs last year and there’s no way of knowing when would be her time to lay eggs. Beauty is typically later than everybody else in laying her eggs and with the weather the way it’s been so cold I think that’s a good thing. I agree it hasn’t been that long since Pigott has been seen but it’s abnormal. I do think it odd that DC hasn’t been with Pigott a whole lot especially if she did lay eggs. So much we don’t know and don’t see. Whatever the case may be I hope Miss Pigott is ok. 🙂
March 26th, 2014 at 7:09 PM
With the temperatures we’ve been having she could be sitting on one egg and keeping it warm. O’Connor laid her first egg today and with wind chill being minus 20 – she’s on her egg.
March 26th, 2014 at 7:22 PM
I just hope there’s a good outcome for Pigott wherever she is. 🙂