Falcons of a Smaller Size – 3/17/10
Rochester Falcon Watcher Carol P.
This is not about the Peregrines of Rochester, but it is about their smaller cousins. At about 4:00 pm, I was on my way home after checking out the downtown area (no luck finding Beauty) and I decided to drive by the Kodak Tower after reading Joyce’s tweet that a Peregrine had been seen flying around it earlier. Well, I think I know why Beauty is heading in that direction.
I met Dana near the old visitor’s parking lot and we got to talking. Something caught my eye, a bird flying off of the lily’s at the top of the tower! It flew over us heading towards the river gorge, crying it’s distinctive call. It was a Kestrel and a very noisy one.
Then a 2nd Kestrel flew from the tower. This one landed on top of the High Falls Stack. The 1st came back towards us, heading towards the High Falls Stack and his mate. They copulated and then stood next to each other at the stop of the stack. That’s when yet another Kestrel flew in from the NW.
This one flew back and forth over the first two and then landed on top of the stack on the north side. Dana and I walked over to that side. We thought we might have seen a 4th Kestrel fly off of the Catwalk, but we can’t be sure.
For those of you that have followed Mariah & Kaver and read the reports from the earlier years, you might remember that there were Kestrels nesting somewhere in the BeeBee Plant. There were constant battles between the Peregrines at the top of the Kodak Tower and the feisty Kestrels at the BeeBee Plant. Mariah would stoop off of the tower and chase the Kestrels around the lower buildings. The Kestrels would follow Mariah back to the top of the tower and harrass her, until they were again chased off. It’s what we watchers called Kestrel Runs. There have been no Kestrels nesting near the tower for a couple years that we know of.
Now that there are no Peregrines nesting on the Kodak Tower will the Kestrels return? Should be interesting.
So, is Beauty flying out to the Kodak Tower because she’s been seeing the Kestrels flying near it? We know that she had been seen chasing a Kestrel around Midtown Plaza earlier. So it could be the reason I’ve been seeing her head in that direction the past few days.
Also, this morning Beauty was seen on camera at the Times Square Nest Box three times. Some of you may have seen her.
March 18th, 2010 at 7:50 AM
I wonder what happened to Archer that he’s not meeting Beauty at the nest box. Should he be back to the area by now, assuming he flew off for the winter?
March 18th, 2010 at 9:20 AM
Archer was late last year. I believe first mention of him was around the 20th.
March 18th, 2010 at 11:12 AM
Has anyone seen Mariah?
March 18th, 2010 at 11:36 AM
Mariah has not been seen/positively ID’d by the Watchers since end of October when we found her at Medley Ctr/aka Irondequoit Mall.
March 18th, 2010 at 1:52 PM
Thanks, Carol P.! All this waiting for everyone to arrive… you’d think they were doing it on purpose just to torment us. 😀 😉
March 18th, 2010 at 2:24 PM
You’re welcome Maureen. and yes, I do believe they are doing it on purpose. 😉
March 18th, 2010 at 3:11 PM
The season is late in Rochester. In Indiana they rejoice over 3 eggs already. (Cleveland is not so far along, new male) and in Harrisburg, that used to mirror Rochester pretty well, the pairing is so frequent that one expects an egg any minute now.
March 18th, 2010 at 4:11 PM
4:12 3/18/10 There is a falcon at Time Square nest.
March 18th, 2010 at 9:15 PM
There doesn’t seem to be any news out of Buffalo, Syracuse, Albany, or Water Street in NYC either. Beginning to think all the NY tiercels have been abducted by aliens.
March 20th, 2010 at 8:40 AM
I noticed the other day that Water Street in NYC hadn’t turned on their camera yet and as of today they still haven’t. It seems to be a late season in many areas. I wonder if it’s because of the wetter than normal season to date.
March 20th, 2010 at 8:44 AM
I posted too soon… I just saw this post on the Water Street website dated 3/19: <>
Hopefully we’ll see eggs in Rochester soon, if Beauty can find a tiercel that is!!
March 20th, 2010 at 8:44 AM
Some of my previous post is missing. Here it is again, hopefully: “It is that time of year again for us to become fascinated with the 55 Water Street Peregrine Falcons. So far this year we have seen 3 eggs. The first egg was laid on March 15, the second on March 17th and the third this morning. We are expecting to have the webcam up and running next week. “
March 21st, 2010 at 4:22 PM
Maureen, that’s great news!
November 28th, 2011 at 8:25 AM
Thanks for sharing with us some of the information.