Updated with video clips – see below!
After six weeks of rehabilitation, we received word late last week that Jemison was hunting & killing her own food and flying competently in a 180-foot (55 meter) flight cage. Since she was doing so well, the rehabber and DEC biologists determined that she was ready for release.

So at lunchtime today, members of the Genesee Valley Audubon Society and the Rochester Falconcam met the DEC’s Mike Allen at the Montezuma National Wildlife Refuge, about 45 miles (72 km) east of Rochester. Alert readers may recall that Montezuma was the site of Mariah’s release following her stint in rehab last year.

After picking up refuge Manager Bill Stewart, the group took a short trip along Montezuma’s wildlife drive and found a convenient spot away from highway traffic. Mike and Bill placed Jemison’s wooden carrier on the gravel and the Audubon Society’s June Summers released the lid. Jemison took off right away, flying close by Falconcam member Jim Pisello before climbing high over the wetland.

Jim provided some pictures of the event. You can view them by clicking the picture at the left. Falconcam members Kathy Olney and Carol Phillips took pictures and videos too. Here are a couple of video clips courtesy of Carol Phillips:

Jemison is released from the carrier

Jemison flying

As Carol noted, this was the best outcome we could hope for. Everyone at the release agreed that Jemison was flying well, with no trace of an injury. She gained altitude before soaring away to the north and west. Will she return to Rochester, or strike out for some new destination? We can only wonder where her travels will take her. Wherever it is, we know the good wishes of her many fans will go with her.

It truly is a group effort to make sure that these young peregrines have the best opportunity to lead successful lives. The Rochester Falconcam is grateful for the dedication of Mike Allen, Jenny Landry, Barb Loucks and everyone at the DEC & the rehab staff who took care of Jemison and returned her to flight status. Special thanks also to Dr. Balonek and all the folks at the East Ridge Animal Hospital; Dr. Parsons, Gary and the staff at the Black Creek Wildlife Center as well as the Rochester Animal Control; and Bill Stewart and everyone at the Montezuma Wildlife Refuge. And of course, we want to acknowledge the many volunteers who keep an eye on Jemison and all the Rochester falcons year after year. Your efforts are all appreciated!

Scarborough, Ontario has been Quest’s home for all of August. It looks like she’s settled into a routine, moving between Tam O’Shanter Park and East Point Park on the Lake Ontario shore. Timestamps from her transmitter show that she’s spending the nights inland, near the Tam O’Shanter golf course. The lakeside locations all have daytime timestamps, so it’s likely she’s spending her days harassing the shorebirds. With this kind of consistency, it’s possible that an enterprising local birder could stake out these parks and get a look at her. Any takers out there? If you see Quest, we’d love to hear about it. And we’d really love to see a picture of her!

The latest t-shirt design available in the Rochester Falconcam Zazzle store comes to us courtesy of Dale Pesmen. Besides being a long-time fan of the Rochester falcons, Dale is quite the artist. Her image of a peregrine eyas playing with a feather is a real keeper, perfect for any falcon lover!

At the Rochester Falconcam Zazzle store you can order the eyas on a white or black t-shirt, with a choice of red, yellow or blue feather. You’ll be helping to maintain the Rochester Falconcam with your purchase, and you can show off the work of a very talented artist at the same time. So head on over to Zazzle or one of our other stores for all of your Rochester Falconcam merchandise needs!

As we reported previously reported, Jemison’s recovery has been going very well. She’s been moved to a larger flight cage so that she can exercise her wings in preparation for an eventual release. The rehab specialist taking care of Jemison says that she continues to be feisty and she takes lots of baths in the water bowl provided for her!

We don’t yet know when Jemison will be ready to be released, but we do know that she won’t be released back here in Rochester. The biologists at the DEC have determined that Jemison’s safety could be jeopardized if she’s released in Rochester because so much time has passed since she was injured and taken away. It’s likely that by now Archer and Beauty wouldn’t recognize Jemison if she were returned here. If the adults were to treat her as an intruder she could be re-injured or at least forced out of the territory under unfriendly circumstances. We know everyone was hoping for a different outcome, but releasing Jemison away from Rochester will give her the best chance for safely making it through these next few months, which are crucial to her development into a full-fledged adult. We’re in close contact with the rehabber and the DEC so we’ll make sure to get more information as it becomes available.

Jemison’s release is still some way off though, so in the meantime here are a couple more pictures with those beautiful falcon wings outstretched…

After spending much of July in the neighborhood of Brampton, Ontario, Quest decided to end the month by going eastward. She passed by Toronto on her way to Pickering. We’re pleased to see that in her third year, Quest and her transmitter are still going strong, though we’re wondering when (and where!) she might settle down to start a family of her own.

According to the latest from the rehabber taking care of Jemison she is beginning to heal. The broken bone in her shoulder is re-calcifying. Calcium is essential for bone strength so this is very good news. She’s feeding herself, another good sign.

The next stop for Jemison is a two-week stint in a large flight cage where she can exercise her wings. Then more x-rays will be taken to see how things stand.

We’ve heard from the rehabber taking care of Jemison. She’s doing very well, and she’s scheduled for an x-ray tomorrow. The radiograph should give them an idea of how well Jemison’s broken bone has healed. We’ll let you know as soon as we hear the results of the x-ray.

It appears that Quest has decided to move north of Toronto for a while. Her most recent few days’ locations have placed her in nearby Brampton, Ontario. The satellite view of the map there shows parkland and plenty of multi-story buildings (including the local Police station), so it would appear that she has good perches and at least the potential for plentiful prey.

Jemison Gets a Cooling Mist. Picture by Carol Phillips

June Summers, President of the Genesee Valley Audubon Society, and Rochester Falconcam member Carol Phillips paid a visit to Jemison and provided the picture above, along with a report of her progress so far. She continues to be feisty and is eating everything given to her. Jemison also enjoyed the cooling spray of water that you can see in the picture at the left.

All hopes are that her injured shoulder will heal quickly. Her wing continues to return to a normal position, and another rehabber who looked at Jemison couldn’t even detect an injury, so that’s very good news. We’ll be sure to keep you updated as to Jemison’s progress.

The DEC has made arrangements to transport Jemison to the same rehab facility outside of Syracuse, New York, which was so instrumental in nursing Mariah back to health. They have over 30 years’ experience treating falcons and returning them back to the skies. Their facility includes a very large flight cage where Jemison will be able to practice flying.

The Rochester Falconcam wants to extend our sincere and heartfelt thanks to Gary and all the staff at Black Creek Wildlife Center, and especially to Dr. Parsons. Also to Terry and the good folks at Wild Wings for supplying some falcon-appropriate food on short notice. Our gratitude also goes to Dr. Gerald Balonek at the East Ridge Animal Hospital, where Jemison was taken by Rochester Animal Control. Without the selflessness of all involved, Jemison’s outlook could have been much worse.

We’re also grateful to the DEC’s Mike Allen, Jenny Landry, and Barb Loucks for their advice and assistance, and to the Rochester Police Dept. and Rochester Animal Control, both for Jemison’s initial rescue and for letting MAK, our on-scene watcher at the time, know of Jemison’s condition.

And finally, a huge “thank you” to our volunteer fledge watchers, who have spent many hours on the “front lines” keeping an eye on all of the falcons, especially our newest flyers. It is their dedication that helps to ensure positive outcomes for the fledglings in Rochester, and gives them the best opportunity to lead successful lives as masters of the sky.

Jemison - photo by Carol Phillips

If you’ve been following the reports from our volunteer fledge watchers, you know that Jemison got into trouble flying on the Friday before the July 4th holiday and had to be rescued. If you haven’t been following the news, you can catch up HERE.

The Veterinarian who is taking care of Jemison performed an x-ray today and the results are in. Jemison has a break in her right coracoid bone, part of her shoulder. Her long-term prognosis is uncertain right now, but there’s good reason to be optimistic. In young birds like Jemison bones heal fast, so as long as the bone heals in the correct position, she has a good chance of flying again.

As you can see from the picture above, Jemison’s right wing is much closer to the normal position than the drooping that our watchers witnessed this past Friday when she was rescued.

The Vet also reports that Jemison is feisty and eating well, all good signs. He plans to feed Jemison a diet that includes additional calcium to help with bone growth and healing.