High Falls

Any discussion about Rochester history starts here, in the Genesee River Gorge. And the High Falls is as good as any place to start.

Our city wouldn’t be here if the river’s waterfalls hadn’t provided an excellent source of power to operate the mills that produced the wood to build a settlement, and then the flour mills that helped it become America’s first boom town.

When you stand on the Pont de Rennes pedestrian bridge, admire the mighty cataract, but then look to the right, at the west face of the gorge where you will see some of the historic old mill buildings still standing.

Water diverted from the river into Brown’s Race, a man-made waterway, provided the power for these buildings.

Two other races were constructed even earlier, farther upstream. One race ran along the east bank at what is now the Rundel Library building, the Rochester Riverside Convention Center, Radisson Hotel and Water Street, going north to the High Falls.

On the west side, another race ran beneath what is now the Blue Cross Arena at the Community War Memorial, going north to Main street.

“These three races channeled river water into narrow streams that ran north roughly level with and parallel to the surface of the river above the falls and then poured over and turned large-diameter water-wheels, providing power for the city’s mills, before plunging back to the river below the falls in cuts called tail races,� Thomas Grasso explains in a Rochester History article.

So as you stand on the Pont de Rennes pedestrian bridge, look even more closely at the west face of the gorge, and you will seek dark vertical slits. These were the tail races.

When the Erie Canal was completed as far as Rochester in 1825, all the ingredients were in place.

Flour produced in Rochester’s river-powered mills could now be shipped along the canal to markets east and west. And not just flour, but furniture, farm machinery, beer, barrels, canal boats and even fire engines were produced by Rochester’s many water-powered mills, Grasso notes.

Thanks Kris and Rachel B

Thought they were suppose to do that job last Fall!! UGH, poor falcons. Thanks Kat.

Yeah: they did the other building last year and started this job in the spring. I've contacted Mark this a.m. and he says he's liaising with the Ministry of Natural Resources as well as property management for that building. I guess it all comes down to money and scheduling with the contractors. Really kind of sucks, though. I know the concrete protrusions are deteriorating, so it does have to be done to save the humans (!), but am worried about the falcons, too!

(To their credit: the contractors did work their way around the sides and back of the building while the young-uns were finding their wings.)

Now where will they perch? They liked those protrusions! LOL

(movie) What the heck is that? Window washer thingie?

YAY DC on Mercury

10:48am 

with Beauty at nest by main cam

Not happy this a.m., as the workers who are removing the protruding ledges all around the falcon building have started on the front of the building this morning. I saw three falcons going a bit nuts in the air this morning, so I don't think they're pleased about this, either! Will try to find out if the CPF is aware this is happening. Don't know why they can't wait until the fall to do this job. Sigh.

Thought they were suppose to do that job last Fall!! UGH, poor falcons. Thanks Kat.

Seems roles are reversed!

LOL, that's exactly what I said on fb!! 

[snglmel]

snglmel

He likes it out there.

(movie) he greets momma on the porch now.

Update on Our Osprey Eggs
Posted on July 16, 2012 by rangeremma   

I have had a report back from Bob McGowan , Senior Curator, Birds
National Museums Scotland about our two unhatched Osprey eggs which were removed from the nest under license on the 2nd July. We asked for them to be analyzed to see what went wrong with them, and it turns out that they may not have been fertilised at all. Neither egg had any sign of an embryo inside and certainly not a chick ready to hatch, despite the fact that many of us were convinced we saw a tiny hole and movement in one around hatching time.

Mr McGowan said:

“The two eggs were rotten/addled with no sign of any development. I wonder if the prolonged wet weather might have been a factor in bacterial degradation (but I’m just speculating).�

So why were the eggs not viable? We may never know exactly, but it is possible that either our male or female may have lower fertility, or it may be just very bad luck, I am told this is not unusual in Osprey nests, and that we shouldn’t worry unless it happens several years in a row.

As at many raptor nests in the UK this year second and third chicks have not survived due to the prolonger wet and cold weather and subsequent food shortages, perhaps it has been a blessing in disguise that we only had one viable egg this year. The resultant chick’s odds of survival have definitely been higher with all the food and attention to himself .
 

Good grief it’s been all go on the Osprey nest today with Blue 44 displaying more and more adult behaviour. This morning he fed himself from a fish that was left on the nest and he has being doing enormous vertical lifts taking him up past the camera so all we can see is an empty nest.


Everyone in the hides have been avidly watching him as he teeters on the nest stretching his wings wondering if today will be the day for fledging. We got action just not what we were expecting.

Our male, affectionately known as Laddie or Newman, brought a live Perch into the nest where it was writhing and thrashing about. Who steps forward to get it? We’re all thinking it will be our female but no it was Blue 44 who grabbed it with his talons and kept a tight hold. Dad was holding onto it tight so this fish was definitely not one that got away.

Then late this afternoon it all kicked off. Our male turned up with a fish but he barely landed when an intruder Osprey appeared overhead so he came off the nest to chase it away taking the fish with him. We then witnessed a fantastic aerial battle as our male, complete with fish in talons, chased the intruder around the loch and nest several times. Our female had obviously had enough of this by then and she came off the nest and saw the intruder off decisively. Our male took advantage of the intervention to land on a tree and start eating the fish – interesting priorities he’s got there! He’s since brought the fish for the rest of the family to eat.

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http://www.southcoasttoday.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20120712/NEWS/207120353/-1/NEWS05

In Massachusetts alone, 30 percent of nests are unsuccessful because of predators such as crows, sea gulls, foxes, skunks, raccoons, rats and coyotes, who eat the nests, according to USFWS.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-wales-north-west-wales-18826597   

http://www.kristv.com/news/aplomado-falcons-released-at-mustang-island-state-park/

PORT ARANSAS - Twenty three young Aplomado Falcons were released today at Mustang Island State Park today. According to park officials, the Aplomado Falcon diminished in numbers in parts of Texas a half-century ago.