Mike Allen sent an email with an update on Mariah’s condition, which we’ve excerpted here.

I thought I’d let you know that Mariah made Syracuse without incident. Our veterinarian examined her closely and was very grateful for the detailed log of what had been done since she was picked up on Sunday. She was quite feisty even after the long trip and the vet tech commented that “feisty is good.” The concern obviously is the wound at her throat. They wanted to give her some time to settle in before examining further. I’m not sure how often I’ll be updating this situation but I will try to do so as frequently as time allows. My interpretation is that she is in excellent hands and has already made “new friends!”

Keep looking up!

Mike

This news is about as good as any we could expect at this point, and we’re very grateful for the update!

You may be wondering why we haven’t posted any Quest updates recently. The news about Mariah has taken precedence for the past several days, but the real issue is a technical one. We’re currently migrating the Rochester Falconcam to new web servers, and a side effect is that we’ve temporarily lost access to the email account where we receive Quest’s transmitter data. As soon as we get that back we’ll update you on Quest’s latest adventures.

Photo courtesy of Carol Phillips

Updated 14 April!
Carol P, Mariah’s own Florence Nightingale, reports that she spent several hours at the rehab center with Mariah this afternoon. She was examined by vets this morning, and they found three wounds: The most serious is a deep chest wound. Fortunately, no internal organs appear to have been damaged. She also has a wound on her back that is 3-4 days old. This is consistent with watchers’ observations, and lends weight to our working theory that the territory battle began sometime on Friday afternoon. The third wound is a laceration on her wing which needs further examination. She also has a minor case of bumblefoot. Carol was able to assist with the treatment for that, applying antibiotic ointment to her feet.

Mariah was standing on her own today and she ate a several bites of quail soaked in Pedialite. This is a definite improvement. Even better, Carol reports that Mariah was tracking their movements, something she wasn’t doing yesterday. The picture above shows the rehabilitation specialist feeding quail to her using a pair of foreceps. She’s undergoing antibiotic therapy and she’ll likely need surgery to repair her wounds. She’s not out of the woods yet, though. The vets are concerned that her feces are black and runny (a possible sign of internal bleeding). The news is certainly a mixed bag, but there are hopeful signs. All in all, Mariah’s proving once again what a tough bird she is.

UPDATE: The DEC has been in contact with Mariah’s local caregivers, and they have decided to move her to Syracuse tomorrow morning for further evaluation and treatment. The DEC works with a private veterinary doctor in Syracuse who has a lot of experience treating falcons, and they feel that this move will allow Mariah to get the best possible care. We’re extremely grateful for their efforts and for those of the local rehab specialist and veterinarian who took time from their holidays to provide the early care and stabilization that Mariah needed. Mike Allen reports that his ultimate goal is to return Mariah to the wild, though this obviously raises some questions which will have to be answered as we get further along in Mariah’s treatment and recovery.

Carol reports that Mariah survived the night. She’s not out of the woods by any means but it’s a hopeful sign. She will be seen by a Veterinarian this morning to check for other injuries and to determine whether she needs surgery. There is some concern about her eyesight but it is too soon to make a determination regarding that yet. Both the rehabbers and Vet have been informed that she may be gravid, or ready to lay eggs. DEC Wildlife Technician Mike Allen has also been in contact with the rehabbers this morning.

In related news, we’ve received more details about the territory battle. It seems that Mariah was attacked by two Peregrines. Carol said that Mariah was brought down to the ground once and went back up. When she fell the second time Carol and Brian moved in to protect her from further attacks which were still being made. It seems likely that their actions saved Mariah’s life, and we’re grateful for their quick thinking and decisiveness.

The rehabbers noted that Mariah had two injuries, one sustained yesterday and another that looked recent. Watchers including Carol, Joyce Miller and Jim P traded notes about their various observations over the holiday weekend, and it seems like Mariah may have last been in command of her territory on Friday. Carol and Joyce reviewed their photos and watch observations from Saturday and both feel confident that the intruding female was at Midtown tower at that time. So Mariah may have sustained her first injury sometime after Noon on Friday, 10 April. As we saw last year and have witnessed at other sites, territory disputes like this can take place over a couple of days. This latest news appears to lend weight to an extended territory battle.

All of this leads to a lot of uncertainty. Since two falcons attacked Mariah on Sunday, could it the new tiercel have worked with the intruder to attack Mariah on Sunday? If the female intruder is the one that has been seen at the Brighton site recently, what happened to Zephyr, who was seen in her company? Unfortunately there are a lot more questions than answers at this point. Doubtless we’ll get some of those answers as time goes on. For now we’re concentrating on Mariah’s treatment and we’re hopeful for her eventual recovery.

I make this report with great regret and a heavy heart. Earlier today, watchers Carol P and Brian H witnessed a fierce territorial battle near Midtown tower between Mariah and a banded female, possibly the falcon that has been staking out a territory in the nearby town of Brighton. During the battle Mariah was seriously wounded in her shoulder. Carol & Brian retrieved her from the street and took her to a local wildlife rehabber where she is receiving care.

This news comes as quite a blow to everyone at the Rochester Falconcam, and I’m sure to all of Mariah’s many fans. We’re hoping for a good outcome, and that Mariah will once again beat the odds, but we are informed that her injuries are quite grave. We’ll keep everyone informed as soon as we learn of any information about her condition.

UPDATE: We’ve received some pictures of Mariah provided by Carol. The first one shows her on the ground following the battle. The other two show her receiving care from the rehabbers.

-Jess

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The last week of March found Quest ranging up and down the Cape. She went as far north as Wellfleet and appears to have returned to her offshore hunting near Monomoy NWR. Many of the best positional readings didn’t include temperature data, but the ones that did indicate that she’s been keeping warm. That’s most likely been helped by the good weather that Cape Cod residents enjoyed recently.