Falcon Watch – 8/30/09 – Three Falcons Over Rochester
From Rochester Falcon Watcher Carol P.
I’ll start by saying that I do not believe that it was Mariah. That being said………………..
I first checked out the Kodak Park area, but had no luck spotting any Falcons there. So it was time to head downtown.
I found two Falcons on the north side of the old Changing Scene’s Restaurant (OCSR) at 10:30 am. I assumed that it was Archer and Beauty.
At 11:30 am, Beauty took off flying up to the nest box on the Times Square Bldg. Archer remained on the north side of OCSR. I parked over on the Broad St. Bridge, facing west, towards the Times Square Bldg. I had a nice view of Beauty sitting on the perch in front of the nest box.
All was quiet. Until noon that is. At 12:00, Beauty took off, flying towards the east, over my head and continuing on towards the Bausch and Lomb Bldg. Archer was right behind her. Then I saw what got their attention. A 3rd Falcon had entered their air space and they weren’t happy.
Ee-chupping filled the air as the three Falcons came together above me. There was some talon-tagging, but it didn’t last long. Almost immediately, Beauty broke off and returned to the nest box. Archer flew to the north west, and the 3rd Falcon continued off to the south west. Again all was quiet.
My opinion is that this was a Peregrine migrating through the area and had no intention of attempting to take over Archer and Beauty’s territory. I don’t believe that it was Mariah.
At 12:20, Archer joined Beauty in the nest box and I could see them bowing to each other. A couple minutes later, Archer flew out of the nest box and landed on the south side of the Wilder Bldg.
At 12:30, Archer took off of the Wilder Bldg and flew around the building I was parked next to. I was not able to find where he went.
At 2:00 pm, Joyce joined me and I left her to keep Watch. Beauty was still at the nest box.
On my way home, I checked out the Kodak Tower and found a Red-tail Hawk sitting on top of the netting at the playpen level on the NW corner. That would never have happened if Mariah and Kaver were around.
Carol P.
August 30th, 2009 at 8:14 PM
I hope A&B don’t chase away a potential suitor for Mariah. Maybe Kaver will return in the Spring. I’m sure you will all see many peregrines flying through over the Fall and Winter months. Thanks Carol.
August 30th, 2009 at 9:01 PM
I forgot to mention that I believe that this 3rd Falcon was a female based on size.
August 31st, 2009 at 8:03 AM
Any idea on whether Mariah has left the area, or just keeping a low profile? It’s been a couple of weeks since I’ve seen a definitive post about a Mariah sighting.
August 31st, 2009 at 8:03 AM
p.s. Thank you for the update, Carol P.!
August 31st, 2009 at 9:15 AM
@Maureen – It’s really hard to say if Mariah is still around or not. I think she’s using the Kodak Park area for hunting and is roosting somewhere else. Possibly in the gorge somewhere, or on a nearby bridge or building. It’s all about timing. I hope that someone is lucky enough to see her in the near future. 🙂
September 2nd, 2009 at 7:01 PM
so true..thanks for the update.
September 3rd, 2009 at 3:46 PM
Mariah’s had to fight so many hardships this year. Brave girl!
As many of you know, a reliable secondary indication of Mariah’s presence is the absence of other birds in the area and an almost eerie silence as any potential prey would take cover. That might be something to note.
September 3rd, 2009 at 8:07 PM
True Chrissy. That is definitely something we keep on the look out for.