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.

Earlier this morning, we were able to get a good look at the four eggs in the nest box. At 2:41 pm, the first of Nova and Neander’s eggs hatched. It looks like we won’t have to wait too long for our 2nd eyas to make an appearance! Stay tuned!

Early this morning, while most of us were sound asleep, Nova was busy laying her 4th egg! At approximately 3:36 am, Rochester Falcons Nova and Neander’s 4th egg arrived. Will there be a 5th? Probably not, since it looks like hard incubation has started. Stay tuned!

While the Rochester area was under a Severe Thunderstorm Warning, Nova was busy laying her 3rd egg. Thankfully, the Tstorm stayed south of us, and the egg arrived safely in the Times Square Bldg nest box at approximately 4:12 pm.

The hours between Nova’s eggs has definitely changed this year. So, there’s no way to know when and if she might lay a 4th egg. We’ll definitely be keeping a close eye on the situation.

We were very eggcited to see that Nova laid her 2nd egg very early this morning at approx 1:33 am. Her usual time between eggs is 53-54 hrs. This egg arrived 101.5 hrs after her first egg! We’ll never know why there was such a long delay. Possibly an off camera intruder? Rochester Falcon Watchers did not witness any problems.

So we welcome this new addition to our Rochester Falcon family! If she goes back on her regular schedule of 53-54 hrs, egg #3 should arrive close to 7:00 am on Saturday morning. All we can do is watch!

Nova entered the Times Square nest box a few minutes before 8:00 pm, just as the winds were starting to strengthen. A few moments later, after shimmying a bit, an egg appeared beneath her at 8:00 pm. It was an amazing sight for those lucky enough to have been viewing the Rfalconcam streaming video just at that moment.

DT falcon rpt- from cam pic.twitter.com/AW2zo89Zun

— Dana Mulhern (@auntiewood) March 26, 2023

It was time for the Rochester Falcon Watchers to raise their glasses for their annual toast for a successful 2023 Season for the Rochester Falcons!

Fourteen watchers gathered on Broad St. in front of the Rochester War Memorial aka the Blue Cross Arena. From there we had a wonderful view of the falcon nest box on the Times Square Bldg and the surrounding area. One of the Rochester Falcons was even in attendance on the Wilder Chimney.

Just a quick aside, due to this being a new pair, we are unsure of their habits. So, is it Nova and Neander we’re still seeing during the Winter months? We all believe that Nova is still here, but that Neander may have migrated, and a new guy is hanging out. Both are unbanded, so it’s impossible to be 100% sure.

It was a cool morning, but not as bitter cold as it has been in the past. Temps in the 30’s and overcast. By the time we left, it was lightly raining and much colder.

Fourteen watchers came downtown for the 2023 falcon toast. Joyce, Brian H, Lynda, Carrie, Carla P, Jeanne, Pat, Dana, Lou, Shaky, Sue, Linda, Kathy O and Carol P. Rochester Falcon Fan Bob also joined us. Nice to meet you, Bob! Susan and MAK were on the phone.

Lynda brought special grapes; Carla P brought blue star cookies (from her son John Carlos) and I brought the toasting beverage. Shaky was our emcee. He walked around the group collecting Happy New Year wishes

After spending time catching up with each other, it was time for the toast. But the falcon on the Wilder chimney had other ideas. It wasn’t paying any attention to us. It took off, flew past the Times Square Bldg heading south. It wasn’t long before the falcon headed back carrying a pigeon. We all watched as s/he flew behind the Wilder bldg and out of sight. The watchers found the falcon eating on the lower roof of the Powers bldg. After taking a few pictures, we returned to complete our toast.

We all raised our glasses and wished our falcons good health and luck, hopefully adding many falcon babies to the Rochester family.

Here are some pictures I took and wanted to share with all of you. Happy New Year to all the Rochester Falcon Fans!

Carol P.