By Rochester Falcon Watcher MAK

What a day I had on fledge watch!  Joyce and I joined LarryO and Dan who were on the Broad St. bridge. We barely said hello when Beauty come whipping in and stooped on a pigeon coming inches from the surface of the water. She missed the lucky Rock Dove and as we were talking excitedly about how great that was Larry yelled Orion is fledging! We all looked just in time to see him land on the ledge across from the nest box on the same spot that  sweet Jemison fledged to in 2010.

Joyce and I left the guys on the bridge to follow Orion as he went to the south side of the Times Square Building(TSB). Walking and flying to the back of TSB and flying around the back out of sight. Carol had arrived and tweeted that he was in the front perched on the ledge above the nest box.

Beauty was spotted on the base of Mercury and she was watching her young fledgling. Things stayed this way for over an hour when Beauty flew over and landed near Orion and then flew off to OCSR top ibeam west corner. 45 minutes later Orion took off from TSB and flew over the Wilder building and continued on to the Crossroads building. He attempted to land on the top roof but didn’t quite get that high and ended up fluttering down to the lower roof(which isn’t low at all).

He walked back and forth taking short flights as well along the south side ledge. Carol and I were sitting in the hole and suddenly the blur of a fast moving peregrine streaked over us from behind the Thomson Reuters building stooping on something on the Philipone building roof. She came up and around and did it again right over and in front of us without success and came to rest directly above us on the Thomson Reuters building.

The Beautyful one took one more stab at whatever was on that roof  then returned to the base of Mercury as Orion slept over on Crossroads. Beauty flew past Orion twice with a large package trying to tease him off the roof but all he did was sing very loudly.They both made their way around to the  northeast corner where he got something to eat. Beauty took it from him before he could devour all of it and cached it on Widows Walk, then she flew to her west corner on OCSR.Orion finally flew off Crossroads and went to the TSB south side and made his way around to the north side where beauty tried to direct him to the front where the nest box is located. He flew around eventually landing on a window ledge lower than the nest box.

Dot.Ca who was not seen most of the day came in with food and landed on the deck by the main cam seemingly looking for Orion then flew back to OCSR where he stayed a while before leaving the area. Beauty was stationed under the southeast wing above Orion on his window ledge right next to MarkBs office. Pictures and video were taken of Orion by Mark while he was there and that’s how the night ended. Another long 13 hour watch that flew by with all the action and excitement that took place. Many watchers took part in todays fledge watch and here are the ones at the end minus me who took the pic! lol

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So there you have it folks our young Orion has turned into a fledgling and now we will be off to the races keeping up with him smiling along the way! 🙂

Click the links below for more pics and videos

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http://youtu.be/UgMf4q7gdkE

http://youtu.be/PiDVbpGxUBc

http://youtu.be/iC9oDApBCks

http://youtu.be/BJeMTv7-fCk

By Rochester Falcon Watcher MAK

I got a break today from the bus and dragging my cart around all day cuz Joyce picked me up for a fledge watch. Thanks! As soon as we arrived on the Broad St. bridge there was action. Dot.Ca was a stooping maniac as he excited us with 4 stoops including  down the front of the Times Square building for Orion to see! Also he and Beauty chased a crow out of the area together! Woohoo what a way to wake up!!!  After things settled down Beauty ended up on the base of Mercury, DC on the Wilder fire escape and Orion front and center to see all.

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Pat and DebbieH came by for a bit before work. DC went to the heel of Mercury where Beauty barked some orders at him as Orion watched them. KathyO stopped for a quick look/see. Both adults fed Orion a tiny bit trying to tease him into fledging with no luck. They both flew back and forth in front of the Times Square building to get him to follow and no luck with that either. So what’s a pair of falcon parents to do? Hang out on Mercury together and discuss things, well Beauty did all the discussing! She did a lot of talking today. lol

They would also go to OCSR and under the wings of Times Sqaure to wait it out- and wait they did! Most of the rest of the day was spent waiting and waiting for this kid to fly but he would have none of it! He explored the top of cam 4 where his mum likes to perch at night while he sleeps and from there to the top of the main cam. He ran around the well wall and flew from one spot to the next in the nest box and well areas.

He’s ready to go he just doesn’t know it…yet.

Carol joined the watch around 11 :30am. We met Newbie(Suzanne) who works in the Bausch&Lomb building.  Dana joined us as well. Things stayed quiet in the afternoon. Willie and Dan and SusanC were with us into the evening hours. Orion did lots of flapping throughout the day but no fledge. At the end of the fledge watch Jeanne and Lisa came to see Orion flying from cam 4 to the main cam and back. We thought for sure he would slip off and have to fledge but that little daredevil  caught himself every time ending up at the nest box. As we got ready to end the watch and leave Dan brought the full moon to our attention-of course I took a pic!  So another 14 hour fledge watch was in the books for me. I have to say it’s nice to see the Beautyful one and DC  displaying team work where Orion is concerned, certainly something I would never have thought would happen back in the spring. Tomorrow is another day and hopefully a fledge will take place which will make all of us smile! 🙂

Pics and video below just click on

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By Rochester Falcon Watcher Carol P.

I was downtown from 11:30 am till after 9:00 pm. I took a 1/2 day vacation because I had really hoped to see Orion fledge today. But that didn’t happen and this is a-ok. Each day he takes to spread his wings and run and flap and stretch, will make him that much stronger when he does decide the time is right. When he’s ready, he’ll take that next step to becoming a Peregrine Falcon.

Today’s Falcon Watchers while I was downtown: Joyce, MAK, Dana, Willie, Susan C., Aaron, Dan S., Jeanne, Debbie H, Pat, Suzanne, Lisa McK and Carol P. Hope I got everyone.

Today was a gorgeous day, with just a little bit of rain. When I first arrived, I joined Joyce & MAK at Falcon Watch Central (FWC). They needed to leave for a just a short while, so I kept an eye on Orion and Beauty and Dot.ca. All three were within my view. Orion at the nest box, Beauty and Dot.ca both on the OCSR.

J&M returned and joined me at the top of the stairs leading down to Aqueduct St. We were soon joined by Dana and then Susan C and Willie and lunchtime visits by Newbie aka Suzanne, Debbie H and Pat. We kept following the shady spots around, setting up our chairs in the shade and moving when it moved.

There was a bit of flying by B&DC in front of the nest box area, exciting Orion when he saw them. He was last fed this morning, so he is definitely being prepared by his parents for that first flight. This evening, we were joined by Dan S, Lisa McK, Aaron & Jeanne.

Just as it was getting dark, Orion decided it was time to get some wing practice in. He was all over Camera #4 and jumped up to Main Cam twice! We thought he might do a nighttime fledge, but he finally settled on the ledge that runs along the left (south) side of the nest box. I just checked the cameras and he’s sound asleep in that same spot. Beauty was up on the top IBeam of OCSR in the center. Not sure where Dot.ca ended up.

The most exciting thing today was when Beauty was up at the base of the SE wing of the TSB. We watched as a pigeon flew past the TSB on the south side, just below Beauty. I had just remarked that was one crazy pigeon, when Beauty stooped off of the building and hit the pigeon below her. It was the pigeon’s lucky day. S/he flew off of safety and Beauty flew over to the OCSR landing on the top IBeam.

Lots and lots folks stopped to ask us how the “birds” were doing. It seems that we are getting less “whatcha lookin at?” questions. 🙂

A little after 9:00 pm, we decided to end our Watch and call it a day, since Orion had finally settled down and was laying down next to the nest box.

Tomorrow is another day. It will be much warmer, so if anyone decides to come down to help with the watch, be sure to wear your sunscreen and bring lots of water to drink.

There will be Fledge Watchers out and about around the Times Square Bldg with their eyes to the sky, watching for Orion’s first flight. Maybe tomorrow will be the day, but if not that’s ok too! 🙂

By Rochester Falcon Watcher Jeanne

I arrived to a still rainy downtown at 6:30. I met up with Joyce and MAK who were watching from the car. I joined them. I saw Beauty fly off and we found her beneath the Widows walk. She appeared to be eating. Back on the bridge, we got a tweet from Dana saying Orion was perched on the nestbox. The watchers had felt he was ready to fledge earlier in the day but the storms and his parents put an end to that! Beauty brought in food but made 3 passes in front of Orion. We weren’t sure if she was carrying something heavy causing her to not get lift or if she was trying to entice Orion to fly. It looked, at that time, like the prey was heavy. She flew off. She returned again making 4 passes in front of Orion (that looked like an enticement) and finally went to the platform to feed him. DC arrived at that time also and went to his spot on the rings of the Times Square building. Beauty went beneath the wing. He moved around quite a bit and at one point went toward camera 4 but went back from it. It looked like the wind pushed him back. We were joined by Carrie, Shaky and Diana R. Dotca went to Mercury, the statue across from the building, after eating some of the leftovers on the platform. Orion did a lot of pacing back and forth on the wall. And lots of screeching! Beauty kept an eye on him from above. (Every now and then we could see Orion look up at her and she would look down at him). Her tail feathers were quite wet and straggly.

Finally he went into the nestbox and we left!

By Rochester Falcon Watcher MAK

I always check the livestream before leaving the house to check out what Orion is doing.  He flew up to can 4 and perched there for the first time just like his mom. I thought at the time he was going to fledge before I could get there. So when I arrived downtown I fully expected Dan to be telling me he was on a building somewhere. Orion was on the wall and shortly after he flew up and landed on the main cam. I was having trouble deciding whether to stay close by or go up on the Broad St. bridge with Dan and Larry. I walked the bridge and as I got them in sight Larry started yelling excitedly and pointing south over the river toward Court St. I thought for sure Orion had fledged but when I got past the Blue Cross Arena where I could see I instantly knew it wasn’t him but Beauty flying with prey dangling from her talons. They had witnessed her stooping on a pigeon and Larry was so excited! She took it somewhere to clean and pluck and eventually returned to feed Orion. The guys left and Carol and Joyce joined me on the bridge. We ended up going down to the hole for a closer look.

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After being quite active Orion settled down and most of the watch was quiet with Beauty and Dot.Ca hanging out mostly on OCSR  and under the Times Square wings. Visits by DebbieH  and Patsy on their lunch breaks. Carrie and Dan joined us in the afternoon as we searched for shade on a very hot summer day.

Rain moved in late in the day just after Orion had been wing flapping hard and we thought he would go. The rain put an end to that ubtil afterwards when Beauty tried enticing him off with prey scraps. Nothing doing,he wasn’t fledging on this night. I am sure he will be going today sometime. Jeanne,Carrie,Shaky and Diana were on watch with Joyce and I at the end of the night. Again I’m sorry for the short report but time is not in the program while fledge watch is taking place. I must be leaving soon for downtown. I did have a smile on my face for much of the day due to my great falcon friends and the antics of Orion. 🙂

Click the links below for pics and a very short video

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http://youtu.be/sExTvCWOVXk

By Rochester Falcon Watcher MAK

At the corner of Main St. and Exchange Blvd. by Tim Hortons as I looked up at Times Square(TSB) I spotted Orion on the north end of the wall. What a great way to start a fledge watch! The only problem is that he didn’t fledge today but I surely enjoyed sharing space with him and his fantastic parents.

First Dot.Ca(DC) made a small food drop for Orion before a minute went by then flew up under the southeast wing. Then Beauty came in and fed Orion as dad went over to OCSR .  As Beauty finished up the leftovers Moon came by and asked if I was MAK. She is a co-worker of Patsy at the Thomson Reuters building.

When Beauty was done she too went to OCSR. DebbieH stopped on her way to work  and things remained like this for quite a while. CarolP joined the watch followed by KathyO who was on the way to a seminar at the Rochester Plaza Hotel. KrisG and her hubby Bill came after this time . We witnessed more of the same scenes as yesterday with the Beautyful one and DC taking turns on the various building spots keeping an eye on their young tiercel Orion. And again our little singer had his mouth open a lot of the time exercising his singing voice! lol

Brian,DebbieH and her co-worker Marianne joined our fledge watch. And later on SusanC and Aaron also came by. We had a visitor that may or may not have been Pigott. Beauty and DC took off at the same time flying east,next Brian and I saw 2 pefas over the river Brian thinking they looked like the same size so could have been Pigott and Beauty. We lost them behind the Thomson Reuters building as the one that was trailing looked to me like it started to dive bomb the other before vanishing. Next, Beauty(I mistakenly reported it as DC) came in and landed on the north end of the wall and made her way to the deck where we were told she had Orion laying at her feet in a submissive posture and he was quiet immediately. I feel she was protecting him by stopping him from bringing attention to himself with Pigott or a rogue falcon out there somewhere. Anyway, she went under the southeast wing and later DC returned to land under the northeast wing. Bookend guards for our precious Orion!

There was a mistake in identity later on that occurred that I think SusanC should tell  in her report. CarolP didn’t tell in her report but it involved her too. Funny stuff!

I’m sorry this isn’t as detailed a report as it could be but the hour is late and another day of  fledge watching will be upon me soon. The end of the nite included watchers-Brian,Joyce,Susan,CarolP,KathyO,Jeanne,LarryO,Marcia,Carrie,Shaky and myself. Another long day with plenty of smiles to go around!  🙂

Links below will take you to pics and videos-click on

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By Rochester Falcon Watcher Carol P.

Waiting is ok with me.  The longer Orion takes to fledge, the stronger he will be.  I’ll let others cover what happened during the day.  We had some excitement which I’ll let others report about .  It was a very long, very warm day spent with my Watcher friends and so many visits by folks just walking through, wondering what we were doing.

I was very happy to see Kris G and her husband Bill, who spent a few hours with MAK and I this morning.

From 4:00 pm to 8:15 pm, not much happened.  Just a bit of flying by Beauty and Dot.ca.  Orion seemed to be tuckered out and laying low at the nest box area.  Although he did do his share of flapping and doing short flights over the well wall and back to the nest box.  He is definitely getting stronger every day and will soon fledge.

Today, it seemed that he was getting a lot of food from his parents.  He is definitely mostly eating on his own and needs no help.  Although Dot.ca continues to feed him beak to beak when he can.  🙂

By the end of the evening, many of us decided to call it a night.  I received a tweet that after I left, more food was dropped at the nest box for Orion.  They weren’t sure if the dropper was Beauty or Dot.ca.

Tomorrow is another day and maybe Orion will take that step off the wall to the rest of his life.

Watchers while I was on Fledge Watch today: Kris G, Bill, MAK, Kathy O, Brian H, Susan C, Jeanne, Joyce, Larry O, Carrie, Shaky, Marcia, Aaron, Pat, Debbie H and me, Carol P.  Hope that’s everyone!

Tomorrow we’ll be back on the job, keeping our eyes to the sky in hope of seeing Orion’s first flight!  Be safe and strong when you fledge Orion!

By Rochester Falcon Watcher MAK

Well after a 14 hour fledge watch and 2 hours to upload pics and videos I guess I don’t need to tell you that I am tired. Therefore this report will be short and sweet. The day started by catching the 6:01am bus downtown where I joined Dan on the Broad St. Bridge who had been there since 5:30am. He got me up to speed saying that he hadn’t seen Beauty and Dot.Ca had fed Orion a small snack just before 6. Orion was on the roof of the nest box and at 7:00am Dan left for home.

Right after Dan left Beauty brought food to the deck and made her way to the nest box with breakfast. She seemed to be trying to get Orion to come down and finally she left with it when he didn’t comply.

I moved down  next to He’s Chinese joint to keep close tabs on Orion who had ventured out on the well wall. He actually flew from the deck to just in front of pan cam on the wall giving me heart palpitations. I thought he was gonna fledge right then and there! As it turned out he did a lot more of that today but never fledged. I think tomorrow is the day.

KathyO joined me around 9:00am and we moved to the hole where there was shade. Barbara stopped for a few minutes and when she left CarolP and Linda(Braveheart) showed up followed by Patsy and LarryO. Meanwhile, DC had brought food and was feeding Orion at the north end of  the wall. It was a frenzied affair as DC couldn’t shovel it into Orion fast enough!

Joyce,Dana and Lou joined the gang while Beauty and DC were on OCSR watching their kid have a blast running along the well wall. Basically that’s how the whole day went-Beauty hung out on OCSR,DC flew around chasing crows and hanging under the wings and on the Times Square building and OCSR. O sang a lot of the time, as a matter of fact I got many pics of him singing his songs.

Watchers came and went all day and at the end of the night 10 of us were present-LarryO,Aaron,Joyce,Dan,Jeanne,Brian,CarolP,Dana,Marcia and yours truly MAK.  Orion was a joy to watch and also gave us a lot of angst for his antics on the wall. Short flights down the wall and in the nest box area and running along the wall made for some very entertaining and smiling moments!  🙂

Click on the links below for more pics and videos from todays watch

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http://youtu.be/uUk-FVzL_xg

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http://youtu.be/dOskKRsTvgQ

http://youtu.be/cdlqEkuV6B4

By Rochester Falcon Watcher Carol P.

Well, so far no fledge yet by Orion, but he is getting closer and closer. He has graduated from nesting to ledging. Next Fledging! These are the same steps that Jemison and Callidora took in 2010. Orion is following in their big yellow footsteps.

Many Watchers were out this weekend for hours, from dawn to dusk, wanting to be there for Orion when he fledged. We will continue to be there for him.

Rochester Watchers out this weekend included Dan S, Jeanne, Joyce, Brian H, MAK, Dana, Lou, Kathy O, Larry O, Marcia, Shaky, Carrie, Linda, Pat, and Carol P. If I forgot someone, I apologize.

You gals, guys are the best. The weather has been brutal, especially during the afternoon hours when there is no shade in sight. Today there were 4 of us lined up in a small couple foot wide strip of shade up against a wall. Other times, we’ve resorted to umbrellas. Sunscreen, hats and lots of water are a must.

This morning, we were all thrilled to watch Orion make his way out onto the well wall, all the way to the north end. He doesn’t walk slowly, he speeds over that wall, wings out, feet sometimes not touching the hard surface below him. He continues to strengthen his wings and all the muscles he will need for that first flight. Flap, flap, flap, flap! Faster and faster and feet lifting off the ground and a soft breeze lifts under his wings and …….flight! Wings continue to beat, up, down, up down, free! Beauty and Dot.ca will probably join Orion on his first flight. They may try to guide him, as Beauty guided Jemison back towards the TSB when he attempted to fly too far over the river. His parents will be there for him. They are always close.

As nervous as these first flights are for us to watch, I never tire of seeing them. They are amazing.

Tomorrow is another warm day. Will this be the day he fledges? If so, we will be there just in case he needs our help.

You can bet that all the Rochester Watchers that gather downtown tomorrow will be keeping their eyes to the sky!

Here is a link to a few pictures from Friday night. Hope you enjoy…

Marcia L.