Photos courtesy of Tom Hoehn at Eastman Kodak Co.

Mariah and Kaver’s next set of offspring will have fewer perching options when they take their fledging flights in 2008. That’s because the Rochester Gas and Electric company has begun removing two of the three smoke stacks at the BeeBee Station on Mill Street.

Since Mariah first began nesting on the Kodak tower, the smoke stacks at the defunct power plant have provided a high vantage overlooking the Genesee River gorge hundreds of feet below. A recent local news article claims that the smoke stacks are being removed to make way for a new substation.

As you can see in the pictures above, the demolition of the middle smoke stack– the tallest of the three– is going fast. The north stack will be taken down next, leaving only the southernmost “High Falls” smoke stack. Based on the current progression it looks like the demolition work will be completed before Mariah and Kaver return to the nest box this spring.

Though there will be fewer smoke stacks for the falcons to perch on, this change to the falcon’s eastern view should also make for a safer neighborhood. These smoke stacks have been places of danger for young falcons in the past as the inexperienced fliers overshoot their landings and fall down the tall chimneys. The lack of perching spots won’t be serious, though. There are still plenty of places for the fledglings to alight.

Other changes are coming to the neighborhood too. In 2008 construction will begin on an apartment complex located at the site of the current Kodak Visitor Parking lot on State Street. The townhouse style building will be three stories high, and it may serve as a new perching site for the fledglings. The Rochester Falconcam team has already contacted the Rochester Urban League to inform them of their unique neighbors and to work with them to help ensure the welfare of any falcons that may find their way to the roof of the complex. We’ll be sure to keep you updated about the changes happening near the Kodak tower as we move into the 2008 Rochester Falconcam season!

-Jess

The New York State Dept. of Environmental Conservation has released their 2007 report on Peregrine falcon activity in the state. There was a substantial increase in the number of young this year along with a lot of other good news. Our thanks go to Barbara Loucks and all the staff at the DEC for twenty-five years of hard work helping to re-establish the Peregrine population in New York!

-Jess