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

2023 marks the 25th anniversary of peregrine falcons nesting in Downtown Rochester!

In 1998 a trio of enterprising Kodak employees– Kenn Martinez, Brad Carney and Matt Bernius– placed a video camera on the steeple of the company’s headquarters in Rochester, NY, aimed it at a falcon nest box, and connected it to the Internet. The stars of their new website– the Kodak Birdcam– were a pair of peregrine falcons, the fastest animals on the planet. To honor their legacy as masters of the air, the falcons were given wind-themed names by the Kodak Birdcam team. Mariah, for the female, after Kodak founder George Eastman’s mother and the 1951 Lerner and Lowe song “They Call The Wind Mariah.” Cabot-Sirocco, the male, was hatched in Toronto and named Cabot by the folks at the Canadian Peregrine Foundation (in honor of the French explorer of the same name). Kodak named him Sirocco (a dry desert wind), and his US & Canadian names were combined as “Cabot-Sirocco.”

In 2002 a new male joined Mariah when Cabot-Sirocco failed to return that spring. A high resolution digital camera, installed only weeks before, revealed that this new tiercel, or male falcon, wore no identification bands on his legs, unlike Cabot-Sirocco. The new arrival was named Kaver, after a gentle breeze that blows in the Hebrides islands near Scotland.

From its earliest days, Kodak and the Genesee Valley Audubon Society had worked together to make the Birdcam a success. Sponsored by GVAS, the annual Fledge Watch has provided a cadre of dedicated volunteers to monitor and report on the young falcons as they leave the safety of the nest box and take their first wobbly flights. Fledge Watch participants have documented the early lives of fledgling falcons on an unprecedented scale, and their diligence has paid off more than once. Over the years the GVAS Fledge Watch has rescued at least six fledglings.

GVAS also partnered with the New York State Dept. of Environmental Conservation and the Migration Research Foundation to expand our knowledge of the dispersal patterns of urban-raised peregrines.

In the summer of 2006, Kodak reached out to GVAS once more. Recognizing its long commitment to the Birdcam program and its many conservation efforts, the company agreed to migrate primary responsibility for the Birdcam program to GVAS, and the program was renamed Rochester Falconcam (Rfalconcam). We at Rfalconcam were honored by Kodak’s decision and delighted to bring the adventure of Rochester’s own peregrine falcons to the rest of the world.

In 2008 after lengthy consultations with the New York Dept. of Environmental Conservation, Kodak decided to move the nest box that had sheltered Mariah and her family for eleven years. The decision was made so that Kodak could undertake a multi-year project to repair the crumbling terra cotta facade on the Kodak tower. The nest box was installed a short distance away on the historic Powers Building in downtown Rochester. To enhance the chance of a successful transition for the falcons, GVAS installed another nest box one block away from the first, on the Times Square building at the corner of Exchange and Broad Streets. Cameras at each location allowed viewers to keep watch for Mariah to find her new home.

2009 brought many changes. Kaver failed to return from his winter travels. Mariah attracted a total of three potential mates, the last, it turned out, her own grandson! Even stranger events were to come though, as a new, younger female came into the territory. Together these two new falcons engaged Mariah in a territory battle that left her with serious injuries and ultimately drove her from her long-time territory. Rescued by GVAS Falcon Watch volunteers after the two-day battle, Mariah spent six weeks recovering from her wounds. She found her way back to Rochester only one day after being released, demonstrating her intense attachment to the area.

The new pair, Archer (hatched in 2006 to Mariah’s son Freedom) and Beauty (hatched in 2007 in Pittsburgh, PA) eventually settled at the Times Square nest box after a failed attempt to nest on the Midtown Plaza tower. Mariah kept to various perches near the High Falls gorge until mid-summer, when she moved north to Kodak Park before disappearing in October.

Archer and Beauty produced two offspring in 2010 but none in 2011. Archer was displaced by another male, Dot.ca, (hatched in 2010 in Etobicoke) in 2012. In early 2022, we lost Dot.ca and Beauty.

That summer, an unbanded pair of falcons had found their way to Rochester and raised 3 eyases at the Times Square nest box.

GVAS is committed to following the activities of our latest pair, Nova and Neander, as well as monitoring other falcons showing interest in the Rochester area. Hopes are high that a second pair will be able to establish a new nest and territory in the city.

Imagine our surprise when Nova finally got up to bring in food early this morning! There were not two, but three fuzzy white heads with mouths open, ready for breakfast!

After going back through all the pictures, it looks like the third eyas hatched last night sometime before 9:00 pm!

Now we wait to see if Nova and Neander’s 4th egg will hatch? Stay tuned!

WELCOME LITTLE ONE!

Our first eyas now has company! At approx 11:57 am, our 2nd eyas broke free from its egg under the watchful eye of mom Nova.

There is a pip, crack, in a third egg, so hopefully there will soon be three eyases in the nest box on top of the Times Square Bldg.

If you are watching the Rfalconcam streaming video, you’ll notice that there is a lot of background noise. The City of Rochester is busy working on the streets in the surrounding area and will start working on redoing the Aqueduct area. It will make our fledge watch very challenging this year.