By Rochester Falcon Watcher MAK

It was 72 (F) 22 (C) at the start of today’s watch with overcast skies

As I was sitting at my table eating a bowl of cereal this morning I heard a juvie whining-as I looked out 2 juvies flew past. I quickly finished and headed out the door. I found one juvie on the northwest corner of Seneca Towers (ST) with its back to me. No others could be found from the ground so I headed downtown.

While turning onto the Court St. bridge (CSB) to join Dan I spotted 2 falcons flying near Xerox. Dan said that all four juvies had been flying around up there. A couple of them landed momentarily on both the northwest corner and the center roof antenna.

I noticed an adult on the top I-beam of OCSR by the  elevator shaft-we later decided that it was Beauty. I also checked out the river and found a duck family having a morning swim.

Be sure to click on the pics for full version

Suddenly we saw a juvie stoop from Xerox across the river after pigeons near Cornhill-no luck but it was a spectacular stoop!!! Carol joined the watch right after that occurred. 2 of the juvies showed up under the southwest wing of Times Square (TSB) then to Widows Walk (WW) and then they joined a third juvie on the base of Mercury. Just before Dan left at 7am everybody disappeared to the east including the Beautyful one.

Carol spotted 2 juvies on the jail tower briefly then they headed north-one of them ended up on WW. I drove to Elm St. where I found a female juvie on the northwest corner of HSBC. She flew west after a minute or so. Meanwhile, Carol had gone to the hole and found 2 juvies now on WW and one had food.

I left the east side and went to Broad St. near Plymouth Ave. to check out the juvies on WW. All four of the juvies were on and off both the lower roof and railings at different times. One of them did indeed have food as the others watched and made their attempts to get some of it.

DebbieH stopped by to chat before work and while we were talking Aria flew off WW and headed toward the Frontier Communications Tower (FCT). She went out of sight for a second and then Debbie thought she landed on the middle arm of FCT. Turns out it was a kestrel that landed on a bracket of the arm.

Some more shenanigans on WW by the juvies and then I joined Carol in the hole as we watched Lilac get a small package from Dot.ca (DC) under the northwest wing of TSB. She took it to WW-Aria kept her eye on the prize from next to her on the east railing. DC went to the west corner top I-beam of OCSR.

Lilac ended up taking the food down to the roof inside the railing and eventually we Aria followed and we had no visual on any juvies. I left downtown at this point and when I got to ST there was an adult PEFA on the west side railing. After cropping my pics on the computer I could see that this bird was unbanded. Coincidentally I haven’t seen Billie or Seth since I came home-just the two juvies. Stay tuned!

A successful watch that produced sightings of all 6 downtown Rochester Peregrine Falcons-and you know that makes me smile! 🙂

Check out today’s videos by clicking on the links below

https://youtu.be/E8sq5dvDO0M

https://youtu.be/94SOjcYGq-0

https://youtu.be/HSa2i_LuUU0

By Rochester Falcon Watcher Carol P.

Needless to say, I was very surprised to see MAK back in Rochester yesterday when I arrived on the Court St Bridge for my morning watch with Dan. Welcome back MAK!

It’s going to be another day of 90 degrees here in Rochester, NY.  Even at 6 am, it was warm and muggy.

When I arrived, I saw two juves flying over the Xerox Tower.  I decided to get a closer look before joining Dan and MAK on the Court St Bridge.  Both juvies landed on top of the antenna on top of Xerox.

<— Two juvies on top of the antenna on the Xerox Tower.

One of the juvies headed west, back towards the Times Square Bldg.  It was time to go to the Court St Bridge.  There was a lot of activity by our 4 juvies.  Beauty watched from the top Ibeam on OCSR, while three of the four juvies landed on the base of the Mercury statue.

<— Three juvies on the base of Mercury.

<— Two juvies on base of Mercury.

Dan ended his morning watch at 7:00 am and MAK and I got in our cars to look for some falcons.  From Aqueduct (aka “the hole), I found two juvies on the Widow’s Walk.

<— Two juvies on Widow’s Walk.

<— My view from the hole.

At one point there were three juvies on the Widow’s Walk.  One of them had food.

<— Two juvies on Widow’s Walk.

There was a juvie on the Times Square Bldg (TSB) (at first I thought it was an adult), under the NE wing.  One of the Widow’s Walk juvies flew around the TSB and landed next to the one that was already there.

<— Two juvies under the NE Wing on TSB.

Two remained on Widow’s Walk (WW).  One of them was obviously Leo.  lol

<— Leo and Sister on WW.

<— Leo and Sister on WW.

An adult brought in food and three of the juvies were in the air.  One of them received the food and landed on the Widow’s Walk railing with it.  Matilda landed next to her, hoping her sister would share.

<— Matilda watches her sister mantle food, hoping she’ll share.

One juvie remained on the Times Square Bldg, sitting on the light under the NE wing.

<— Lady of the Light on the TSB.

The meal appeared to be a Starling, which was brought in my Dot.ca, now sitting on the OCSR top Ibeam.

<— Dot.ca on OCSR.

All was quiet for awhile.  Then one juvie flew over me and landed on the north end of the Wilder Bldg.  The juvie walked in and out of sight.  Then feathers were flying.  Not sure where this meal came from, but the juvie was eating up there.  Dot.ca had never moved from the OCSR.

<— Juvie on Wilder with Food.

I ended my morning watch when the juvie on Wilder finished her meal and joined her sister under the NW wing on the Times Square Bldg.  We had seen all 6 Rochester Falcons this morning. The heat was rising and the falcons would soon be seeking shade.  Time to head home.  Until later!

<— Two juvies under the NW wing on the Times Square Bldg.

By Rochester Falcon Watcher Carol P.

Here are some images from my Wednesday Fledge Watch.  Enjoy!

<— Beauty on top of Mercury.

<— Dot.ca on OCSR, top IBeam.

<— Two Juvies on Top of the Xerox Tower.

<— Two Juvies on Widow’s Walk.

<— Juvie on Times Square Bldg under the NW Wing.

<— Great Blue Heron on Library Wall Overlooking the River.

<— Water Under the Library.

By Rochester Falcon Watcher MAK

The temperature at 5:30am when I started my watch was 65 (F) 18 (C) as the sun came up. When I ended my watch at 12:15pm it was clouding up with a temperature of 83 (F) 28 (C)

As I started my watch before sunrise I didn’t see any falcons at Seneca Towers. However, I have seen both juvies flying past my window and the west side balcony since I got home from Arkansas. One of them was nice enough to land on the southwest corner so I could take some pics.

Make sure to click on pics to see full version

When I arrived downtown I went directly to the Court St. Bridge (CSB) where I knew Dan would be sitting in his chair. Boy was it nice to see that big, beautiful smile again! He reported that an adult had dropped off a package under the northeast wing of Times Square (TSB) and that all four juvies were up there eating. I could only see 2 juvies. Beauty was under the southwest wing at the time I arrived. A Great Blue Heron (GBH) came flying and landed down on the river rocks

The Beautyful one flew off to the east over the river and behind the Radisson Hotel-soon after one of the juvies followed her. Next thing we knew there were at least 3 falcons flying around Xerox. A juvie landed on the roof lights and on the southwest corner briefly. Carol joined us a little after 6am.

Beauty landed on Legacy Tower for a few minutes and when they all left our view. 2 juvies came flying in and landed on the north side roof of the Blue Cross Blue Shield (BCBS) building while another flew south- then the 2 took off to the south as well. Another GBH landed on the wall behind the Rundell Library for a minute.

Beauty showed up on the Mercury money bag (MMB) then flew east again as Dan left for his nest about 7am. Beauty returned to the MMB and at that point Carol and I decided to go searching. I found a juvie on the east side of Legacy Tower (LT) from Elm St. then I lost sight of it. Suddenly 2 juvies came zooming in quite vocally with one landing on the northeast corner of LT and started mantling something.

She turned around and went further in on the ledge to start eating what she had. I left after a few minutes to head to the hole where Carol had a juvie on Mercury’s head and Dot.ca (DC) on the west corner top I-beam of OCSR. As I crossed South Ave. onto the Broad St. bridge (BSB) I could see a juvie on the First Niagara Bank chimney. However, we couldn’t see her from the hole.

A juvie appeared under the northwest wing and we believe it was Leo on the lower roof southeast corner of Widows Walk (WW). He went back on the ledge where we could only see his head now and again-it appeared that he was eating and the wing girl was watching him. Pat stopped by to welcome me back on her way in to work at Thomson Reuters.

That was all she wrote-I left to see Bella (Jeannes’ dog whom I walk for her) and when I came back through downtown around noon there wasn’t a falcon in sight. I didn’t see any at Seneca Towers either- most likely all were taking shelter in shaded areas from the mid-day heat. I ended my watch at 12:15pm with a very big smile after 4 and a half months away from our beloved Rochester Peregrine Falcons! 🙂

Click on the links below to see a couple videos

https://youtu.be/j8Pac6kwEMg

https://youtu.be/-hCbswv41w4

By Rochester Falcon Watcher Carol P.

During my downtown watch, I received a text from fellow watcher Dana.  She had spotted 3 falcons over at Medley Ctr.  As soon as my downtown watch was over, I headed to the old mall.

I found one adult Peregrine Falcon on the roof at the center of the mall.  Based on size, I thought it was a female and she was on the hunt.  As pigeons flew over, she would take off and chase them.  In one of my pictures, I am 99.9% sure that I’m seeing a 77 Black over AX Green Band (thanks Donna!) and a silver USFW band.

She hunted the whole time I was there and then took off, heading west, back towards Seneca Towers.  I usually see her from far away, so I was very happy to have spent some time with Mariah and Kaver’s granddaughter for a short visit.  🙂

Here are some pictures I took of Billie and Medley Ctr.  What a gorgeous girl she is!

By Rochester Falcon Watcher Carol P.

I arrived downtown a little before 6 am and joined Dan on the Court St Bridge.  My intention was to do a head count of the falcons after the firework display last night.  We were there two hours and only saw Beauty and three of the juvies, one of which was Leo.

Beauty brought in food, and there was a food transfer right above us.  The juvie carried the prey to the base of Mercury.  Leo joined his sister and they shared breakfast.  There was another juvie sitting on Mercury’s head and Beauty landed on the foot. We had 4 of our 6 falcons in view.  Dan and I thought that the 4th juvie was out getting lessons from Dot.ca.

<— Juvie on Mercury’s Head.

<— Beauty Flying in with Breakfast!

<— Two juvies on Mercury.

<— Beauty on the railing below Mercury.

<— Leo and his sister sharing breakfast on base of Mercury.

<— Four Falcons on Mercury, Beauty and 3 juvies.

I hope to get out again later today to find all 6 Rochester Falcons.

By Rochester Falcon Watcher Carol P.

Here are some pictures from my Sunday Fledge Watch.  Enjoy!

<— Two juvies on Widow’s Walk.

<— Two Juvies on Widow’s Walk.

<— Beauty on Church.

<— Leo on Church chimney.

<— Juvie on Widow’s Walk.

<— Mercury Reflects!

<— Juvie Sleeping on Times Square Bldg.

<— Two Juvies on East Side Ledge on Times Square Bldg.

<— Three juvies on Widow’s Walk.

<— Widow’s Walk, Irving Place (Old City Hall) and Times Square Bldg.

All four juvies are being seen together daily.  All are doing very well.  We’ve witnessed food transfers from the adult to the juvies. Last night three of the juvies were playing above the Xerox bldg, while the 4th was on the Times Square Bldg with Beauty, vocalizing loudly.

Here are some pictures I took of the 3 juvies playing over Xerox.  Dana, Carrie, Shaky, Jeanne, Kathy O and I were able to watch them from Aqueduct St (aka “the hole”),  It was at quite a distance, but so much fun to watch.

By Rochester Falcon Watcher Carol P.

Here are some pictures from my Saturday Fledge Watch.  Enjoy!

<— Dot.ca watching over Juvie on Times Square Bldg.

<— Dot.ca on metal work between the wings on Times Square Bldg.

<— Sleeping Juvie on Times Square Bldg.

<— Juvie Taking Off from the Wings on top of the Times Square Bldg.

<— Incoming Juvie over Mercury!

<— Matilda with Food on the Philippone Bldg.  Lilac watching and waiting.

<— Matilda and Lilac sharing a meal on the Philippone Bldg.

<— Matilda and Leo.  He wants his share!

By Rochester Falcon Watcher Carol P.

Here are some pictures from my Thursday and Friday Fledge Watches.  Enjoy!

<—– All 4 juvies on Times Square Bldg – 6/30/16

<—- Juvie Between the Wings of Progress (on Widow’s Walk). – 7/1/16

<—- One of the girls resting on the Washington Bldg. – 7/1/16

<—- Beauty on Guard on Washington Bldg. – 7/1/16

<—- Beauty keeping the Kestrels away! – 7/1/16

<—- The other three juvies (Leo in the middle) watching from the Widow’s Walk. – 7/1/16

By Rochester Falcon Watcher Carol P.

After all the back and forth between our Peregrines and the Kestrels, that appear to be nesting near the Powers Bldg, I decided to get out early this morning.

I arrived on the Court St Bridge at about 6:00 am this morning.  Dan was already there (of course! lol).  Larry and Zaph soon joined us.

Dan told us that he had seen all 6 Rochester Falcons before we arrived.  That was great news!.

We all settled down to watch all 4 juvies flying around the jail communication tower.  Beauty was there, higher up on the tower and Dot.ca (DC) was on the Time Warner communication tower, which is south of where we were watching from.

Both DC and Beauty were in hunt mode, over Cornhill.  We figured that one of them was successful when two of the juvies flew out to greet them.  It was Beauty and she was carrying a pigeon back towards the jail communication tower.  We were thrilled to see her do a food transfer over the jail.  The juvie who received her offering flew towards the Times Square Bldg.  Two other juvies joined it on the Widow’s Walk.

Dan and Larry had to leave, so Zaph and I headed over to Aqueduct St (aka the hole).

The three juvies were still on the Widows Walk.  We could hear the Kestrel vocalizing over at the Powers Bldg.  Yep, there it was on the SW corner of the railing.

Beauty flew in and landed on Mercury’s foot.

The Kestrel flew in heading towards Beauty.  Off they went!  This time, the Kestrel was chasing Beauty out over the  river.  She turned back and the Kestrel headed back towards Powers.  To give you a better idea of size difference of a Kestrel vs a Peregrine, here is a picture of the Kestrel chasing Beauty.  They are small in comparison, but oh, so feisty!

In the meantime, the juvies decided it was time to play.  They flew over us, one landing on the TR bldg and one landed on the Philippone Bldg.  I was unable to ID either juvie.

Beauty came in and landed on the Wilder ladder.

One juvie decided to join his/her mom on the ladder, landing on her and knocking her off!  lol

Zaph and I returned to our chairs to relax for a bit.  That’s when we saw a falcon fly low, to the street in front of the Times Square Bldg (TSB).  That wasn’t good!  We headed towards the TSB and saw what the problem was.  There was a dead pigeon on the sidewalk in front of the TSB.  Beauty had landed on the corner of the Philippone bldg above it, one juvie was on the Wilder bldg and 2 were visible on Widows Walk.  We figured that the meal that the juvies were eating this morning, somehow made it to the sidewalk, dropped by one of the falcons.  Beauty had tried to retrieve it.

We took care of moving the pigeon somewhere safe.  Away from the street where one of them could have been injured.  Crisis averted!

At a little after 9:00 am, we ended our watch.  I hope to get back out later today.