Today at 10 a.m., the NYSDEC (New York State Department of Environmental Conservation) came into Rochester to band the four eyases in the nest box at the top of the Times Square Bldg. They all received two bands each, the USFWS band and the NY band. Colored tape was placed over the silver USFWS band to make it easier for the Rochester Falcon Watchers to keep track of the young falcons when they fledge, taking their first flights.

First banded was a male named Mercury. Mercury was the Roman god of commerce and was carried by the north wind as messenger of the gods. He is depicted on a Rochester landmark, the statue atop the Aqueduct Building, upon which our falcons love to watch, eat and mate. Submitted by Erin Aumick of Caledonia, NY; Linda Barker or Watervliet, NY; and Patricia Cary of Rochester, NY.

Second banded was a female given the name Nettie. In honor of our friends at Netsville for providing five years of free internet access for Rfalconcam’s cameras at the Times Square Building in Rochester, NY.

The third, a male eyas, was named Nor’easter. Nor’easter is a powerful storm that affects the East Coast of the United States and Atlantic Canada. It is named Nor’easter because the storm travels to the Northeast while the winds come from the Northeast of the coastal areas of the United States and the Atlantic Canada. Nor’easter causes flooding and erosion of the coastal areas, hurricane winds and heavy snow. Submitted by Dana Mulhern.

The last and forth eyas banded was a female. She was given the name Tesh. In honor of Qetesh, a peregrine falcon and the first feathered member of the educational team of our friends at the Canadian Peregrine Foundation. She came to CPF in March of 1999 and has since passed away. The Canadian Peregrine Foundation is a non-profit organization dedicated to assisting the recovery of the Peregrine Falcon and other raptors at risk. Submitted by Kathy Olney.

The eyases were quickly returned to the nest box. For awhile, the eyases did not move or make a sound. One, Tesh, was lying on her back. Finally, about 30 minutes later, Beauty (the mom) returned to the nest box and all was well. The eyases all moved towards her, including Tesh!

Here are a few more pictures from the 2014 Rochester Falcons Banding Day.

Banding will take place this morning at approximately 10 am. There will not be live camera coverage of the actual banding. However, we plan to keep our nest box cameras running and post updates to our Forum, Facebook, and Twitter throughout the event.

It’s time to vote for your favorite names for one of Beauty and Dot.ca’s Eyases!

The polls are open! We received 60 terrific name suggestions. The Rfalconcam’s Naming Committee evaluated all submissions and pared them down to 7 names in each of the three categories: male, female, and gender-neutral. (The committee had planned to narrow them down to 5 in each category, but there were just too many great suggestions!) Thank you to everyone who submitted names.

Three polls have been created for members of the Rfalconcam Forum to vote for their favorite in each category. One of the four eyases will be given the winning name from either the appropriate gender-specific poll or the gender-neutral poll, depending on which winning name receives the most votes.

You must be a member of the forum to be able to vote for a name. Join the forum now if you’d like to participate! Use this link to register:

http://rfalconcam.com/forum/index.php?action=register

A questionnaire will be sent to the email address you supply during registration. You must reply to this email in order to have your membership approved.

If you are already a Forum member but don’t remember your password, use this link to reset it:

http://rfalconcam.com/forum/index.php?action=reminder

Once you have logged in  to the Forum, use these links to vote:

Male Names: http://rfalconcam.com/forum/index.php?topic=12962.0

Female Names: http://rfalconcam.com/forum/index.php?topic=12963.0

Gender-Neutral Names: http://rfalconcam.com/forum/index.php?topic=12964.0

The polls close at 10 am (EDT) on Monday, June 9, 2014.

Genesee Valley Audubon Society invites the public to connect with the Peregrine Falcons and other wildlife downtown through an extraordinary experience.  We are asking for volunteers to help watch the young Peregrine Falcons and help keep them safe when they start learning to fly.  Their nest box is on top of the Time Square Building, which is a long leap for a young bird to take. Volunteers are needed to keep these young birds out of harm’s way should they come to the ground.

The public is invited to a meeting scheduled for June 14, 2014 at 10:00 am in the Rundell Auditorium on the third floor of the Rochester Rundell Library (the original library on the southwest corner of South Ave. and Broad St.).  At this meeting we will explain the responsibilities and commitments of a fledge watcher as well as give instructions on the finer points of falcon watching and on how to interact with the general public.

This will be a fun and informative experience, so please consider attending. Come early and join us on the patio located on the Broad St. side of the library to view the young falcons still confined to the relative safety of their nest box platform. We will be there at 9:30 am.

For more information, call (585) 865-6047.

We are collecting suggestions for a name for one of Beauty and Dot.ca’s Eyases!

We are very happy to announce that once again falcon fans will have an opportunity to choose a name for an eyas in the nest box atop the Times Square Building, and it will be in the form of a naming contest open to all viewers.

Much care and thought was used to name past eyases. We’ve included the criteria we’ve always used when choosing a name. Please read the rules very carefully and use the link below to submit either a male and female name or a gender neutral name. Only one submission per person!

The deadline for name submissions is 11:59 pm (EDT) on Wednesday, June 4, 2014.

Suggested Rfalconcam Naming Criteria Acceptable Categories for Names:

Explorers, Astronomers, Conservationists, especially those with
International appeal (e.g., Galileo, Amelia [Earhart], Magellan), or those who have played a significant role in Peregrine re-population efforts.
Names inspired by Nature–topographic, meteorological, geographic, etc. (e.g. Mariah, Kaver, Isaura, Fulmine, Alkyonis, Skye, Aconcagua)
Inspirational Names (e.g. Freedom, Hope, Destiny)
Mythological Beings (e.g. Isis, Thor, Zeus, Ananta)
Words that refer to falcons in languages other than Modern English (e.g. Thlotli, Hafoc)

Categories that do not fit the criteria:

Names derived from religious, political, or popular culture icons.
Names directly related to a human person either living or dead, except as noted in the acceptable criteria above.
Names related to a commercial product, or a copyrighted or trademarked name owned by any corporation, individual or organization.
Names that reflect negatively on any group, organization, individual or entity.
Names should be well researched whenever possible. Supporting rationale for the name is required, so give us a few sentences that explain the name and the reason you chose it.

Submitting a Name:

That’s easy! Just click on this link to open the submission form. Only one submission per person please! If multiple submissions are sent in, only the first one will be accepted.

https://docs.google.com/spreadsheet/viewform?fromEmail=true&formkey=dG1OeEJfclctazlpNDVHako3WEp0d3c6MA

NOTE: IF SUBMITTING A NAME, PLEASE DO NOT DISCUSS IT HERE, ON THE FORUM, OR ON SOCIAL MEDIA. WE WOULD LIKE TO MAKE THIS AS FAIR AS POSSIBLE TO ALL PARTICIPANTS.

Judging the Name Submissions:

The Rfalconcam Naming Committee will evaluate all name submissions for appropriateness, including (but not limited to) adherence to the naming criteria, well researched name, uniqueness of the name and how well it follows the “spirit” of past falcon names.

The committee will select the top five male, female and gender neutral names from those submitted and create a poll for members of the Rfalconcam forum to vote for their favorite in each category. You must be a member of the forum to be able to vote for a name. Join the forum now if you’d like to participate!

NOTE: MEMBERS OF THE NAMING COMMITTEE WILL HAVE FINAL EDITORIAL RIGHT OF REFUSAL FOR ALL SUBMISSIONS, AND THEY MAY REJECT ANY NAME SUBMISSION THAT DOES NOT MEET THE NAMING CRITERIA OR IS JUDGED NOT TO BE APPROPRIATE FOR ANY OTHER REASON.

Past Falcon Names that Meet the Criteria Above:

2002

Freedom
Isis – Egyptian goddess, mother of the Falcon god Horus

2003

Isaura – A wind that blows off the Greek Isles
Chayton – A Native American word for Falcon
Destiny
Thlotli – An Aztec name for Falcon
Edge – Named for Rosalie Edge, who founded the Hawk Mountain Sanctuary in Pennsylvania, USA

2004

Alkyonis – Named in honor of the 2004 Olympic games in Greece
Pride
Gahastey – Native American word for a type of wind
Grissom – Named in honor of Virgil “Gus” Grissom, the second American to fly in space
Hafoc – Old English word for Falcon

2005

Esperanza – Spanish word for Hope
Ihteram – Arabic word for Respect
Fulmine – Italian word for Lightning
Aconcagua – A mountain in Argentina, the highest in the Western Hemisphere
Skye – An island in Scotland where falconry is practiced

2006

Aura – Latin word for breeze
Sabrina – Celtic goddess
Rhea Mae – Named for two famous Peregrines that were instrumental in repopulation efforts in the United States

2007

Ananta – A Sanskrit word meaning “infinite” and “endless.”
It is one of the many names of Vishnu, the supreme being in the Hindu faith
Linn – Named in honor of Linn Pierson, a naturalist for the New Jersey
Dept. of Fish and Wildlife who was an educator and tireless advocate for Peregrine falcons in New Jersey
Sacajawea – In honor of the Shoshone woman who accompanied early American explorers Lewis and Clark on their historic trek through the western United States
Grace – Graces were sister goddesses in Greek mythology who had control over pleasure, charm, elegance and beauty in human life and in nature

2008

Diamante – Spanish for “diamond”
Quest – A search or pursuit made in order to find or obtain something
Seneca – Named after the largest tribe of the Iroquois confederacy of North American Indians
Susan B – Named for the famed Rochester native and Women’s Rights activist
Zephyr – The name given to the West Wind in Greek mythology

2010

Callidora – Gift of Beauty
Jemison – In honor of Mary Jemison, an American frontierswoman and an adopted Seneca

2012

Orion – The constellation of “The Hunter” who watches over Rochester’s winter skies and is one of the most recognizable constellations

2013

Baron
Rosetta
Voyager

The deadline for name submissions is 11:59 pm (EDT) on Wednesday, June 4, 2014.

Good Luck!

The banded falcon at Seneca Towers has been given a name by the members of our falcon community. Her name is Luzerne.

A poll was created on the Forum so members could vote for their favorite name, and Luzerne wound up on top with 51% of the votes. Second was Willow with 23%,  followed  by Celeste (9%), Shaelin (9%),  and Takenya (7%).

The name Luzerne was submitted by three individuals: David Sabo of Chili, NY; Linda Schlaffer of Rochester; and Lisa McKeown of Rochester. The three chose the name because Luzerne is the name of the county in Pennsylvania where 67 /AR was hatched in a cliff scrape. It would be appropriate to name her for her birth place, paying respect to her heritage. Congratulations to all three!

Thank you to everyone who submitted a name. Please keep it handy. You may get to submit it again in the very near future.