Jill C. – Fledge Watch – June 28th (8-11AM)
The morning started off kind of wet but when I arrived, there were so many watchers – it was awesome! A little before 8AM, Mariah arrived with some food (a pigeon) that she gave to Quest, Diamante and Zephyr on the SE ledge of floor 13. Susan B was on the ledge of building 9 (facing the parking lot) and Seneca was on the metal peak of the tower. Kaver was hanging out on the communications tower behind us but only stayed there for a short while. Seneca took off on a small flight towards the smoke stack – she went around it and then came back towards the tower trying to land on the metal peak but just couldn’t quite hit the landing…so she continued flying and ended up sticking the landing onto the 19th floor SW ball.
Quest ended up eating most of the pigeon for a good 20 minutes or so until Mariah decided to steal it off of the ledge. This got the three juvies into the air for some flying. Mariah ended up dropping the carcass near the construction site and she flew back to the tower where she landed on the SE ledge of the 17th floor. Quest figured she had enough food and stayed on the ledge of 13, Zephyr landed on the corner of the Rochester Plumbing Supply building (which was where the food had landed!) and Diamante went to the ledge of building 9 (facing State St.). A few of us walked over to find where the carcass had landed and we found it in the road. Jim P. tried to throw it up onto a rooftop for Zephyr but he took off and landed on the antennae of the old Empire Brewing Company building.
At 10:30, Diamante decided to take a quick flight and after a short walk, we found him – he had landed on a satellite dish next to his brother on the antennae.Zephyr decided to give us all a scare with some low flying – he flew down in front of the watchers and landed for a quick second on the sidewalk and then took off flying low over the street until he got up to the SW corner of building 9 and landed. Phew!
Around 9:15AM, Seneca flew off of the SW ball and went up to the playpen on the W side where she eventually made her way to the SE floodlight. We were also treated to a Great Blue Heron flying over us with a fish in its mouth – he flew off towards the gorge.
Things went quiet and we enjoyed a doggie parade around 9:40AM until Mariah quickly took chase of a crow around the High Falls parking garage. She wasn’t gone long and she rested back up on the NE ledge of 19. There was a lot of kak-ing when she returned, but no food!
At 11AM, things started picking up as Kaver dropped off some food for Susan B on the corner of building 9. Diamante and Zephyr quickly came over to steal it away. Susan B was able to get some before Diamante took it and went behind building 9 being chased by Quest. The two of them ended up on a lower building roof behind building 10.
When I left, all were accounted for! Another awesome watch!!
June 28th, 2008 at 1:33 PM
Jill, glad to hear you had such an eventful, gratifying watch. Thank you for your detailed report. Sounds like the Falcon Family has practically claimed Downtown Rochester. How exciting to have seen the Heron! Would the Peregrines challenge a Heron…especially one carrying a fish? Or didn’t they see the it? I look forward to future reports, including those comments from “unofficial” watchers. You all help put the pieces together for those of us who can’t be there.
Many thanks,
Barbara
(Los Angeles)
June 28th, 2008 at 3:39 PM
Thanks for the exciting update, Jill!! Keep those reports coming!
June 28th, 2008 at 9:14 PM
Love hearing about the falcon watch, especially this weekend! I was there for the “out of towners” weekend in 2006, and reading these reports, I can picture the places and events that you all talk about! More, please!
Sharon from California
June 29th, 2008 at 8:54 AM
Thanks for the update..how exciting..you had a good watch. thanks..sounds like all is well..I am so glad.
June 29th, 2008 at 4:11 PM
I was out of work for a period of time in March (illness) and a friend of mine turned me onto the site. I ahd popped in now and then the last couple of years but this year you have captured me. I thank my friend Debbie H. for telling me of this and teh enjoyment of watching your family of Falcons grow. Not only here but I have been watching Toronto and Cobourne too. Wonderful, wonderful!! This is a true resourse to educators and I hope they take advantage of it.
June 29th, 2008 at 5:38 PM
Do these birds all migrate? If they do where do they go and do the youngs ones go with the parents? Sure wish they would come farther north….
June 30th, 2008 at 1:17 AM
As a matter of fact some of the young ones do go north. If you check the earlier posts in Imprints you will see that some of the offspring are nesting in Canada. They do not migrate with their parents, but scatter. In fact, Mariah hardly migrates at all.
June 30th, 2008 at 1:47 PM
Thanks Alison……just love watching these birds. And any information on them is great too.