By Rochester Falcon Watcher MAK

I left for downtown under overcast skies but the wind was calm and the temperature was about 10 degrees warmer than yesterday. I didn’t find Beauty right away but after a drive around the city I spotted her on the money bag hand of Mercury as I parked on the Broad St. Bridge(BSB).

After 20 minutes Beauty flew off over the Blue Cross Arena to the Cornhill area then she doubled back down river and to the east. I lost her behind Midtown as she was most surely in hunt mode and looking to stir up some prey.

DebbieH came by on her way to work  I told her she just missed the Beautyful one and to jump in the car to go look on the east side. We had no luck finding her so I dropped Deb off for work at the corner of Fitzhugh and Broad St. in front of her workplace the Ebenezer Watts building and headed over to Brighton.

As I came around the back of BS on the east side of the building I spotted a falcon on a window ledge but it took off as I pulled over to the side of the road. I waited about half hour but it didn’t return so back to downtown I went. I checked around the city 2 or 3 times when I got a text from DebbieH that Beauty was on Widows Walk. At the time I was over by KO looking so I drove straight down Plymouth Ave. and parked between Broad and Church St. at first.

I then drove down to Broad St. and parked in front of Debbies’  building to be closer to Beauty.

She was still looking for breakfast and after 10 minutes she flew off to the north and I thought for sure she was going to the Frontier Communications Tower or Kodak Office.

I checked both locations with no luck and chose to end my watch as I had to leave for an appointment. Beauty always makes me smile and today was no exception! 🙂

I have links for 2 videos below

http://youtu.be/phRXGn9sp0s
http://youtu.be/PYgP2KkJ42I

By Rochester Falcon Watcher Carol P

Here are the tweets from today:

1:34 pm – Donna C – RFalconcamNow – “Beauty back on Mercury.” – Seen from Camera #1

4:00 pm – Carol P – “DT. Beauty is on top of the Hyatt on the west side.”

4:50 pm – Carol P – “DT. Beauty just flew from the Hyatt directly up into the OCSR elevator shaft. Nite Beauty!”

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My day started out in the 20’s (F) and went up into the 40’s.  Even with the sun shining, it was bitter cold when I arrived downtown at 3:45 pm.  I ended up parking on the Broad St Bridge and found Beauty on top of the Hyatt on the west side (river side).   I stayed on the bridge for  close to an hour keeping an eye on Beauty and watching 4 separate flocks of Pigeons whirling around the sky above.  They did this for the whole hour I was there, never resting.

About a 1/2 hour into my watch, I was joined by Pat for a short while.  She told me that she had checked for Beauty at lunch time, but had no luck finding her. After Pat left, a Coopers Hawk flew through heading south over the library.  Again Beauty didn’t seem to mind another hunter in her territory.

At 4:45 it was getting dark and Beauty took off and flew directly up into the OCSR elevator shaft.  More than likely, she was spending her evenings up there, out of the worse of the weather.  From there she could see everything below her.  Night Beauty!

Right now, I only have about an hour of daylight to look for falcons during the week.  Can’t wait for the days to get longer!

I’ll leave you with some pictures from my watch.  If you would like to see a larger version of the picture, just click on it.  Thanks!

By Rochester Falcon Watcher MAK

Let me just say that the sky at sunrise as I made my way toward downtown was sunsational!

I spent a lot of time looking for Miss Beauty this morning and as they say good things come to those who wait. Whoever they are – they were right but before we get there I’ll fill you in on my morning. Fellow falcon watcher and good friend DebbieH came by on her way to work today on the Broad St. Bridge(BSB) and broke up my search for a few minutes.  After she left I made a couple more trips around downtown before heading to the Brighton location(BS) to try my luck. Mr. BST was there waiting for me on an east side window ledge near the tree that grows on the roof top.

He was sleepy and again just like yesterday he ended up tucking his head in his wing to take a nap. I stayed about 30 minutes and then returned to downtown to continue my search for the Beautyful one. Round and round and round I went. There were pigeons everywhere enjoying  their freedom.  They were happy MAK couldn’t find Beauty for it meant they could relax for the time being. I took a ride to KP to check and found no pefa there-no surprise since one hasn’t been seen there in weeks. The morning was sunny with blue skies and perfect for picture taking. Finally just shy of 5 hours after I started my watch I spotted Beauty. She was on the outstretched money bag hand of Mercury- an added bonus cuz I hadn’t seen her there since before I went on my month long trip.

Beauty seemed very relaxed up there as she kept her eye on everything around her including me. I was in the hole watching as Pat who works in the Thomson Reuters building stopped on her way back to work from her lunch break. She welcomed me home and was very excited to see Beauty. After she went back to work I walked up the stairs at Falcon Watcher Central to the BSB for a front view of our girl Beauty. She stayed just a few minutes before flying off toward Cornhill.

I could now carry on with my day smiling as I left our fair city! 🙂

Check out my pics and videos by clicking on the links below

http://share.shutterfly.com/action/welcome?sid=0AaN3DFm0ZMWrPiA

http://youtu.be/vWgk6q1hl_s
http://youtu.be/tjkOCdHfV54
http://youtu.be/fyWILrRjCY0

By Rochester Falcon Watcher Carol P.

After a record breaking high temperature of 70 degrees (F) yesterday, it was a return to cold and blustery weather.  The day started at 40 degrees and dropped into the low 30’s during the day, lightly snowing on and off.

Tweets from Today (not including MAK’s, which she will include in her report):

7:30 am – RFalconcamNow (Shaky) – “Beauty is on Mercury’s money bag.” – Seen from Camera #1

2:43 pm – RFalconcamNow (Shaky) – “Falcon is on top I-Beam of OCSR, southeast side.” – Seen from Camera #1

3:30 pm – Lisa McK – “At BS, 1 falcon on south side of east extension.”  Not sure if this was Pigott or BST, who had been seen earlier in the day.

4:00 pm – Carol P. – “DT. Just arrived on the BSB and Beauty is still eating dinner up at the SE wing of the TSB.”  MAK and Lynda were there just before I arrived and saw Beauty bring in dinner.

4:30 pm – Carol P. – “DT. B has finished her meal and is now on Mercury’s money bag and it is now lightly snowing.”

5:00 pm – Carol P. – “DT. Standing out in the cold paid off. B flew off Mercury and up into the OCSR elevator shaft. Nite Beauty! Time to get my own dinner.”

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I arrived downtown at approximately 3:45 pm, just missing MAK & Lynda.  I was sorry that I had missed them.  They had seen Beauty come in with prey and saw her take it up to the top of the Times Square Bldg (TSB) at the base of the SE wing.  That’s exactly where she was when I arrived, finishing her dinner.  It wasn’t long before she had finished.

It started to lightly snow and at 4:30 pm Beauty took off from the TSB and flew over to the Mercury statue landing on the money bag hand.  This seemed to be the spot she likes most at the end of the day.  It was a good spot to keep a close eye on her nest site and territory.  I positioned myself on Broad St, next to my car, where I had a good view of Beauty.  I knew that it was going to start getting dark soon and I wanted to see where she went.  I wasn’t disappointed.  At approximately 5 pm, Beauty stooped off of the Mercury statue, heading north, low over the river.  I kept watching for her to come back into sight, she finally did, just to the right of the OCSR.  I saw her fly around to the north side and then back up and into the elevator shaft.  That’s what I was hoping to see.  Looks like Beauty may be spending her evenings there.  A nice sheltered spot.

At 5:00 pm, it was dark and it was time for me to head home.

Here are a few pictures from my Watch.  Enjoy!

IF YOU WOULD LIKE TO SEE THE PICTURES IN A LAGER VERSION, YOU JUST NEED TO CLICK ON IT.  THANKS!

By Rochester Falcon Watcher MAK

As they say-what a difference a day makes! 20 degrees colder than it was yesterday when I started my watch with a bitter wind.  It took a while (about an hour into my watch) for Beauty to show herself. As I was looking for her on the east side  She was seen on camera perched on Mercury. By the time I got back to the Broad St. Bridge(BSB) she was gone. I took another trip around the city and when I returned to the BSB Beauty was on the top ibeam southeast side of OCSR.

She stayed there for about 45 minutes and left while I wasn’t watching her as tiny little snowflakes started floating down from the sky. Since I missed what direction she went I decided instead of searching for her that I’d go to the Brighton Site and try my luck there. I found Mr. BST on a south window ledge on the east side extension with his back to me and when he turned his head my way I knew it was his cute face I was seeing.

I could see that he was getting sleepy, closing one eye at a time.  I shared space with him until he tucked his head into his wing for a nap.

I left to check on Beauty downtown and as I approached from Exchange St. I could see her under the southeast  wing. I parked up on the BSB and noticed she had something up there with her and then the feathers started flying!

I moved up closer parking by Falcon Watcher Central as she seemed to look my way. I love it when they give a look your way!

Beauty wasn’t eating for long so either she had a small bird,cached food or she stashed some of it when I wasn’t watching. She flew off again when I wasn’t watching and this time I had to leave but it wouldn’t be the end of this report quite yet. Lynda  stopped over in the afternoon and ask if I wanted to go for a quick watch so she could get a falcon fix. Of course I had to do it! lol It was perfect timing for as we were on the way it was reported that Beauty was on OCSR. As soon as we pulled up and got a bead on her she was off flying up river above our heads scaring up pigeons along the way and the chase was on. We followed her over Cornhill and then back behind Xerox out of sight. A minute or so later I spotted  the Beautyful one flying from the Cornhill area with a large pigeon in her talons. She is one strong Peregrine to fly against the strong biting north wind today with her supper. She flew over the Blue Cross Arena,BSB,past Mercury, past OCSR and back around the south side making her way up to the northeast corner of the Crossroads building.

Phew we thought but she wasn’t done-after resting a couple minutes she was off again carrying her prize to the Times Square building taking it to the southeast wing to prepare it for consumption.

We left Beauty to feast on her much deserved meal as the snow came down around her mixing with lots of feathers!

And so Lynda and MAK rode off  wearing a smile on their faces! 🙂

Click the links below for some more pics and videos

http://share.shutterfly.com/action/welcome?sid=0AaN3DFm0ZMWrPRA

http://youtu.be/QTk43-wRgAA
http://youtu.be/9E1HvIFNsh4
http://youtu.be/K3zdEVBFy2I

By Rochester Falcon Watcher Carol P.

Monday – December 3, 2012

Tweets for 12/3:

7:30 am – Larry O – “Brighton falcon drive by. 1 Falcon on Northwest extension, might be hunting.”

4:30 pm – Carol P – “Checked DT & could not find B. At BS now with P I believe on NW corner. No sign of BST. Crows coming in.”

4:40 pm – Larry O – “Brighton Falcon watch drive by. 1 Falcon on West extension.”

4:50 pm – Carol P. – “Checked all over DT again. No luck finding B again. Too dark to get a good look into the elevator shaft.”

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When I arrived at the BS location at 4:30 pm, after looking all over downtown for Beauty (with no luck) I found Pigott on the west end of the building.  She was looking towards the south watching the 1,000’s of Crows streaming in, heading north towards downtown Rochester.  I had no luck finding BST, which is the name we have given the unbanded tiercel that has been hanging out with Pigott at the BS location.  We decided on BST which just means BS Tiercel.  Joyce, Dana and I thought that would be a good name for him at least for now & easy to text.   😉  Here are a couple pictures of Pigott from Monday evening.

Tuesday – December 4, 2012

Tweets for 12/4 (I will only include the tweets of the Watchers that do not post Falcon Watch reports in my report):

9:10 am – Joyce – “Our BS Tiercel is on the east corner next to the tree looking as cute as ever. No sign of Pigott.”

9:50 am – Joyce – “BST took off flying the thermals of the building and then slowly drifting to the south.”

11:40 am – Shaky reports to RFalconcamNow – “Beauty is on FCT below the platform.” (Seen from Camera #1)

11:50 am – Joyce – “Beauty on FCT perched on the NE cube. It is warm and breezy.”

4:00 pm – Carol P. – “DT. Beauty is on Mercury’s money bag hand.”

4:10 pm – Joyce – “I see B too.”

4:20 pm – Carol P. – “DT. Joyce joined me for a few moments. B still on Mercury. Its starting to rain and I have to go.”

4:30 pm – Lisa McK – “At BS, 2 falcons. 1 on corner of east extension. The other flew to front of bldg.”

5:00 pm – Joyce – “The falcon on corner of the east wing looked like P. Lisa & I couldn’t find BST. He seems to settle in for the nite first.”

5:10 pm – Joyce – “P left the corner & I found her on a set of double windows where the E & NE wings meet. She was 3 floors down from the top of the E wing.”

5:30 pm – Joyce – “I circled bldg 1 more time looking for BST-no luck. P moved & scooted over next to the column. You could barely see her. Thnx Lisa for tip.”

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Today was a record breaker for Rochester, NY.  The old record high temperature was 66 degrees (F) for this day and we made it up to 70 degrees!  🙂  Needless to say, it was a beautiful December day.  Too bad by the time I was able to get downtown, dark clouds and rain had moved in.  That’s ok.  I was still able to get my falcon fix for today. 🙂

I arrived downtown at about 3:45 pm.  From the Andrews St Bridge, I could see a falcon up on Mercury’s money bag hand.  I parked on Broad St and got out to take a few pictures before the rain arrived.  It was definitely Beauty and she was facing west, watching over her nest site.  When I see her here before dark, that is always the direction she is looking.  I noticed that the pigeons were in panicked flight over the river and I soon saw why.  There was a Coopers Hawk in their midst.  Eventually the Coop took off heading south down the river and the pigeons headed north.  I looked up at Beauty to see what her reaction was to this hunter in her territory.  She just looked over her shoulder a few times, but she  seemed unperturbed.

Joyce joined me for awhile and then headed to the BS location where she met up with Lisa McK, where they found both Pigott and BST.  Just before I left, the sky darkened and it started to pour.  Beauty remained in place on the Mercury statue standing in the warm rain.

So today all three current Rochester Falcons were accounted for.  This was always a good thing!

Tomorrow we return to winter with temperatures in the 30’s and possible snow.  I can already hear the winds picking up outside, which will usher in the cold air.  What a difference a day makes!

I think by posting the tweets sent in by the non-reporting Rochester Falcon Watchers & my own, it gives you a better picture of what’s happening during the day and what falcons are being seen or not seen.  This way all the Watchers observations will be noted.  MAK will certainly post her own observations.

Here are a couple pictures of Beauty on the Mercury statue.

IF YOU WOULD LIKE TO SEE A LARGER VERSION OF THE PICTURE, JUST CLICK ON IT.  THANKS!

By Rochester Falcon Watcher MAK

After a month away I was antsy to have a look at a Peregrine Falcon and tho I had to look for half hour before I found one the wait was well worth it.  As I was on the Broad St. Bridge(BSB) checking out the river I found some guys climbing a ladder into one of the Aqueduct openings under the Rundell Library. There was graffiti that they were trying to clean off-a very tough job!

I then spotted a falcon hovering above Xerox . A smile immediately crossed my face as I jumped in the car and drove over to check it out, parking near the Geva Theater. As the sweet sunshine hit her I was able to determine it was my favorite falcon in all the land or should I say sky -Beauty!

She gave old MAK a wonderful flight display as she welcomed me back by soaring and riding the breeze above the tallest building in downtown Rochester. At times she would hover by staying in one spot and then with the slightest flick of a wing would go into a fast disappearing act behind the buildings only to show up again gracing me with her presence. She entertained me for about 20 minutes and then left my field of vision and the search was on. An unsuccessful trip around downtown brought me back to the east side where I found a large flock of pigeons flying near the Liberty Pole as I was driving down East Ave. I then saw why they were so panic struck-the Beautyful one was chasing after them as they flew above the Sibley building. Traffic was heavy so I couldn’t keep track  and lost them. I drove around the area and ended up going back to BSB, As I pulled up I saw Beauty flying up river past OCSR with talons full of prey and landed on the base of Mercury.

I spent about 35 minutes with Beauty as she plucked feathers out of her breakfast. She kept getting them stuck in her beak, scratching them out with her talon and finally she got to the meat of it and started chowing down.

I got a tweet that Joyce was at the Brighton Site(BS) and had the new unbanded tiercel she named BST in her sights. Well since I hadn’t met this guy yet, as he came to town after I left on my trip I just had to go over there. When I arrived he was on the east side near the roof top tree.

BST is a very cute little man and definitely has a Kaver like look to him. I was very happy to see my gal pal Joyce as well. I would have liked to see Miss Pigott but she was absent this morning. BST flew off giving Joycie and I a little show before exiting to the south out of sight. Due to a previous commitment I had to get going and as I was about to leave Lisa showed up. I chatted briefly and was on my way. From the moment I spotted Beauty above Xerox to the end of my returning morning watch I sported a big ole smile! 🙂

Click the links below to view my photo album and 3 videos from my falcon watch

http://share.shutterfly.com/action/welcome?sid=0AaN3DFm0ZMWrPIg

http://youtu.be/SJBL5QriKEo

http://youtu.be/pYlw9Ac-GKY

http://youtu.be/WbGvCWphlD0

By Rochester Falcon Watcher Carol P.

Although it was a warmer day today, near 60 degrees (F), it rained all day.  Not a great day for going out to look for falcons, but you know us Falcon Watchers, we’re a hearty bunch.  lol

Today three Rochester Falcon Watchers braved the rainy weather, Lisa McK, Dana and I.

Here are today’s tweets:

10:11 am – Dana – “BS falcon rpt- none seen.”

10:20 am – Dana – “DT falcon rpt – B on ne launch pad KO.”

1:20 pm – Lisa McK – “At BS only 1 falcon found so far. I believe it’s Pigott.”

1:21 pm – Lisa McK – “At BS, 2nd falcon just flew in. Now I have 2.”

2:50 pm – Dana – “BS falcon rpt – both still here.”

3:20 pm – Carol P. – “At KP. As usual no falcons here.”

3:50 pm – Carol P. – “BS. Here with Dana Pigott and BST sitting in the rain.”

So all three Rochester Falcons were seen today and all seemed peaceful at both active locations.

After joining Dana at the BS location and seeing both Pigott and BST, we went downtown to look for Beauty.  I checked everywhere, including up inside the elevator shaft and could not find her. We all know she has many hiding places.  🙂

Here are a couple of pictures from today’s watch.  One of Pigott and one of BST at the BS location.

PLEASE BE SURE TO CLICK ON THE PICTURE FOR A LARGER VIEW.  THANKS!

By Rochester Falcon Watcher Carol P.

Hooray!  The weekend has arrived and lots of Watchers were out and about honing their Falcon Watching skills.   🙂

Watchers:  Joyce, Dana, Kathy O, Brian H, Larry O and Carol P.

Today’s reported sightings: (BS = BS location; DT = Downtown; KP – KP location)

8:00 am – Joyce – “BS – Good Morning! Nothing like a little snow for a brisk AM watch. One falcon on west side extension on windows 2 floors down in corner.”

8:10 am – Joyce – “BS – This is definitely not Pigott. Very white auricular patch behind mustache and is smaller in size. Looks like BST. Can’t find 2nd falcon.”

9:10 am – Joyce – “DT – found B on west side top I-beam of OCSR. She took off and just landed on Mercury a few minutes ago.”

9:40 am – Joyce – “DT on BSB: B flew off over river landed back on base of mercury then off again over river and landed on the north corner of Crossroads.”

9:41 am – Joyce – “DT – Beauty is eating. She must have caught something when she went around Crossroads over State St and up to corner. Caught nothing over river.”

9:50 am – Joyce – “DT – B is quicker than my eye. Gray silhouetted pics have B with something in talons. She did catch something over river.”

10:50 am – Carol P – “KP – Checked the best I could at KP. No falcons seen.”

1:00 pm – Dana – “DT – DT falcon rpt- B is on nw rail of Widows Walk.”

1:30 pm – Dana – “DT falcon rpt- B took off heading east.”

1:40 pm – Carol P – “DT. B flew from WW to back of Hyatt. Dana Kathy Joyce Brian and I on watch.”

2:50 pm – Carol P – “DT. Found Beauty eating on the north end of the Cross Rds bldg.”

3:00 pm – Larry O – “BS – No Falcons found.”

3:55 pm – Shaky on RFalconcam Now: “Beauty is on Mercury’s money bag since 15:16.”

So, after multiple checks throughout the day at the BS location, no falcons were seen there after Joyce spotted BST this morning.  Beauty was seen downtown on territory.  We know by her behavior over the past few years, that she does not migrate during the Winter months.

Beauty was seen on the OCSR, the Mercury statue, the Cross Rds Bldg and the Widows Walk.

Here are some pictures from my Watch.

BE SURE TO CLICK ON THE PICTURES IF YOU WOULD LIKE TO SEE A LARGER VERSION.

By Rochester Falcon Watcher Carol P.

Reported Falcon Sightings:

7:44 am – Shaky reports through RFalconcam Now:  “DT. Beauty is on Mercury’s money bag.” – From Camera #1 at the Nest Box

12:50 pm – Tweet from Lisa McK:  “BS. So far found 1falcon at BS, on south side.” – This was Lisa’s only tweet, so 2nd falcon not found at BS.

2:00 pm – Tweet from Larry O:  “BS. Brighton Falcon watch drive by. 1 Falcon on West extension.” – Again, only one falcon seen at BS.

4:20 pm – Tweet from Carol P:  “DT. Found a falcon I assume is Beauty on top of the Hyatt on the west, river side. Have not seen her up there in awhile. Starting to snow.”

4:40 pm – Tweet from Carol P:  “DT. Well who knows where she is now. Checked all over & can’t find her. Heading home to warm up. Tomorrow will be a MUCH nicer day!”

My evening Falcon Watch report from downtown (3:45 – 4:45 pm)

After a quick check of KP with no luck finding any falcons, I arrived downtown at approximately 4:00 pm.  After checking all over the downtown area, I finally spotted a tail sticking out on a building I had not seen a falcon on in quite awhile from the north side of the Rochester Library.  That tail looked really familiar.  I had to get further away from the building to check it out, so I parked on the Broad St Bridge back by the War Memorial, facing east.  Through my binoculars, I verified that the tail was connected to a Peregrine Falcon sitting up on top of the Hyatt Hotel on the west side.  I assumed it was Beauty, but she had her back to me and it was starting to snow, so I never got a really good look.  I never like to say what falcon I’ve seen, unless I get a good look and I’m certain, or fairly certain, which bird I’m watching.

People that are not used to looking for the falcons have a hard time seeing them.  It’s really hard until you’ve had a lot of practice.  You have to train your eye to find them.  I’ll never forget my first lesson when I walked with Jim P around the Kodak Office buildings.  He’d point out falcons in different locations and I remember having the hardest time finding them.  Jim told me that once you’ve studied a building you get to know what should be there and then it’s easier to find what shouldn’t be there.  Today was such an example.

Beauty has been pretty consistently on certain spots, ie. the Mercury Statue, the OCSR IBeams, the Frontier Communication Tower, the Jail Communication Tower and now the OCSR elevator shaft.  Today she was on the Hyatt, a building I have not seen her on in a long time.  I’m not saying she never goes there, she can certainly land on any building she wants!  lol

So , while sitting in traffic at the light near the library, I looked up to my left and saw a “blip” aka tail, poking out from a smooth ledge under the Hyatt sign.  Using my binoculars, I verified it was in fact a dark gray tail.  I quickly drove back to the Broad St Bridge and parked farther out facing east to get a better view of what was up on that ledge.  I could see that it was a falcon shaped and sized bird, and with binoculars I verified it was in fact a Peregrine Falcon.  The whole time I watched, the falcon never turned around so that I could see the front to better see if it was Beauty.  I assume it was, but I can’t be sure.  I will say that it was Beauty.

At about 4:30 pm, it started to snow harder and I was already losing light.  That’s when Beauty decided to leave the Hyatt.  I lost sight of her and was not able to find her after checking out the whole downtown area, even a good look up into the OCSR elevator shaft.

Since it was cloudy, snowy and getting dark, I decided to end my Watch.  Tomorrow promises to be a nice day with warmer temps and sunshine and it’s Saturday!  Woohoo!

Are you ready for a quick lesson on how to spot a falcon?  I am going to leave you with a few pics I took of Beauty up on the Hyatt from the west end of the Broad St Bridge near the Blue Cross Arena aka the War Memorial, with arrows pointing out her location.  This way you can practice spotting a falcon on a building.  🙂

REMEMBER TO CLICK ON A PICTURE FOR A LARGER VIEW.