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.

On this first full day of Spring, Rochester is under a Winter Weather Advisory. The temperature is 27 degrees (F). The winds are gusting at 40 mph and the snow is flying!

That did not stop Nova from laying her and Neander’s first egg of 2024 at approx 7:31 pm!

Many thanks to Rochester Falcon Watcher Linda for letting us know!

Happy New Year!!! It was time for our 2024 Toast to the Falcons! The watchers gathered at the entrance of the Blue Cross Arena on Broad St. We decided to meet at 9 am, which is a little earlier than we usually meet. It was bitter cold this morning. Only 28F. At 9:30 am, we had some excitement!  The local pigeons were very agitated, flying this way and that. Dana called out that 2 falcons flew over us heading south. Soon after this, both Nova and Neander returned. They were tandem hunting. Nova came very close to catching a pigeon right in front of us, over the corner of Broad and State St. After missing the pigeon, they both zipped around the building in front of us. Nova landed on the SW corner of the Wilder Bldg and Neander on the Wilder Chimney. It was very nice of them to join us! Ten Rochester Falcon Watchers were there to toast today. Shaky, Pat, Dana, Lou, Larry O, Linda K, Tim, Lynda, Joyce and Carol P. Happy New Year everyone!

On Thursday, September 14^th, Rochester Falcon Watcher Lisa Mckeown received a phone call from Chuck the maintenance person at the First Federal Building in downtown Rochester. He told Lisa that there was a dead, banded bird on the roof which he believed to be a Peregrine Falcon and that it appeared to have been there a while.   Lisa asked if he could send a picture of the bands on the falcon, which she received Friday afternoon. The bands, black 36 over green BW, identified the deceased falcon as Artemis.  Lisa contacted the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation, so they can retrieve Artemis.

Artemis was from Nova and Neander’s brood this year.  She hatched at the beginning of May and was banded on May 30, 2023.  Everyone commented on what a big girl she was.  By mid-June, she and her siblings, Sterling and Jubilee, had fledged.  On July 15th Artemis was spotted perched and later flying in the Genesee River gorge near High Falls.  This is a place that long-time watchers are very familiar with, as it was here that we met each other and enjoyed numerous watches during the Mariah and Kaver era.

Thank you, Artemis, for visiting a place that holds many precious memories for many of us.  We are honored to include you in those memories.  May you fly free, our big beautiful girl!

At approximately 2:30 pm, first Jubilee then Artemis fledged very close together. Jubilee landed safely on the Wilder Bldg and Artemis landed on the Telesca Bldg.

Later in the day, Sterling flew up to the ledge above the nest box. He has now returned to the nest box platform.

We believe both Jubilee and Artemis are currently on other parts of the TSB.

Our eyases are now considered fledglings or juvies.

We’ll keep you posted on their adventures!

It was banding day for Nova and Neander’s three young eyases this morning. While our friends from the Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC) arrived at the Times Square Bldg, the Rochester Falcon Watchers gathered in front of the Blue Cross Arena, aka Rochester War Memorial.

2023 is the Rochester Falcons 25th Anniversary. There have been Peregrine Falcons nesting in Rochester, NY from 1998 thru 2023!

To celebrate, the current Rochester Falcon Watchers were asked to submit one name each. These names were then voted on by the current watchers. Our favorite three names were chosen. We would like to introduce the Class of 2023!

Sterling (Male) – Band # 97 Over W, Black Over Green; no tape over silver USFW band

Sterling – Is a type of silver. Silver is representative of 25th Anniversaries. Submitted by Rochester Falcon Watcher Sue Deacon.

Artemis (Female) – Band # 36 Over BW, Black Over Green; Blue Tape over silver USFW band

Artemis – Silver is the balance between black and white, the colors which represent the Peregrine Falcon. It is the color of the Greek goddess Artemis. She was the goddess of the hunt and she carried a silver bow and arrows. She was given them from her father Zeus on her 3rd birthday after which she became known as a fierce huntress. Submitted by Rochester Falcon Watcher Linda King.

Jubilee (Female) – Band # 86 Over Z, Black Over Green; Red Tape Over silver USFW band

Jubilee – For the Silver Jubilee, 25th Anniversary for our amazing Rochester Falcons. Jubilee is a special anniversary, a celebration! Submitted by Rochester Falcon Watcher Carol Phillips

You’re probably wondering why we didn’t choose Silver as a name for one of the eyases. Well, Silver was a name given to one of Mariah and Kaver’s first eyases in 1998!

Here are some pictures from today’s banding day. Enjoy!

Many thanks to the folks at the Department of Environmental Conservation for coming to Rochester to band our eyases! Thank you!

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 three eyases. Banding should happen at approximately 10:00 am. When they are banded, they will be given names related to this year’s 25th anniversary of falcons nesting in downtown Rochester!

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 and its chattier cousin @RfalconcamNow.

Have you ever wondered what is involved in falcon watching?  Join someone with over 20 years of experience watching young falcons take their first flight.

On Tuesday, June 13 and June 20, from 5:00-7:00 PM, Rochester Falcon Watcher and Genesee Valley Audubon Society member Lisa McKeown will be stationed at the corner of Exchange and Broad St to introduce anyone who is interested to the joys of falcon watching.  Stop down and say hello!

Warm regards,

Lisa