My cousin just phoned and her daughter felt it in Clarence, near Buffalo.

I felt it here in Byron!

Have a Happy Birthday, Brian!   

I love future falcon watches.   

I was just going to say-hmmmmm... 

How lucky you are!  We have every size Woodpecker coming to our feeder but this one and the only Pileated I've ever seen are in pictures. Thanks for sharing, Jim!

Love Jemison's Mohawk!

I don't know where the scrape is on that bridge, but it could be under the roadway or way up high on a tower and close to Brooklyn.  If Chris thought it was safer, then it is.  He also put that box on top of the south tower of the Throgs Neck Bridge and I thought that was not safe, but apparently it is, too.

I wasn't going to post this given our sensitive year here in Rochester, but one of the Broadway Bridge fledglings broke its leg.  Bruce Yolton thought it might have to be euthanized.  Don't know the result.  I saw both fledglings eating a pigeon about three days before.  Now that doesn't seem like a safe bridge to me.  Chicks are close to the rail of the subway and roadway below.

Funny, I just learned about this from a falcon watcher at Riverside Church.  Saw one eyas/fledgling there.  Both parents were at/near the scrape.

Oh poor baby...what a shame...bridges scare me, not only for falcons!

At least she's flapping in the right direction...keep going forward.
What is it with babies and ledges?

Here we go again! 

They're looking more like real wings every minute!

Wow!  I guess so, Ei! Really beautiful!

         OMG!!   

June 16, 2010
And So It Goes...
Time does fly. So do the falcons. It is now that time of the season where we all say just a little bit of a goodbye as the birds are out of our immediate, loving and watchful sight and we all must return to the reality of our daily lives.

One update I would like to share with everyone. Today, Anna was able to identify the one remaining male juvenile that is flying the skies of Indy with his sisters. He was sitting on the 23rd floor ledge of Market Tower and she had her binocs handy. It is Coach. It is sad to think that we are missing little Hatton but I always remember in these situations that he had that taste of what it is to be a falcon for just a brief time - the full force of his heritage blazed for a bit over the Circle City. And so that mystery is solved - maybe not the whys, wheres and hows, but perhaps that is best for all of us who love these birds.

So now to my annual, chapter-closing, falcon season-ending blog post. Can I really have been doing this for what - 4 or 5 years now? And all of you who have faithfully followed the birds and the newbies who joined in this year - wow, what dedication that you all display and the joy and amazement that show in your comments year after year as we breathlessly wait for first egg, first hatch and first jump up on perch. Thank you all for caring about this little special K family. There are so many folks who have followed from day 1 that I feel you are part of my family - look how the Ks have created families other than their young ones!

As speaking of special K, you know I'm not going to let this opportunity go by without raving about Kinney. I know you are all probably sick of it, but I'll continue to raise the roof about this special tiercel. Every year, I hold my breath as I look at the cameras through the summer, fall and winter to make sure he is still with us. Oh I know he is just a bird, but really he is NOT just a bird.

And KathyQ, always an amazing falcon mom. Stern disciplinarian, taskmaster, fierce defender, tender mate - all rolled into one great bird. I do admire her, truly I do. She is the boss and she knows it and is not afraid to show it. Many in my family say I have similar traits : )

Good dads make the going easier, as we recognize Father's Day, Sunday, June 20. That's true in the animal kingdom also where some dads' flare for parenting can make the difference between life and death.

Role model: Red fox

Reason: The male of the species makes an attentive father, especially in the first month after birth. While females nurse the cubs, the fathers carry hunting duties and bring food to the den every four to six hours. But fathers do more than deliver the bacon, they plays with their pups, too. As they get older and stronger he teaches them to hunt and hide from predators. Meal service ends when the pups reach three months in age.

Some refuges where you may spot him: Seatuck Refuge, NY; Innoko Refuge AK; Missisquoi Refuge, VT; Stewart B. McKinney Refuge, CT.

Role model: Great horned owl

Reason: While his mate warms their clutch of eggs, the male owl catches small rodents to feed both him and her. Once the eggs hatch, he hunts for and feeds the whole family.

Some refuges where you can look for him: Target Rock Refuge, NY; Pea Island Refuge, NC; Bosque del Apache Refuge, NM; Wertheim Refuge, NY; Aransas Refuge, TX; Tallahatchie Refuge, MS.

Role model: Ruddy duck

Reason: Unlike many of his duck buddies who spend their time courting and playing the field, the male ruddy duck shares responsibility for his young.

Some refuges where you may spot him: Malheur Refuge, OR; San Pablo Bay Refuge, CA; Pea Island Refuge, NC; Montezuma Refuge, NY; Muleshoe Refuge, TX.



Role model: Greater flamingo

Reason: Flamingos tend to mate for life and the male helps feather his mate's nest. He then takes turns with her sitting on it. When their single egg hatches he shares childrearing duties.

Some refuges where you may spot him: Aransas Refuge, TX Archie Carr Refuge, FL; Arthur M. Loxahatchee Refuge, FL; Cedar Keys Refuge, FL; Caloosahatchee Refuge, FL.

Role model: Barking tree frog

Reason: The male makes a distinctive contribution to parenting. He sticks close by until the eggs are hatched preventing them from drying out by dousing them with urine.

Some refuges where you may spot him: Carolina Sandhills Refuge, SC; Pocosin Lakes Refuge, NC; Santee Refuge, SC.

Joyce!       

Wow, Ginha!  What a great backyard visitor! 

Peregrines were in the news again tonight!  WKBW-TV in Buffalo had a great segment on tonight's news about all the Peregrines in the Buffalo area showing clips of the banding of the Central Terminal eyases and Statler before and during her release.  They interviewed a woman from the DEC (I think the last name was Adams) who talked of Peregrines and their speed.  They showed a clip of a man talking about "just trying to get a closer look at the nest" when the mother Peregrine attacked him. Then the reporter named all the nest sites in the Buffalo area, how many pairs there are in NYS and how many hatched last year in the state.  They mentioned that the location between the 2 Great Lakes is becoming an attraction for more and more Peregrines each year. Kudos to "KB" for the great segment and making more people aware of these wonderful birds!