Buffalo Falcon News 2011

[Joyce]

3-4 watchers are heading to Buffalo to help with fledge watch. Brian, MAK, and I heading out about 11:00, Susan C is going to try and meet us there in the afternoon.

If anyone wants to join us, call my cell (if you have my #) follow our watch tweets, or contact me by PM.  I will periodically check the forum by phone.

Joyce

[Donna]

well, you can't really see them that good but they are specks down there below the nest.

Joyce MAK and Brian, in the circle

[~Sage~]

Hahahaha!

[~Sage~]

UB fledges are flying around between UB campus, the VA and water tower.  One took off towards the city hopefully to circle back as there is nothing very high nearby to land on.

At CT,  Stash and Stella were perched above and next to the box and seemingly unperturbed, not sharing my uneasiness at seeing only one ledgling below the box.  None of the other kids were seen on any roofs, ledges, peaks or in the well.

This Friday night from 5-11 is that big party at CT so if anyone is able to do pefa-watching, it would be really great.  Marty said we wouldn't be charged if we were pefa-watching in the parking lot, as the party will be inside.  The parking lot will however be very active during the party and if there is a fledge incident...  

Plenty of other fledges to be seen around Buffalo too, UB, Statler, South Grand Island Bridge (view from Collins Marine) and Niagara Gorge (view from Terrapin Point, US side)  

I'm so nervous watching Harlie and hoping nothing inside that office scares her into a premature fledge!  Is there any plan to install a more protective box for next spring?

Pefa-mobile stil gone for extensive repairs................ 

[Joyce]

1) This Friday night from 5-11 is that big party at CT so if anyone is able to do pefa-watching, it would be really great.  Marty said we wouldn't be charged if we were pefa-watching in the parking lot, as the party will be inside.  The parking lot will however be very active during the party and if there is a fledge incident...  

2) I'm so nervous watching Harlie and hoping nothing inside that office scares her into a premature fledge!  Is there any plan to install a more protective box for next spring?

3) Pefa-mobile stil gone for extensive repairs................  

1) Sage, I am going to try and fledge watch on Thursday & Friday after work, and back on Saturday again, hopefully with some additional watchers again.  MAK can't make it on Saturday, Brian wants to come back.  Dan, our long-time falcon watcher (since the late 90s) is interested, and maybe some others will want to join in.

2) According to Mark Nash, the eyases have a built-in mechanism that keeps them away from the edge of the ledges until they are ready.  Upon occasion, a sibling may cause a premature fledge, but Harlie is an only child.  In the times that we have been up to Harlequin, we haven't seen any peekers out the windows.  I don't think they will scare her.  There are no plans to install a different nest box.  In Canada all of the nestsites use trays, and they have had great sucess with them.  Only their hack boxes were similar to ours.

3) My pefa-mobile is still gone for repairs too.  May not have it back until after July 4th.  I guess both of are going through withdrawal from not having a sun/moon-roof to watch falcons.  Even my fellow watchers miss it too.  

P.S. Kathy, Carol, Lisa and Dana, stopped by last night on their way home from the Toronto banding that we attended.

[~Sage~]

Thanks for the info, Joyce.  I'm afraid someone will lower the blind behind Harlie or do something to startle her.  Do Canada's pefa kids all leave the box so early?  I like our nest boxes with their flight decks, roofs and perches much better. 

Last year the CT fledglings and ledglings were easy to find and I could always find them.  Please let me know if you see them all.  Sorry about your pefa-mobile too.      Besides the car being out of commission, I've been feeling crummy and can't keep up the pace either.     Last year we'd be out for hours making the rounds and go back out in the evening.  Can't do it this year. 

[Carol P.]

Thanks for the info, Joyce.  I'm afraid someone will lower the blind behind Harlie or do something to startle her.  Do Canada's pefa kids all leave the box so early?  I like our nest boxes with their flight decks, roofs and perches much better.  

Last year the CT fledglings and ledglings were easy to find and I could always find them.  Please let me know if you see them all.  Sorry about your pefa-mobile too.     Besides the car being out of commission, I've been feeling crummy and can't keep up the pace either.    Last year we'd be out for hours making the rounds and go back out in the evening.  Can't do it this year.  

Sage - I'm so sorry you're not feeling well.

Kathy O, Lisa, Dana and I were at CT for about an hour last night on our way home from Canada.  All four eyases were still at the nest box, two inside and two below.  Definitely all four.  Stash and Stella were flying around quite a bit.  Stash did a drop and dash feeding to the two below the nest box around 7:20 pm.  

Stash and Stella were very agitated by something on the right side of the main terminal bldg.  Stooping quite low multiple times, so we walked over to investigate.  First we thought someone might have a dog, Pefas do not like dogs!  But, long story short, there were two kids up on top of the lower roofs, drinking what looked like (to me) a 3/4 filled bottle of whiskey.  

Bldg security came over and the state troopers were called in.  The kids took off.  Lisa went over and let them know what we had seen and explained that the Falcons had been bothered by these intruders.  They were very concerned and would take measures to keep them out.

It was dark by the time we got over to the Statler.  But, even in the low light, we could see what appeared to be three juvies tucked in on the building ledges near the nest box.

Then on to UB for a quick look before heading home.  It was way too dark to see anything.  All was quiet.

Oh, and Lisa spotted one on a light pole as we drove over the Grand Island Bridge.

Like Joyce said, Dan is very interested in joining us for a watch and we're hoping to get him to join us on Saturday.  We'll help as much as we can.

Take care and feel better,
Carol P.

[~Sage~]

Thanks so much for the report, Carol!  I wonder where the little stinkers were today!  Roger posted a pic of two on the ledge this afternoon, but I can't find a way to repost the FB pix here.  We left CT this afternoon just as the thunderstorm was starting. 

My granddaughter's HS graduation is Saturday so I'm glad the Rochester watchers will be on hand to keep an eye on the kids.  At CT, it's safer to lean against the concrete posts along the perimeter! 

At UB, set up in a parking lot facing the VA.  The lot on the right though is VA (federal) property and you can get intercepted by officials who appear as if from thin air.    

I swear it's the crappy pot-holed roads between UB and CT that cause our cars to break apart! 

[Carol P.]

Hey Sage.  Kathy O, Dana, Dan and I will be heading to CT early tomorrow morning.

If you can email me later with emergency phone #'s and contacts that would be great.  Hopefully it won't be needed, but I like to be prepared.

Also, the names and band colors of the young ones?

Thanks!  We look forward to helping out.

Take care,
Carol

[~Sage~]

Ten eyasses were banded Thursday in Buffalo, five males, five females.  Four eyasses at UB were not banded because they were too big, already spending a lot of time on the flight deck and all the way over to the far side of the ledge. 

South Grand Island Bridge had 2 females and 1 male, approximately 26 days old, all healthy. 1 unhatched egg was recovered.
 
Statler had 2 males and 1 female, approximately 30 days old, all healthy. 1 male bird was named Dominic, after Mark Croce's son (as requested).  Mark Croce is the new owner of the Statler who allowed the DEC access to the 18th floor nestbox for banding.

Central Terminal had 2 males and 2 Females, approximately 20 days old, all heathy. Chicks were named with railroad themes: Phoebe Snow, a train that ran from Buffalo to NYC, Commodore after Commodore Vanderbilt who ran the NY Central RxR, Chessie after the Chesapeake RxR, and Lehigh after the old Lehigh Valley RxR.

For our Rochester fans who may visit Buffalo, especially CT,  here are the right-leg tape colors:

Phoebe yellow
Commodore green
Chessie red
Lehigh blue

Carol, Joyce has some band colors printed out
One of the fledges was believed to be seen at the post office on William St

There is a big party at CT tonight ,so it may be a mess around the parking lot, but it seems there are plenty of potties!  My granddaughter's graduation is tomorrow but we'll try to get by.

Got pefa-mobile back this afternoon!  If I haven't posted the emergency numbers, just call 911   There are usually police around CT.

Thank you and big hugs to the wonderful Rochester helpers!

[~Sage~]

Wow!  Very exciting day at Central Terminal!   Chessie, one of the two females,  had an accidental fledge incident.  She tried to fly but the extremely high winds caught her and sent her into a tree.  She was hung up in the branches, flapping around for over an hour while five watchers tried to locate her.  Con't HERE

Many many thanks to our dedicated Rochester friends, Carol P, Kathy O, Dana, Lou and Dan

[Carol P.]

More trouble for the CT fledglings.  I was worried this morning about the two females that had fledged yesterday, one (Chessie) having to be rescued.  When we left last night, both males were safely high up on the tower and both females were settled on the lower roofed building just left of the main tower.  I verified with Joyce that she and MAK would be there this morning and she said that yes they would.

At 12:40 pm, I received a call from Sage.  Chessie and the boys were fine, but they were concerned about Phoebe Snow (P-S).  Martie, who works at the Central Terminal, came for a visit and was told about the missing fledgling.  He immediately volunteered to go in and check on her through the windows above the roof that she was last seen on.

While I was on the phone with Sage, Martie returned.  He found P-S in what he called (I could hear him over the phone) a light well.  This well is three stories deep and about 20 feet wide.  Room for her to move around and flap, but too deep for her to get out of without help. 

I told Sage to call Jackie W from the DEC, who I had been in touch with about the rescue of Chessie yesterday. 

Hopefuly Jackie will be on site soon and P-S will be safely back under the eye of her concerned parents.

[Bobbie Ireland]

Hopefuly Jackie will be on site soon and P-S will be safely back under the eye of her concerned parents.
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How many more heart-stopping moments can we take this year?!

[Lou]

Wow!  Very exciting day at Central Terminal!   Chessie, one of the two females,  had an accidental fledge incident.  She tried to fly but the extremely high winds caught her and sent her into a tree.  She was hung up in the branches, flapping around for over an hour while five watchers tried to locate her.  Con't HERE

Many many thanks to our dedicated Rochester friends, Carol P, Kathy O, Dana, Lou and Dan

Some pictures to go along with Sage's report..

http://tinyurl.com/3nw2ndy

Lou

[Donna]

Great pictures Lou. Glad you all found and rescued Chessie. Hopefully Phoebe will be out of the well tomorrow.