Our crack marketing team has been hard at work for the past few months, and today we’re proud to announce the opening of The Scrape, Rochester Falconcam’s store in cyberspace! Named after a peregrine’s nest, The Scrape is your one stop shop for high quality clothing and other merchandise featuring our favorite falcons, Mariah and Kaver.

Your purchases will help fund the ongoing operations of the Rochester Falconcam, and you’ll be able to share your love for Mariah and Kaver with friends and family. We’re adding new items to the store all the time so be sure to check back often for all your gift-giving and holiday shopping needs!

To visit The Scrape, just click the image above, or click the Scrape link on the Rochester Falconcam screen!

-Jess

Click the thumbnail above to view the full-sized image

Linda Woods of the Canadian Peregrine Foundation provided this picture of Rhea Mae, one of Mariah and Kaver’s 2006 offspring. As we reported in a recent post, Rhea Mae has taken up residence on the Downtown Sheraton hotel in Toronto, Canada. It appears that she has displaced the previous female, Wind, and she and the resident male Tiago have been observed exhibiting courtship behaviors such as bowing to each other and flying together.

Another shot from Linda provides an unmistakable look at the ID band which allowed our Canadian friends to positively identify Rhea Mae. You can also see the remnants of some of her brown juvenile feathers on her wings.

Photo by Linda Woods

Over the Labor Day holiday Rochester Falconcam team members Marcia Lyman, Lisa McKeown, Dana Mulhern, Kathy Olney, Joyce Miller & Carol Phillips (who named Rhea Mae in 2006) made the 2½ hour drive from Rochester to Toronto for an in-person look at Rhea Mae. Hosted by Linda Woods, they spent a couple of days observing and photographing Rhea Mae. Carol sends us this report of the trip, along with many pictures of Rhea Mae and Tiago. Fans of the Rochester falcons who joined us in 2006 will recall that Rhea Mae was the last of Mariah and Kaver’s three offspring to fledge. She went on to be a great flyer though, and we’re glad to see that she’s thriving and has found a territory of her own. We’re looking forward to news of her in the future, and we hope that she and Tiago will go on to raise many families of their own.

-Jess

Photo used by kind permission of Tom Flaherty

We have very exciting news to present on two fronts. Falcon fans Tom Flaherty and Rod Cockrell report having spotted Linn (photo above) on August 10 at the Iroquois National Wildlife Refuge, about fifty miles west of her Rochester home. Tom and Rod tell us that they were at the refuge watching and photographing wood ducks when they noticed Linn perched in a tree overlooking the ducks. Here are some more pictures from Tom and Rod.
Photo by Tom Flaherty

Photo by Rod Cockrell

From Mark Nash and our friends at the Canadian Peregrine Foundation comes the news that 2006 fledgling Rhea Mae has established a nesting territory on top of the Sheraton Hotel in downtown Toronto, Ontario Canada. This location has been home to a resident pair, Wind and Tiago, for the last several years. Reports indicate that Rhea Mae and Wind engaged in a territory dispute for four days, with Rhea Mae emerging victorious. She was observed on August 17 perching on the nest ledge at the hotel, accompanied by an adult male. It is unclear at this time whether the male is Tiago or a new tiercel. A third peregrine is still visible in the area, possibly Wind still looking for an opportunity to regain her territory. As Mark reminds us, this is a situation that is still very dynamic and evolving. We’ll be sure to bring any updates to you as soon as we receive them!

-Jess

We’ve recently learned that a pair of Peregrine falcons have been nesting at the Toledo Edison’s Bay Shore power plant in Oregon, Ohio. The male, Swifty, was hatched in Fort Wayne, Indiana. His mate is Millie (shown in the picture above), hatched in 2005 at an industrial facility in Port Colborne, Ontario Canada. Millie is the daughter of Freedom and Purity, and Freedom is the son of our very own Mariah and Kaver! (ed. note– in an interesting twist, Swifty’s mother is also named Freedom. What a coincidence!)

Fans of the Kodak Birdcam may recall that 2002 was Mariah & Kaver’s first year together. Mariah’s previous mate, Toronto-born Cabot-Sirocco, failed to return to the nest in the spring of 2002. Freedom and his sister Isis were the first offspring from the Mariah & Kaver pairing.

In 2004 Freedom and Purity began nesting in Port Colborne, but they had chosen a precarious spot for their scrape and all of their offspring were lost that year, blown off their narrow nest ledge by stiff winds. Later the Ontario Ministry of Natural Resources and the Canadian Peregrine Foundation installed a nest box at the facility, but it went unused.

In 2005 Mark Nash of the Canadian Peregrine Foundation rescued Freedom and Purity’s two eyases from the nest ledge, fearing that they would suffer the same fate as the previous year’s eyases. In a daring operation they were moved to the much more secure nest box, where Freedom and Purity quickly located them. Both of those falcons survived to fledging. They were named Millie and Ellie for the mills and storage elevators at the facility where they hatched. Millie’s first fledging flight nearly ended in tragedy as she fell into the nearby Welland Canal and had to be rescued by workers at the facility, but both went on to be successful fledglings and in true Peregrine style they struck out on their own later that summer.

In the summer of 2005 members of the Kodak Falconcam and Genesee Valley Audubon Society took a trip to Port Colborne to visit Freedom and his offspring. You can read about that visit here and view a Kodak EasyShare Gallery picture album here.

There was a little drama this year for Swifty and Millie’s two males, Ted and Lucas, as both fell from their exposed nest spot 70 feet up and had to be rescued. They’re both doing well, and the Ohio Department of Natural Resources Division of Wildlife has placed an artificial nest box at the location, to which both of the nestlings were returned after a short stay at a nearby wildlife rehabilitation center. You can read the whole story at the Toledo Blade Newpaper’s website.

It goes without saying that we at the Rochester Falconcam are very excited to receive this news. There is no better reward for those of us working toward Peregrine restoration efforts than to know that the offspring of our local falcons are thriving and spreading across the continent.

Many thanks go to Lisa McKeown of the Rochester Falconcam, who tracked down the information regarding Millie’s identity as well as our fans on the Yahoo Kfalconcam discussion group who tracked down the original news report. We hope to follow the lives of Millie, Swifty and their offspring, and we’ll be sure to bring you any updates as we receive them.

-Jess

As everyone who has been following the fledge watch reports knows, all four of this year’s juveniles fledged successfully! Through the Gallery at Imprints and the pictures posted by many of our watchers in their Fledge Watch Reports, we’ve watched them grow from their first tentative flights. Ananta, Linn, Sacajawea and Grace are now well on their way to becoming accomplished fliers. They’re still spending much of their time near the High Falls area, but they’re also beginning to explore areas farther away. Over the next several weeks we expect we’ll see the juveniles less and less downtown, though our watchers will be keeping an eye out for them through the rest of the summer.

The “official” four-week fledge watch has ended for 2007, but we’ll continue to bring you updates on the falcons throughout the summer, so be sure to check back often! On behalf of the Genesee Valley Audubon Society and the Rochester Falconcam, we want to thank each and every watcher– official and unofficial– who donated their time and effort to help ensure the safety of the fledglings and to document their activity. I’ve missed writing, but it was great to read all of the fledge watch reports that have been posted. We’re certainly very fortunate here in Rochester to have such a dedicated and talented group of volunteers.

In the weeks to come the young falcons will begin to strike out on their own. They may range far away, or stick close to home. Sometimes juveniles are reluctant to leave. Life isn’t easy for a first-year falcon. They need to hunt in order to survive, and that’s hard work. There are reports of juveniles begging food from non-parental adults along Peregrine migration routes. It’s much easier to have your food brought to you than to have to get it yourself. If any of the fledglings do try to stay around, the adults will eventually drive them out of the territory. Think of it as kicking the kids out of the house. They can’t stay around forever, after all.

Mariah and Kaver sometimes make it look easy, but the fact is that hunting is a difficult task. By some estimates, Peregrines are successful in only one out of every 5 or 6 hunting attempts. It takes a lot of energy to hunt, so a young falcon, lacking experience, can get into trouble if it has a bad run of luck. It’s an unfortunate fact that the highest mortality rate occurs among juveniles at this stage, often because they can’t catch enough food to survive. We’re hopeful that all four of this year’s Rochester fledglings will go on to lead successful lives, but experience teaches us that one or more of them probably won’t make it. We can take comfort in the knowledge that the strongest of them will likely survive, and perhaps in a few years we’ll hear that they’ve established territories of their own just as Freedom and Ranger have done.

Meanwhile, we’re still busy here at the Rochester Falconcam. Look for some exciting new features coming soon!

-Jess

We hope everyone is enjoying reading the exciting dispatches from our on-scene fledge watchers! When you’re reviewing the latest reports, take some time to look through the list of recent entries. Some reports are submitted several hours or even a day after the watcher’s shift has taken place. We publish them in reverse chronological order based on the time and date of the Fledge Watch, so the most recently received reports may not appear at the top of the list. Don’t miss out on the action– take a moment to review the entries further down the list!

We’ll be introducing a new feature very soon. Every couple of days we’ll be showcase an exclusive picture or video clip on the Rochester Falconcam’s home page. You’ll be able to download high-resolution images and watch video clips recorded by our Fledge Watchers as Ananta, Linn, Sacajawea and Grace continue to hone their flying and hunting skills. We’ll store all the images and clips on our Imprints Gallery, where you’ll be able to post your thoughts. Look for the first gallery feature soon!

-Jess

Here’s a description of the Kodak Office complex and the RGE BeeBee station that will help orient you while you’re reading the many fine fledge watch reports being submitted by our dedicated cadre of volunteer fledge watchers. You can also find the link in the Pages list at the right side of the Imprints screen. As the fledglings move out into the gorge we’ll update the page with other points of interest.

-Jess

Fledge watchers and fans of the Rochester falcons have grown accustomed to the area around the Kodak Tower where the Peregrines do much of their flying. Over the years, a common set of terms has evolved to help orient everyone to the various locations where the birds might be spotted. For new watchers or those unfamiliar with the area, these terms can be a little confusing, or just plain incomprehensible. We’ll try to de-mystify the area with this quick tour around the Kodak office complex and its surroundings.

The Kodak Office complex is a series of interconnected buildings that sprang up throughout the first half of the 20^th century. You will not be surprised to learn that the heart of the complex is the Kodak tower. This 19-story building serves as the world headquarters of the Eastman Kodak Company. Its art deco facade contains a number of ledges and other features that mimic the natural cliffside environment of the wild Peregrine, which is one reason it’s such a good spot for Mariah and Kaver to raise their young.

Courtesy of fledge watcher Lou comes the illustrated view of the Kodak tower at the right (click the small image to see it full-sized). Taken from the visitor parking lot across State Street, it shows the east face of the Kodak tower.

At the very top of the tower is a square structure that contains the machinery for the tower’s elevators. The Peregrines’ nest box is installed on its south face. Watchers call this structure the cupola. The playpen is a catwalk around the base of the cupola. It’s surrounded by an iron railing. The playpen is about four feet below the nestbox– an easy hop for the pre-fledge eyases. Above the nest box is the eight-sided turret-like steeple. It sits on a broad square platform that watchers call the Launch Pad. It got its name from the four decorative objects at each corner, which resemble squat rockets. The launch pad is a popular perch for the falcons. At the peak of the steeple is a decorative iron flag containing the letters EK. At one time it functioned as a lightning rod. At the base of the flag pole are several decorative iron lilies on curved stems. They’re favorite perches for Kaver, who likes to hunt from this high vantage point.

Below the cupola in large yellow letters are the KODAK signs on the north & south sides. This level is referred to as the Kodak Sign Level, or the 20th Floor. It features a decorative stone railing carved in the shape of stylized dolphins. The falcons often perch on this railing, which has been named (oddly enough) the Dolphin Railing. There is a catwalk behind the railing which can hide the falcons from view.

The 19th floor also hosts a stone railing, this one carved in a scalloped pattern. It’s called the scallop railing, or 19th floor railing by watchers. Like the dolphin rail level, there is a catwalk here that the falcons can access, hiding them from view.

The 18th floor features a wrought iron railing and decorative columns, with a deep balcony that surrounds the floor. The falcons can easily disappear on the balcony.

A wide flat ledge runs around the 17th floor, and it’s a popular landing spot for the fledglings and adults alike. It’s broad enough that if a falcon moves against the wall while on the ledge it can’t be seen from the ground.

The 16th floor features another ledge with cornices that provide a lot of nooks and crannies where the falcons can sit. They are often hard to see on this ledge, though it’s not as deep as the one above. The windows at this level are fitted into rounded arches in pairs, with a decorative disk cut into the stonework between each pair of arches. This level used to be the top of the Kodak tower, and George Eastman’s office was in the southeast corner on this floor. The floors above were added in the 1930’s during a construction boom in downtown Rochester.

The last true ledge on the building occurs on the 13th floor. This ledge is not as deep as the ones above, and the falcons are usually easy to spot here. The rest of the tower has flat sides, and the only good perches are the copper-clad window sills.

Building 9 sits to the south of the tower. It has six occupied floors, with machinery and other infrastructure in the seventh. It has a broad roof that is sometimes used as a landing spot by the falcons, especially when they first fledge. Between Building 9 and the tower is a small, mostly windowless structure called Building 3. The falcons do not often land here, but fledglings may use it from time to time.

Immediately north of the Kodak tower is the glass and black metal-sided Building 6. It also serves as an intermediate perch for the new fledglings, thanks to its wide flat roof.

Attached to Building 6 is the large Building 10, the northernmost building in the Kodak Office complex. Building 10 has nine occupied floors, and features the Kodak employee store and one of the complex’s two dining centers, both on the top floor. It has a peaked roof that runs east to west and makes a popular perch for the fledglings (two can be seen in the image at the right). Steam pipes and air conditioning machinery dominate much of the flat part of the roof. Stair towers at the southeast corner (the near corner in this picture) and the middle of the east facade are characterized by vertical columns of frosted glass.

To the west are several more buildings, but the falcons rarely use them as perching or landing spots, so we won’t cover them here.

Across State Street to the east of the tower is the Kodak Visitor Parking Lot (V1). Beyond the lot and across Mill Street is Rochester Gas and Electric’s BeeBee Station. This mostly decommissioned power station features three tall smokestacks, none of which are in use, and a maze of tin-sided buildings.

The three stacks are aligned north to south. The southernmost stack is painted at the top with a logo for the High Falls historic district. Watchers usually refer to this one as the High Falls stack. The middle, or Center stack has its base some twenty feet below street level. If a falcon falls down this smokestack it can be tricky to get out, since the bird must work its way up along rusted stairways and a bewildering maze of cables and pipes. The good news is that a bird can basically walk up to ground level, though it usually takes some time to do that. The Northern stack is smaller in diameter than the other two. It’s iron catwalk is lower than those on the other stacks, and it has a ladder on the east side that is often used as a hunting and observation perch. Each smokestack has a wide iron catwalk and railing about halfway up its length. Fledglings and adults like to use these catwalks as perches. They’re easier for inexperienced juveniles to land on, especially if they tire themselves out from a long flight.

Here’s an overhead view of the area provided by Google Maps and annotated by Rochester Falconcam fan Mitchell. It gives a better idea of the relationship between the various buildings and other structures in the area around the Kodak Office complex.

We’ve just received word from our on-scene watchers that Linn has taken her first flight and landed safely on the south side of the Kodak tower! We’re very excited and pleased to have four successful fledges at the Rochester Falconcam. Keep watching for more reports from our dedicated volunteer fledge watchers!

-Jess

Sacajawea and Grace have both made fledging flights. As of this afternoon both are doing well. Linn and Ananta continue to move around the “playpen”, but they could fly at any time. Look forward to reports from the many watchers observing our falcons today!

On the evening of June 21 Ananta made her maiden flight! Watchers will be sending their reports so stay tuned!

-Jess