Fledge Watch 6-10-17
By Rochester Falcon Watcher MAK
It was a partly cloudy morning with a temperature of 63 (F) 17 (C)
Make sure to click on the pics to see the full version
Fledge Watch 2017 officially started today as I arrived downtown at 5:30am. I saw Dan over on the Court St. Bridge as I crossed the Broad St. Bridge. It was still a little on the dark side when I got down to the hole (Aqueduct St.) and the moon greeted me as I began my first watch since mid March. Dot.ca (DC) was under the northeast wing of the Times Square building (TSB), Beauty was on cam 1, also known as pan cam and I could see Ontario on the wall.
I joined Dan about 20 minutes later after Beauty flew down to the nest box, then back up to cam 1. From there I cold see all three of the eyasses.
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Beauty flew off and returned to the TSB landing on the ledge above the nest box.
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Soon after, the Beautyful one flew off over the Blue Cross Arena chasing a pigeon back towards Dan and I up river and eventually aborted near the South Ave. garage. DC caught up with her at that point and they both went back to the TSB landing in the same spots they had vacated. At this point I watched a Great Blue Heron fly over the BSB coming to rest on the north side of it on a flat rock. I also noticed a pair of ducks on the flats below the CSB.
Dan left so I went back to the hole where Carol joined me a few minutes later at 7am. Rachel showed herself to me from the deck as Ontario perched on the wall bump. Beauty and DC watched while Ontario did some wing flapping on the bump and ran the wall back and forth a couple times. That kid is quick on his feet! KathyO joined us at 8am.
All was quiet until around 8:30am when Charlotte decided to join her brother on the wall. It always makes me nervous when there’s more than one out there because they could knock each other off so easily and the only way to go is down! Beauty was right above them keeping close watch of their movements on the wall bump while Rachel stuck to the deck area where it was safe and secure. She has the most white fluff left so we believe she must be the youngest. Lisa joined the watch a little after 9am.
Ontario ran to the north end of the wall and Charlotte joined him for a bit. Beauty and DC flew off back and forth going from TSB to OCSR and the Mercury money bag more than once and that was all the action there was until a Turkey Vulture flew through prompting them to clear it out of the area. I spotted DC on the metal grating between the northeast and northwest wings of Times Square at one point.
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All was quiet with Beauty joining her kids on the deck and DC on watch above his family under the northeast wing when I decided to leave. When I got home to Seneca Towers I checked the perimeter of the building and could see no falcons but there was a kettle of Turkey Vultures circling above the river. I suspect I will be seeing Billie and Seth’s little ones soon. I ended my watch just before noon with a big old smile on my face after seeing our downtown Rochester Peregrine Falcon family! 🙂
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