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Linda Woods of the Canadian Peregrine Foundation provided this picture of Rhea Mae, one of Mariah and Kaver’s 2006 offspring. As we reported in a recent post, Rhea Mae has taken up residence on the Downtown Sheraton hotel in Toronto, Canada. It appears that she has displaced the previous female, Wind, and she and the resident male Tiago have been observed exhibiting courtship behaviors such as bowing to each other and flying together.

Another shot from Linda provides an unmistakable look at the ID band which allowed our Canadian friends to positively identify Rhea Mae. You can also see the remnants of some of her brown juvenile feathers on her wings.

Photo by Linda Woods

Over the Labor Day holiday Rochester Falconcam team members Marcia Lyman, Lisa McKeown, Dana Mulhern, Kathy Olney, Joyce Miller & Carol Phillips (who named Rhea Mae in 2006) made the 2½ hour drive from Rochester to Toronto for an in-person look at Rhea Mae. Hosted by Linda Woods, they spent a couple of days observing and photographing Rhea Mae. Carol sends us this report of the trip, along with many pictures of Rhea Mae and Tiago. Fans of the Rochester falcons who joined us in 2006 will recall that Rhea Mae was the last of Mariah and Kaver’s three offspring to fledge. She went on to be a great flyer though, and we’re glad to see that she’s thriving and has found a territory of her own. We’re looking forward to news of her in the future, and we hope that she and Tiago will go on to raise many families of their own.

-Jess

Photo used by kind permission of Tom Flaherty

We have very exciting news to present on two fronts. Falcon fans Tom Flaherty and Rod Cockrell report having spotted Linn (photo above) on August 10 at the Iroquois National Wildlife Refuge, about fifty miles west of her Rochester home. Tom and Rod tell us that they were at the refuge watching and photographing wood ducks when they noticed Linn perched in a tree overlooking the ducks. Here are some more pictures from Tom and Rod.
Photo by Tom Flaherty

Photo by Rod Cockrell

From Mark Nash and our friends at the Canadian Peregrine Foundation comes the news that 2006 fledgling Rhea Mae has established a nesting territory on top of the Sheraton Hotel in downtown Toronto, Ontario Canada. This location has been home to a resident pair, Wind and Tiago, for the last several years. Reports indicate that Rhea Mae and Wind engaged in a territory dispute for four days, with Rhea Mae emerging victorious. She was observed on August 17 perching on the nest ledge at the hotel, accompanied by an adult male. It is unclear at this time whether the male is Tiago or a new tiercel. A third peregrine is still visible in the area, possibly Wind still looking for an opportunity to regain her territory. As Mark reminds us, this is a situation that is still very dynamic and evolving. We’ll be sure to bring any updates to you as soon as we receive them!

-Jess