Rfalconcam Forum

So what do Montreal and Rochester have in common you ask?  A certain Ring-bill Gull with a transmitter that visited Rochester, NY last year has returned after spending the summer at his home breeding grounds.  I was contacted by Professor Jean-Francois from the University of Quebec at Montreal.  We had corresponded last year when the gull I've nicknamed Mon-Ro (Montreal to Rochester) was 1st spotted by a bunch of Rochester Falcon Watchers last year at Charlotte.  We were keeping an eye on the female Peregrine Falcon that wintered over at Charlotte, when a gull flew towards us and landed nearby.  We were so surprised to see that he was wearing a transmitter just like Quests.  I was able to track down where the gull was from, Montreal, Quebec.

In the email, the professor told me that another gull with a transmitter had returned to Moravia, NY, birthplace of the 13th President of the United States, Millard Fillmore.  The satellite readings on this gull had stopped moving and he feared the gull was dead.  Well, that wasn't too far from Rochester and we're always up to a good roadtrip.  It was approximately a 90 mile trip, one way.  I spoke to some of the Watchers to see if there was any interest and of course there was.

I emailed the professor and told him that we would be interested in attempting to find the gull and the transmitter.  He sent me detailed instructions on where the transmitter readings continued to come from with the coordinates, which we fed into a GPS.  From what we saw on Google Maps, it looked like it was located in an open, flat field near power lines.  This looked like it would be an easy retrieval.   :stupid:

Early this morning (Saturday, 8/20) Kathy O, Lisa McK, Dana, MAK, Joyce and I left Rochester and headed to Moravia.  We arrived around 8 a.m.   We found the large field and it was anything but flat.  Yikes!  There were deep dips and large rock covered hills and tall trees.  This would not be easy, but we still thought we might have a good chance to find the gull.

Using Joyce's GPS ap, we found the area where the transmitter readings were coming from.  It was below the high power lines and the area was not very accessible.  We checked around the lower area first and found a pile of gull feathers.  Plucked, but no sign of the gull carcass or any blood.  We check all over and found another pile of feathers under an old rotten log.  A few of us climbed the hill and checked from above.  The whole group ended up making their way to the top.  For three hours, we looked and had no luck finding the gull or the transmitter.  It was very warm out and there was not much protection from the sun.  We decided to give up and attempt another search in the near future, if the transmitter readings continued.

We were all sad that we didn't find the gull or the transmitter, but it was a valiant effort.  Maybe next time!  On the way home, we drove through Montezuma and saw lots of Eagles, Osprey (two nests; one with 3 young and one with 2 young).  Also, lots of Great Blue Herons and Egrets and all kinds of little shore birds that I don't know and quite a few different types of ducks.

It was a beautiful, warm day spent with good friends.  I still have to go through my pictures and I'm sure the others do to.  I'll share some soon.  Thanks Kathy, Lisa, Dana, MAK & Joyce for joining me on yet another adventure.   :clap:

Wow, I thought for sure you'd snag that tranny!! Even with GPS tracking, it's a mystery. Good try though girls. As long as you had fun, that's all that matters. Look what you saw while investigating!!!  :clap:

I did too Donna!  I thought for sure we'd be able to return the transmitter to the folks in Montreal.  Darn.   ???

 Sounds like you RTRT members had a great time even if you didn't retrieve any transmitters.  Looking forward to the pics.

A Fun Day and a good deed!

As promised here is the link to my album from Saturday when I went on a road trip with Joyce to Moravia,NY and met up with KathyO,Dana,Lisa McK and CarolP to find the transmitter of a gull from Montreal. We didn't find it but we had fun anyway stopping in Auburn,NY on the way back for lunch at Hunters Dinerant(an old fashioned diner car) and then on to the Montezuma Wildlife Refuge. It was a great day spent with some special people and wildlife! As always no sign in is required. Enjoy!

http://www.kodakgallery.com/gallery/sharing/shareRedirectSwitchBoard.jsp?token=774085992213%3A583979754&sourceId=533754321803&cm_mmc=Share-_-Personal-_-Email-_-Sharer-_-Top (http://www.kodakgallery.com/gallery/sharing/shareRedirectSwitchBoard.jsp?token=774085992213%3A583979754&sourceId=533754321803&cm_mmc=Share-_-Personal-_-Email-_-Sharer-_-Top)

What a day! Great record, MAK!!! Sure wish I had been with you.

Next time Bobbie!! Looked like GREAT fun!! SUPER PICS!!!  :clap:

 :thanx:   I had a banner day and the only thing that would have made it better is if you all could have been there too!  :wave:  Bobbie as soon as I saw that diner I thought of you and the Highland diner!  And Donna as we were walking through the tall grass looking for that transmitter we brought up the fact that there were probably snakes around so that made me think of you! lol :snake2:   ;D

Here are some pictures from our adventure at Moravia, NY yesterday.  Kathy O, Lisa McK, Dana, MAK, Joyce & I had no luck finding the transmitter, but we had fun looking for it.  No sign on needed.  Enjoy!   :wave:

http://www.kodakgallery.com/gallery/sharing/shareRedirectSwitchBoard.jsp?token=4476624780105%3A533563390&sourceId=533754321803&cm_mmc=Share-_-Personal-_-Email-_-Sharee-_-Top (http://www.kodakgallery.com/gallery/sharing/shareRedirectSwitchBoard.jsp?token=4476624780105%3A533563390&sourceId=533754321803&cm_mmc=Share-_-Personal-_-Email-_-Sharee-_-Top)

hope you kept your eyes to the skies, looking
for jemison---although jem i bet is living elsewhere-w/ a gigantic
family of fledges

I really enjoyed this photo story.  Wonder where the transmitter is?

Paul

Thanks Paul.  The transmitter that was on this gull is almost exactly the same as Quests.  It is solar powered, so it must be getting sun at least part of the day.  We are wondering if it might be up higher in the bushes or trees.  Maybe not on the ground.  When we go back in the fall, after the leaves fall, maybe we'll see it.

We are always looking for our little ones.

When we were driving through Montezuma and reached the spot that we released Jemison, I couldn't help remember how he sprung out of the box, healthy and healed and flying off to his new life, wherever that might be.  :wub:

Great album, MAK!  You had a wonderful assortment of wildlife to photograph!

http://goeland.uqam.ca/ (http://goeland.uqam.ca/)

Here is the website explaining why the Ring-bill Gulls are being banded and given transmitters.  The study is being run by the University of Quebec at Montreal.

Just looked through the album ofyour  Montezuma road trip.  Unbelivable pictures, MAK!   Lucky you!   
Each pic was fabulous.     
Are we going to have to rename this site, Ocam  ?    You and Carol are falling in love with the ospreys.  They are  gorgeous, but so are the eagles, and the falcons, and the waxwings, and the  hummers, and the conures, and the cockatiel...etc,  etc...etc.   can we go on?   :-)  How about ALL THINGS BIRD!?

Carol, do they think the transmitter is still on the bird or that the bird,perhaps, was able to free itself from it?  Excellent photo album!!  You guys are adventurers!

Birds! American diners! Birding buddies! Life is good!!

 :clap:  Great job, MAK!  :bravo:

Here's what you need. Got $995?

http://www.com-spec.com/ARGOS_PTT_FINDER_AL_1/ARGOS_PTT_FINDER_AL_1__8_5x11_color_brochure.pdf (http://www.com-spec.com/ARGOS_PTT_FINDER_AL_1/ARGOS_PTT_FINDER_AL_1__8_5x11_color_brochure.pdf)

Just checked the pocket money - here ya go... (Not possible to do this with a couple of tin cans and a string, huh? Never knew how that worked either...)

 :hello:  Thanks for the kind words everyone! I am truly blessed to see all these sights and I'm more than happy to share my adventures with all of you. Nature deserves the kudos tho for it puts on the show, all I have to do is click away!  And what a fine show it gave us on Saturday!!! ;D

 :foxbinocs: :hawk: :eagle2: :flash: :pfalcon: :finch: :flash: :hummer: :mini-bird: :flowers:

Hey Jeanne!  Thanks!  I have a feeling that the gull is probably dead.  Assuming that the feathers we saw belonged to him.  Not sure if the transmitter is still on the gull or not.  We were looking for a dead gull and just a transmitter.  I hope we can find it the next time we look.