Photo courtesy of Jim Pisello
It seems that every time we turn around we get more news about one of Mariah’s offspring. The latest comes to us courtesy of Barbara Loucks at the DEC. She emailed us recently with the following report.

I just got a report this morning that one of the falcons at the [Ogdensburg-Prescott International Bridge in Ogdensburg, NY] had its band read by our long time peregrine/eagle observer Mary Beth Warburton as black over red, M over sideways T, which I looked up while still on the phone with her. It was banded on June 1, 2006 at the Kodak site in Rochester. Mary Beth originally thought this bird might be a male based on size, and when I checked my notes this was the runty bird of the three females banded that year – but we had to band it as a female based on leg size.

This points out yet another peril of [naming wild birds] – as “Sabrina” may turn out to be something else! Time will tell as to whether this bird is indeed a female or a large male. There is no proof of nesting yet and this bird is new this year to the site.

Mary Beth will keep us informed as things progress. She thinks this is the bird that was dive bombing an immature female earlier in the week at the bridge; moments later the two birds were joined on the Canadian side by a third and pigeons were scattering everywhere.

Yet more great news! It sounds like Sabrina might need to be renamed, if it turns out the other bird keeping company with “her” is a female. Luckily, Dan Stiehler, the long-time Rochester falcon watcher who named Sabrina in 2006, also submitted a male name, Valiant. So, if it does turn out that Sabrina is a he rather than a she, we have a fitting name for him. Hopefully Mary Beth will be able to observe Sabrina and the other falcon mating. We’ll let you know as soon as we hear any more news from New York’s northern border!

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All the recent revelations and sightings of Mariah and Kaver’s offspring might be leaving everyone a little confused. Our friend Tom Hoehn (Cornpoppy) from Kodak decided to help us make sense of everything by updating the Rochester Falcons Family Tree. Take a look and see how much clearer it all becomes when it’s mapped out…

 

View Larger Map
(Zoom in or out on the map by clicking the small + & – signs. Move it around by clicking your mouse button and dragging the map in the desired direction. Click the falcon icons for more information about each location.)

The last week of March found Quest ranging up and down the Cape. She went as far north as Wellfleet and appears to have returned to her offshore hunting near Monomoy NWR. Many of the best positional readings didn’t include temperature data, but the ones that did indicate that she’s been keeping warm. That’s most likely been helped by the good weather that Cape Cod residents enjoyed recently.

From our friends at the Canadian Peregrine Foundation comes the happy news that Rhea Mae (2006) and her mate Tiago have begun their 2009 nesting season at the Sheraton Centre in downtown Toronto, Ontario. From the CPF’s Linda Woods we received word that Rhea Mae has laid two eggs– the first on the 26^th, and a second yesterday on the 29^th. Here are some pictures that Linda sent along:

web cameras at the Sheraton on-line, so with a bit of luck you’ll be able to watch Rhea Mae and Tiago raise their second brood of peregrines soon!

Photo courtesy of Marcia Lyman
There’s plenty of excitement closer to home too! Over the past few weeks our volunteer falcon watchers have observed a second pair of Peregrines in Rochester. The two falcons have made their home at an abandoned building in the nearby suburb of Brighton. The building is a few miles away from the downtown area. The location is far enough removed from downtown Rochester to avoid any territorial disputes between Mariah and the newcomers. An unbanded female had definitely been using the building as a territorial base, along with a couple of males. The first appeared to be a banded falcon with adult plumage, but he hasn’t been seen for a few days. Recently a sub-adult male appeared in his place.

Last Saturday afternoon (28 March), falcon watcher Marcia Lyman observed this sub-adult male and the female perching on the building, flying around it, and calling to each other. Using a spotting scope, Marcia was able to read the black and green leg band on this tiercel. You can imagine her surprise when she saw the band number, 22/R, in her scope– it was our very own “Z-man”, Zephyr! Here are a couple of pictures that Marcia took:

     

As you recall from last year, Zephyr was the first of Mariah and Kaver’s 2008 brood to fledge, and he showed himself to be a masterful flier almost from his first day in the air. On Sunday a group of watchers found Zephyr and his lady friend on a nearby State Hospital building, so we have high hopes that Zephyr might be here to stay, and that the two of them will establish a nest. Like the Kodak tower, the building in Brighton it is tall, with few other structures nearby, and it offers a commanding view of the surrounding area. There is woodland and water in close proximity, both of which should provide ample food supplies for a new falcon family.

First year falcons like Zephyr don’t often don’t produce viable young, but it is possible that the Z-man and this female could end up with a nest of their own this year. There’s no power at the site and it is close to a medical facility where the privacy of the residents is a prime concern, so we’re not yet sure how much photography will be allowed at this site. But we’ll keep watching this new pair, Rochester’s second, and we’ll be sure to bring all the news to you!

View Larger Map
(Zoom in or out on the map by clicking the small “+” & “-” signs. Move it around by clicking your mouse button and dragging the map in the desired direction. Click the falcon icons for more information about each location.)

Quest stayed on the northern spit of Cape Cod for the past week. She started near Wellfleet harbor but moved south after a couple of days, apparently setting up her new operation around Nauset Harbor.

We were lucky to get three good consecutive readings on the morning of the 20^th. Each data point, spaced at 2-hour intervals, show Quest at the beach and tidal flats surrounding the Main Channel, within a mile of Nauset Harbor. It seems like a good bet that she’s doing a lot of hunting there. Temperature sensor data show consistent readings in excess of 20°C (68°F) at most times of the day. The high temperature reading for the week was a balmy 28.4°C, or 83°F! That’s not bad for the day before Spring…

We were hoping to nail down where Quest is spending her evenings, but it doesn’t look like she’s found a particular spot yet. The evening and early morning position data are all over the place. It may be that she just finds a quiet spot out of the way wherever her travels have taken her that day, but we’ll keep watching to see if a pattern develops. If past is prologue, we expect she’ll settle into a routine pretty soon.

From our friends in Port Colborne, Ontario, we hear that another season is under way. Doug sent this note to Falconcam team member Carol Phillips.

Hi Carol,

I guess the falcon season has begun. Freedom & Millie have been witnessed doing the “boogie”, so we’re hoping for some success here this year. I’m watching your Imprints (falconcam) & Quest reports & hope everything goes OK on both fronts. It must be amazing to follow a young falcon the way you are lucky enough to. I also think you may not be so surprised as Mariah adapts to her new environment. She is a “falcon factory” & moving her box will not slow her down!

By the way, Freedom is a rocket in the sky!!!!!!!!!!Doug

Amid all the uncertainty here in Rochester it’s good to know that the lives of these falcons continue to impress and enlighten us. We’re looking forward to hearing more about Freedom and Millie in the coming months!

Photos courtesy of Mark Nash, Canadian Peregrine Foundation

We’ve received some happy news from Mark Nash and our friends at the Canadian Peregrine Foundation— Linn is back!!!

You may recall that Linn was spotted there at the beginning of the year, but then she left for parts unknown. She’s back now, and she’s brought a friend, as Mark Nash reports:

Over the past four plus weeks, we have been getting regular sightings of a pair of peregrines that have been hanging around the Bell hack site at Pharmacy & Eglinton. Both birds (a male and female) have been observed coming in and out of the hack box, as well as roosting, sleeping and feeding regularly on various elevations on the Bell building. This morning we were able to confirm Bruce Massey’s observation of the female’s band number that he [observed] this past weekend (November 8th & 9th 2008) – Black 91 over Green V.

She has been identified as Linn from Rochester – produced at the Kodak nest site in 2007!!

Her male friend also [wears] a Black over Green colour marker band (but we have not been able to get his numbers yet). BUT his USFWS band appears to be a purple/mauve colour. While it may be a coloured tape, it does not appear to be case. We will continue to monitor the site in the hopes that we might get an ID on this guy.

Mark sent along some pictures of Linn the male who accompanied her, presented here for your viewing pleasure.
          

What a beauty she is in her adult plumage! We’re thrilled to know that Linn is back. If this male is her mate, they’ve chosen an excellent spot to nest and raise young in 2009! Our gratitude and appreciation go to Bruce Massey, Mark Nash, and all the great folks at the Canadian Peregrine Foundation for keeping an eye out for Linn, and for welcoming yet another Rochester peregrine to grace the skies of Canada!

-Jess

Photo courtesy of Canadian Peregrine Foundation
From Linda Woods comes word of a little adventure for Lily, one of Rhea Mae’s daughters who recently fledged at the Sheraton Centre in downtown Toronto, Ontario Canada. Apparently Lily thought it would be fun to take a bus trip, as Linda reports…

At around 9:00 a.m. Lily took off from her window sill at the Keg area and headed east through the pedestrian court. Knowing that’s short flight, I found her on the ground, but there was lots of open space and she immediately took off a second time flying low, heading north and towards the Richmond St. Her flight was low and flew just over the skylights of the court area.

I was thinking she may do the “bat thing on the wall of the Sheraton, she instead landed on the roof of a High- way Coach. I immediately found the driver as he was boarding passengers and told him of his stow-away.

At first they driver was not concerned, and others did not understand the situation, but after informing them of our young birds and showing them Little Lily, they immediately gave me their full support.

Read all of the exciting story and see more photos at the Sheraton Centre observation page on the Canadian Peregrine Foundation website. It’s wonderful that Rhea Mae’s fledglings and all of the other falcons in Toronto have such caring people looking out for them!

-Jess

Rhea Mae & Tiago

Rhea Mae laid four eggs this year. They all hatched, but one of the eyases sickened and died within a few days. The other three are all healthy, and on June 3^rd they were banded by members of the Province of Ontario’s Ministry of Natural Resources and the Canadian Peregrine Foundation. Also on hand were several members of the Rochester Falconcam. They were given the honor of naming one of Rhea Mae and Tiago’s offspring!

The three eyases were examined, banded and named as follows:

• Unity (named by the Rochester attendees) Male 24 days of age and sporting a blue and red “taped” band
• Belle Female 24 days of age, wearing a red and yellow “taped” band
• Lilly Female 24 days of age, wearing a white and blue “taped” band

Linda Woods of the CPF reports that both Rhea Mae and Tiago put up a spirited defense of the nest during the banding. Rhea Mae is reported to have physically blocked the nest with her wings outstretched, and actually had to be moved out of the way by the banders! Linda also notes that the eyases have begun expressing their own “personalities”. She writes:

Belle appears to be a bit of a “Prima Donna” preening constantly and always preferrs to sit on the lip of the nest tray.
Unity enjoys stamping his feet, as if he were Tom Cruise dancing in the movie “Risky Business”, and Lily, she sits back, flips her head upside down and watches the others doing silly things.

Rhea Mae and Tiago look like they’re doing a great job raising their three youngsters. We’re looking forward to hearing more reports when they fledge.

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Freedom and Millie

At the ADM plant in Port Colborne, June 7^th was the big day for banding. Only one of Freedom and Millie’s three eggs hatched this year, but that’s pretty good considering that Millie is not yet fully mature. Doug Garbutt reports:

Today was an interesting day in Port Colborne. We had some very special guests here to band our young falcon. Mark Nash & Bruce Massey from the CPF, Anne Yagi from the MNR & 2 girls from the Owl Foundation were all on hand. Many interested workers took the opportunity on their lunch break to view as well. Mom & dad falcon showed their displeasure while the young one was missing. Anne determined the bird to be a healthy male weighing in at just over 700 gms. He now has a solid black band 40 over V with red tape on the USFW band. Gunner was chosen as a name from the list submitted by employees.

As you can see, Gunner is well fed and a real healthy tiercel. Thanks to Doug, Rolf, and all the folks at Port Colborne for taking Freedom to their hearts and looking out for his family!

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Millie and Swifty
Rochester Falconcam team member Lisa McKeown has been keeping up with Millie, Freedom’s daughter from 2005. It turns out she and her mate Swifty had three eyases this year. They were banded the day before the Rochester falcons. Here’s Lisa’s report:

I spoke with Dave Scott from the Ohio Dept of Natural Resources,
Division of Wildlife. Here is an update on Millie, Freedom and
Purity’s daughter.

She is nesting at the same place as last year, the Bayshore Power
Plant in Oregon, Ohio, just east of Toledo. Once again she did
not use the nestbox and chose the conveyor belt. She is with the same male
as last year, Swifty.

Millie laided three eggs this year. On 5/28/08 they banded the
eyasses. There are 2 females and 1 male. Here are the names and band
information for the eyasses:

Electra (female) black P over green 55
Sparky (female) black S over green 75
Chance (male) black D over green 47

WooHoo three more eyasses to carry on the legacy of Mariah, Kaver, and
Freedom!

More great-grand eyases for Mariah and Kaver– Amazing!

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Linn
Finally, According to Mark Nash and the observers at the Canadian Peregrine Foundation, Linn continues to be seen at the converted hack box she took over late last year at the east end of Toronto. An unidentified male has been observed with her, but there was no nesting activity. The fact that she and the male are both sub-adults makes this feat even more impressive, since there is bound to be competition for nesting spots in the Toronto area. We’re hoping that Linn and her male friend will maintain control of their territory and perhaps next spring we’ll be able to report that they’ve begun a family of their own!

-Jess

Now that Mariah’s five eggs have all hatched successfully we thought you’d like to hear the latest news regarding some of Mariah’s other progeny…

Four for Rhea Mae

Photo by Linda Woods/Canadian Peregrine Foundation

Linda Woods of the Canadian Peregrine Foundation reports that Rhea Mae’s fourth egg hatched yesterday (May 12)! It was a few days behind the other3, which hatched before the weekend. There was some speculation that the fourth egg may not have been viable– a normal occurence with new Falcon mothers. We’re pleased to report that all four eyases appear healthy and active. Way to go Rhea Mae and Tiago! A group of Falconcam team members and fans are already planning a trip to Toronto in a few weeks for an in-person look at Mariah’s extended family.

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Freedom & Millie Continue Brooding
Freedom and new mate Millie now have their own observation page on the CPF Website! It features pictures and nest site observations going back to 2005. From nest watcher Doug Garbutt comes word that a third juvenile Peregrine was recently spotted near the nest box before being driven away. Perhaps due to the additional stress from this encounter, Millie was observed eating one of her three eggs, possibly after it was damaged during the territory dispute. She and Freedom continue brooding the remaining two eggs. The estimated hatch dates for these eggs was May 10-12. They’re a little late, but it’s still possible hatching will occur.
UPDATE 14 May – One of Freedom and Millie’s eggs has hatched!

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Second Clutch for Ranger & Hunter?
Recent news from Ranger’s nest monitor Harry Crawford at the Canadian Peregrine Foundation indicates that Hunter and Ranger may be starting a second clutch of eggs at their new nest site.

Hunter flew from the CIBC building in one great stoop and landed on the north-most balcony on the east side of the Four Seasons Hotel. He faced inwards and vocalized. Moments later, Ranger appeared from the floor of the balcony and Hunter took her place. NEST ANYONE!

This is behavior typical of birds that are having a brooding shift change, so it’s possible that Ranger has started a second clutch of eggs. She has done this in years past following the failure of her first clutch. Unfortunately, repeat clutches have failed to hatch as well. We’re all hoping for a change in Ranger and Hunter’s fortunes this year!

-Jess

Photo courtesy of Linda Woods/Canadian Peregrine Foundation

We at the Rochester Falconcam are delighted to receive the news that Rhea Mae and Tiago’s first eyas hatched today! Sometime around 9:00 AM the first of their four eggs hatched. Canadian Peregrine Foundation member Linda Woods rushed over to the hotel to snap this shot of one of the adults tending to their fluffy new nestling. The egg to the left of the eyas has a pip in the top of the shell, so another hatching might be happening soon.

Rhea Mae and Tiago have three more eggs in the nest. You can watch all the hatching action at the Canadian Peregrine Foundation’s Sheration Centre Nest Webcam!

UPDATE!

A second egg appears to have hatched. Here’s a picture saved from the CPF website and sent to us by Carol Phillips showing Rhea Mae with two eyases. It looks like we’re going to be busy here at Imprints keeping track not only of Mariah and Kaver’s nest, but those of their offspring too!

-Jess