Rochester Falconcam team member Joyce Miller, who spent last weekend watching Quest, has sent us another couple of photographs.

As we’ve seen with other offspring, Quest looks like she’s inherited her looks from both Mariah and Kaver. We think you’ll all agree that she looks gorgeous in her adult plumage!

Quest’s latest location data are all clustered in the immediate area around the Pickering Nuclear Power plant in Pickering, Ontario Canada. Not only that, but just this past weekend she was spotted there by Rochester Falconcam watchers Joyce and MAK. They tell us that Quest was once again seen in the company of a male peregrine, and that they were both acting very comfortable with each other.

Even better, Joyce took some pictures! Here’s a few for you

And finally, a shot of Quest passing overhead. Her transmitter is clearly visible in this picture.

We’re very pleased that we’ve finally gotten some pictures of Quest to share with you, and we’re grateful for the efforts of Joyce, MAK, and all the other watchers who have made the long trip to Pickering Ontario in search of our intrepid peregrine. It seems like she’s pretty comfortable at the power plant, and if she has found a mate in this male, we may even be able to look forward to some nesting activity next year. We’ll keep our eye on Quest to see if she decides to make this her permanent home.

It turns out there are some falcon fans at the Pickering Nuclear generating station. We recently received word from Margo Sloan, the Biodiversity Program Coordinator, that they’re aware of Quest’s presence at the plant. Margo writes:

…I am aware of a few staff who are avid wildlife photographers. I will be sure to let them know about Quest and see if we can get some pictures of her.

At Pickering Nuclear we have an active biodiversity program and strive to improve habitat and biodiversity in the area. We are very excited to see peregrines here. Alex Robertson Park and Hydro Marsh,
immediately adjacent the station, are part of the Pickering Nuclear property and a large focus of our biodiversity program. We also work with numerous community partners and have been in contact with the
Canadian Peregrine Foundation. We hope that with their assistance wecan be sure that Quest chooses an appropriate nesting site if she decides to remain in Pickering.

I’ll be watching for Quest at the station and tracking her on the internet. I’ll be sure to pass along any photographs if I can get some.

We’re grateful to learn that Margo and the rest of the staff at the Pickering Nuclear plant are on the case. Check back here at Imprints for any pictures or reports that we receive.

Quest’s westward move proved to be short-lived. She has returned to Pickering, with the vast majority of her September data clustered in the area immediately around the Pickering Power Generating station. We assume her male friend is still accompanying her.

Since Quest seems to be settling in, we’re hoping that someone at the plant or birders in the area will be able to get a look at where she might be nesting. If we have any readers in the Pickering/Ajax/Tornoto area, it looks like you’re almost guaranteed to be able to spot Quest near the power station these days. If you do, send us a note to let us know what she’s doing.

Quest closed out August near the Pickering nuclear station, but the first few days of September find her back in Scarborough. We can’t say whether she’s in the company of her tiercel friend, but it would be interesting if she were. Unlike much of August when Quest’s transmitter showed her ranging in a diffuse area from Scarborough south to the lakeshore, she seems to have settled into a tight pattern of movement between Pickering and Scarborough.

Perhaps she’s scouting possible nesting locations, or maybe she just finds successful hunting in these two places. If there are any birders in the Scarborough area, keep an eye out for Quest. We’d love to hear about it if you see her!

Truth, the saying goes, is often stranger than fiction. Followers of the Rochester Falconcam’s various forums and our Falcon Watch blog will know that there have been occasional reports of a falcon at Kodak’s facility to the north of Kodak Office. We’ve had some thought that this mystery falcon may have been Mariah, since she was seen there last year in the months following her release. In the past few days we’ve been fortunate to get some photographs of an adult peregrine that has been seen at one of the buildings in Kodak’s Eastman Business Park (EBP). You can see that this falcon has a black and red ID band on one leg, and a purple band on the other. When Mariah was in rehab last year, she received a silver US Fish and Wildlife band that was covered with blue and yellow tape.

So this bird clearly isn’t Mariah. But who is it? We’ve been busy putting the word out, and as it happens, purple US Fish and Wildlife bands are used out in the Midwest, as are black and red ID bands. We contacted Barb Baldinger, one of the falcon watch volunteers in Macomb County, Michigan for more information. You may recall that Barb was the one who took the picture of Ihteram that we posted back in 2008. Barb wrote back, but since the ID numbers on the EBP falcon’s band aren’t visible in the picture, she couldn’t give us any help figuring out who this bird might be. We’ll keep trying to identify it, though.

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While she was responding to our inquiry about the mystery falcon at Kodak, Barb mentioned a new falcon that they discovered at the DTE Power Plant in St. Claire County, Michigan. They’re trying to identify the falcon, and got a picture of its ID Band: Black/Red *G/O, with a silver USFWS band. According to Barb, that band isn’t in the Midwest banding database, so she wondered if we might be able to help with an ID.

Does that band ID sound familiar? We don’t blame you if it doesn’t, but it turns out that band was assigned to our very own Alkyonis, one of Mariah and Kaver’s offspring from 2004! She had to be rescued twice, and spent a few weeks in rehab before finally returning to her family in August of that year. Falconcam team member Jim Pisello participated in one of her rescues, but with two rescues and a rehab under her belt, her future seemed uncertain. So it’s fantastic to learn that she beat the odds and has survived for over five years. Barb has promised us an updated picture of Alkyonis, which we’ll publish as soon as we get it. She did send us a shot that shows the ID band on her leg, so we’ll leave you with that for now.

Update! We’ve received a couple more pictures of Alkyonis, courtesy of Barb Baldinger and Dan Miller. As you’ll see, she’s grown into quite a beautiful falcon!

You can’t make this stuff up, folks!

Playing a hunch, local Rochester Falconcam members “Shaky”, Carrie, Carol and Kathy made an impromptu trip to Pickering, Ontario over the weekend to look for Quest. Her transmitter data have been very consistent over the past several weeks and they were hoping to find her.

The team’s good fortune was rewarded on Saturday when they located her at the Pickering Nuclear Generation Plant on the shore of Lake Ontario! Because of the high security around the facility (pictured above) and it’s shear size, the watchers weren’t able to get close enough to see her antenna, but positional data from her satellite transmitter placed her at the plant at the same time as the sightings, so all the available data point to this falcon being Quest.

Not only that, but it looks like Quest may have found herself a mate! The watchers reported that she was flying with a smaller falcon, making “ee-chupping” sounds typical of mated pairs, playing “talon tag” in the sky, and generally acting friendly toward each other. Unfortunately they weren’t able to get a picture of Quest, but Carol Phillips posted some pictures that show the male falcon. He appears to have a very white breast. You can see Carol’s picture album by clicking here.

It remains to be seen whether Quest and her tiercel will make the Pickering Power station their home, or choose another location. We’re in the process of contacting the Canadian Peregrine Foundation for assistance. Obviously a nuclear power plant is a sensitive location, so we’re hoping that if Quest does decide to settle down there, the CPF can work with the Ontario Ministry of Natural Resources (MNR) and Ontario Power Generation to erect a nest box on the site. It’s probably too early to make those kind of plans right now, but it’s good to know that Quest is beginning to build a family.

We don’t recommend going to the plant to see her, but if you decide to try for a look, be aware that security is extremely tight at this sensitive location. Our watchers were questioned multiple times over the weekend by security personnel from various agencies. In these times of heightened terrorism awareness it’s might be best to steer clear of the power plant. Quest’s transmitter data show that she’s been visiting the area around nearby Tam O’Shanter Park quite frequently. That would seem to be a better place to try to view her in our opinion.

True to form, Quest has remained in Toronto’s eastern suburbs for most of August. She’s opened up her travels a little though, wandering back toward Pickering, Eglinton East and Murphy Village, to name a few of her stop-overs. Satellite images of the area show a lot of green space and high buildings, so she’s certainly feeling right at home, or at least comfortable enough to want to stay a while.

Updated with video clips – see below!
After six weeks of rehabilitation, we received word late last week that Jemison was hunting & killing her own food and flying competently in a 180-foot (55 meter) flight cage. Since she was doing so well, the rehabber and DEC biologists determined that she was ready for release.

So at lunchtime today, members of the Genesee Valley Audubon Society and the Rochester Falconcam met the DEC’s Mike Allen at the Montezuma National Wildlife Refuge, about 45 miles (72 km) east of Rochester. Alert readers may recall that Montezuma was the site of Mariah’s release following her stint in rehab last year.

After picking up refuge Manager Bill Stewart, the group took a short trip along Montezuma’s wildlife drive and found a convenient spot away from highway traffic. Mike and Bill placed Jemison’s wooden carrier on the gravel and the Audubon Society’s June Summers released the lid. Jemison took off right away, flying close by Falconcam member Jim Pisello before climbing high over the wetland.

Jim provided some pictures of the event. You can view them by clicking the picture at the left. Falconcam members Kathy Olney and Carol Phillips took pictures and videos too. Here are a couple of video clips courtesy of Carol Phillips:

Jemison is released from the carrier

Jemison flying

As Carol noted, this was the best outcome we could hope for. Everyone at the release agreed that Jemison was flying well, with no trace of an injury. She gained altitude before soaring away to the north and west. Will she return to Rochester, or strike out for some new destination? We can only wonder where her travels will take her. Wherever it is, we know the good wishes of her many fans will go with her.

It truly is a group effort to make sure that these young peregrines have the best opportunity to lead successful lives. The Rochester Falconcam is grateful for the dedication of Mike Allen, Jenny Landry, Barb Loucks and everyone at the DEC & the rehab staff who took care of Jemison and returned her to flight status. Special thanks also to Dr. Balonek and all the folks at the East Ridge Animal Hospital; Dr. Parsons, Gary and the staff at the Black Creek Wildlife Center as well as the Rochester Animal Control; and Bill Stewart and everyone at the Montezuma Wildlife Refuge. And of course, we want to acknowledge the many volunteers who keep an eye on Jemison and all the Rochester falcons year after year. Your efforts are all appreciated!

Scarborough, Ontario has been Quest’s home for all of August. It looks like she’s settled into a routine, moving between Tam O’Shanter Park and East Point Park on the Lake Ontario shore. Timestamps from her transmitter show that she’s spending the nights inland, near the Tam O’Shanter golf course. The lakeside locations all have daytime timestamps, so it’s likely she’s spending her days harassing the shorebirds. With this kind of consistency, it’s possible that an enterprising local birder could stake out these parks and get a look at her. Any takers out there? If you see Quest, we’d love to hear about it. And we’d really love to see a picture of her!