Today was banding day for our Rochester Falcons. The weather was perfect for the occasion. The sun was shining and the temps were in the 70F’s.

Banding day is always a special day for all of us here at Rfalconcam, the Rochester Watchers and fans. By receiving their bands, there is always a chance we may see them again in the future, raising families of their own.

Introducing our 2024 Rochester Falcons Eyases

Justice (Male)

Band 98 Black over W Green; No Colored Tape over the USFW band.

Named by Rochester Falcon Watcher Pat Carey. Pat chose the name Justice.

“Justice, for justice itself and for all the people who work to get it in the buildings surrounding the nest box, particularly the Telesca Center for Justice and the Civic Center Plaza.”

Meng (Female)

Band 88 Black over Z Green; Blue Tape over the USFW band.

Named by Rfalconcam Team Member Eileen Karle. Eileen chose the name Meng.

“Heinz Meng was a world-renowned falconer and ornithologist. After DDT decimated the population of peregrine falcons, he was instrumental in their recovery. He was the first to successfully breed peregrine falcons in captivity in New Paltz, NY. Once DDT was banned and it was safe to attempt to return peregrines to the wild, he shared his breeding stock to help form the foundation of the new population of peregrines we watch over today.”

Walker (Male)

Band 26 Black over R Green; Yellow Tape over the USFW band.

Named by Richard Calabrese Jr, Partner and Manager at the Times Square Bldg in Rochester, NY. Home of the Rochester Falcons! Rich chose the name Walker.

“Walker – After the architect Ralph Walker for his design of the Times Square Bldg where the box is now located, beneath the four glorious wings that adorn the Rochester skyline.”

Mighty (Female)

Band 89 Black over Z Green; Red Tape over the USFW band.

Named by Sue Morse’s students at Midlakes Education Center in Clifton Springs, NY. They chose the name Mighty.

“Mighty means impressive power and strength. Peregrine Falcons possess impressive power and strength to survive as a former endanged species.”

Peregrine Falcons remain on the endangered species list in New York State. Federally they were delisted.

We here at Rfalconcam want to thank our friends at the Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC) for making banding day possible!

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Great news, everyone! The eyases will receive their bands and names this morning!

Our friends from the DEC (Department of Environmental Conservation) will be coming to Rochester this morning to band Nova and Neander’s four eyases. Banding should happen at approximately 9:00 am. When they are banded, each will be given a name with one of them receiving the winning entry in our Internet naming poll! The winner won’t be announced until then so be sure to tune in.

You can watch the event on live streaming video, read commentary and view photos on our forum, or follow us on facebook and twitter @Rfalconcam.

Finally! This is the moment you’ve all been waiting for. It’s time to name an eyas!

The poll is open! From the many excellent suggestions that were received, Rfalconcam’s Naming Committee selected 17 names from over 100 submissions. Thank you to everyone who submitted a name!

Voting is easy. Just click/tap on the link below. It will open the ballot form where you’ll start by filling in your name and email address. Then select your favorite name and click/tap the Submit button. Be sure to read the brief description we’ve included with each name. It might help you make your decision. We’ll announce the winning name when the eyases are banded.

Use this link to vote:

https://forms.gle/jM6QgH4wbhPv1Fhq8

Voting closes at 11:59 pm EDT on Wednesday, May 22, 2024.

Good luck!

Here’s your chance to name one of this year’s Eyases!

We are very happy to announce that once again falcon fans will have an opportunity to choose a name for an eyas in the nest box atop the Times Square Building, and it will be in the form of a naming contest open to all viewers.

Much care and thought has been used to name past eyases. We’ve included the criteria for choosing a name. Please read the rules very carefully and use the link below to submit one (1) gender neutral name.

Please, only one submission per person!

The deadline for name submissions is 11:59 pm (EDT) on Tuesday, May 14, 2024.

Suggested Rfalconcam Naming Criteria Acceptable Categories for Names:

Explorers, Astronomers, Conservationists, especially those with
International appeal (e.g., Galileo, [Amelia] Earhart, Magellan), or those who have played a significant role in Peregrine re-population efforts.
Names inspired by Nature–topographic, meteorological, geographic, etc. (e.g. Kaver, Isaura, Fulmine, Alkyonis, Skye, Aconcagua)
Inspirational Names (e.g. Freedom, Hope, Destiny)
Words that refer to falcons in languages other than Modern English (e.g. Thlotli, Hafoc)

Categories that do not fit the criteria:

Names derived from religious, political, or popular culture icons.
Names directly related to a human person either living or dead, except as noted in the acceptable criteria above.
Names related to a commercial product, or a copyrighted or trademarked name owned by any corporation, individual or organization.
Names that reflect negatively on any group, organization, individual or entity.
Names should be well researched whenever possible. Supporting rationale for the name is required, so give us a few sentences that explain the name and the reason you chose it.

Submitting a Name:

That’s easy! Just click on this link to open the submission form. Only one submission per person please! If multiple submissions are sent in, only the first one that meets the criteria will be accepted.

https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLScsr19FbJio02S7XUqAMe2raitvy1NaesZNB_oHvouhbz7CBw/viewform?usp=sf_link

NOTE: IF SUBMITTING A NAME, PLEASE DO NOT DISCUSS IT HERE, ON THE FORUM, OR ON SOCIAL MEDIA. WE WOULD LIKE TO MAKE THIS AS FAIR AS POSSIBLE TO ALL PARTICIPANTS.

Judging the Name Submissions:

The Rfalconcam Naming Committee will evaluate all name submissions for appropriateness, including (but not limited to) adherence to the naming criteria, well researched name, uniqueness of the name and how well it follows the “spirit” of past falcon names.

The committee will select the top 10 names from those submitted and create a poll for our viewers to vote for their favorite.

NOTE: MEMBERS OF THE NAMING COMMITTEE WILL HAVE FINAL EDITORIAL RIGHT OF REFUSAL FOR ALL SUBMISSIONS, AND THEY MAY REJECT ANY NAME SUBMISSION THAT DOES NOT MEET THE NAMING CRITERIA OR IS JUDGED NOT TO BE APPROPRIATE FOR ANY OTHER REASON.

Past Falcon Names that Meet the Criteria Above:

2002 Freedom

2003 Isaura – A wind that blows off the Greek Isles
Chayton – A Native American word for Falcon
Destiny
Thlotli – An Aztec name for Falcon
Edge – Named for Rosalie Edge

2004 Alkyonis – Named in honor of the 2004 Olympic games in Greece
Pride
Gahastey – Native American word for a type of wind
Grissom – Named in memory of Virgil “Gus” Grissom
Hafoc – Old English word for Falcon

2005 Esperanza – Spanish word for Hope
Ihteram – Arabic word for Respect
Fulmine – Italian word for Lightning
Aconcagua – A mountain in Argentina
Skye – An island in Scotland where falconry is practiced

2006 Aura – Latin word for breeze

2007 Ananta – A Sanskrit word meaning “infinite” and “endless.”

2008 Diamante – Spanish for “diamond”
Quest – A search or pursuit made in order to find or obtain something
Seneca – Named after the largest tribe of the Iroquois confederacy
Zephyr – The name given to the West Wind in Greek mythology

2010 Callidora – Gift of Beauty
Jemison – In honor of Mary Jemison, an American frontierswoman

2012 Orion – The constellation of “The Hunter”

2013 Baron, Rosetta, Voyager

2014 Tesh, Nettie, Nor’easter, Mercury

2015 Cadence, Genesee, Bronx

2016 Matilda, Aria, Lilac, Leo

2017 Seabreeze, Ontario, Charlotte, Rachel

2018 Mike, Letchworth, Sundara

2019 Lakota, Phoenix, Jupiter, Donna

2020 Roc, Hope, γεράκι

2021 Freyja, Golden

2022 Blaze, Zara, Kanfai Malachim

2023 Sterling, Artemis, Jubilee

The deadline for name submissions is 11:59 pm (EDT) on Tuesday, May 14, 2024.

Good Luck!

At 7:51 pm our 4th and last eyas broke free to join its 3 siblings!

When Nova finally gave us a glimpse, we were able to see that something was happening with the 4th egg. On our Rfalconcam live stream watchers were delighted to watch the 4th eyas hatch under the watchful eyes of mom.

It wasn’t long before Nova moved the newly hatched eyas underneath her to join its three siblings.

This is the first time Nova and Neander have had all four eggs successfully hatch.

Tomorrow morning we should get a better look at our four eyases!

Nova and Neander’s 3rd eyas hatched at 8:10 pm this evening. You can just see the newly hatched eyas in the middle of its fluffy white siblings.

For those watching the hatch on our live stream, Nova was moving around quite a bit giving us glimpses of the 3rd eyas breaking out of its shell. So much fun to watch!

We even got a quick look at the pip in the 4th egg! Hoping for a 4th hatch soon!

Oh, my goodness! Such a surprise to wake up to the wonderful news that we had two hatches overnight! We don’t have the exact times, but Eyas #1 arrived at approximately 10:15 pm last night (4/27) and Eyas #2 arrived at approximately 3:30 am early this morning (4/28). Our hatch window was 4/27-4/29, so they’re right on schedule!

Welcome little ones!

Nova and Neander’s 4th egg arrived at 10:03 am, Thursday morning!

It wasn’t long before Neander joined Nova in the nest box to see the new arrival. They chatted with each other and beaked a few times. Finally, Neander left and Nova settled on their four eggs.

If there is a 5th egg, it should arrive Saturday evening. More than likely, there will only be four. We’ll just have to wait and see.

Last night at 10:52 pm, Nova laid a 3rd egg in the Times Square Bldg nest box! This egg came 58 hrs after her 2nd egg.

When can we expect to see a 4th egg? If Nova does lay a 4th egg, it should be some time between 9 am and 4 pm on Thursday, 3/28. Or whenever she decides. 🙂

After an overnight snowfall of about 5 inches and a current temperature of 29 degrees (F), Nova laid her 2nd egg at 12:51 pm. It was a little over 65 hrs after she laid her 1st egg on 3/20.

Neander will show up soon to see their 2nd egg. But for now, Nova has settled in for a nap.