Photo courtesy of Jim Pisello
It seems that every time we turn around we get more news about one of Mariah’s offspring. The latest comes to us courtesy of Barbara Loucks at the DEC. She emailed us recently with the following report.

I just got a report this morning that one of the falcons at the [Ogdensburg-Prescott International Bridge in Ogdensburg, NY] had its band read by our long time peregrine/eagle observer Mary Beth Warburton as black over red, M over sideways T, which I looked up while still on the phone with her. It was banded on June 1, 2006 at the Kodak site in Rochester. Mary Beth originally thought this bird might be a male based on size, and when I checked my notes this was the runty bird of the three females banded that year – but we had to band it as a female based on leg size.

This points out yet another peril of [naming wild birds] – as “Sabrina” may turn out to be something else! Time will tell as to whether this bird is indeed a female or a large male. There is no proof of nesting yet and this bird is new this year to the site.

Mary Beth will keep us informed as things progress. She thinks this is the bird that was dive bombing an immature female earlier in the week at the bridge; moments later the two birds were joined on the Canadian side by a third and pigeons were scattering everywhere.

Yet more great news! It sounds like Sabrina might need to be renamed, if it turns out the other bird keeping company with “her” is a female. Luckily, Dan Stiehler, the long-time Rochester falcon watcher who named Sabrina in 2006, also submitted a male name, Valiant. So, if it does turn out that Sabrina is a he rather than a she, we have a fitting name for him. Hopefully Mary Beth will be able to observe Sabrina and the other falcon mating. We’ll let you know as soon as we hear any more news from New York’s northern border!

All the recent revelations and sightings of Mariah and Kaver’s offspring might be leaving everyone a little confused. Our friend Tom Hoehn (Cornpoppy) from Kodak decided to help us make sense of everything by updating the Rochester Falcons Family Tree. Take a look and see how much clearer it all becomes when it’s mapped out…

View Quest Travels Apr 1- 10 in a larger map
(Zoom in or out on the map by clicking the small + & – signs. Move it around by clicking your mouse button and dragging the map in the desired direction. Click the falcon icons for more information about each location.)

We’re happy to announce that our access to Quest’s transmitter data has been restored. In our absence she hasn’t missed a beat.

Her night time locations are in Chatham, with a couple of data points placing her near a structure that might be a lighthouse at the Stage Harbor inlet. On the 7^th it looks like she spent the night in the 200 block of Cedar Street near Stetson Cove.

Her daytime haunts appear to be the tidal flats just off the Cape south of Stage Harbor, and along the Monomoy National Wildlife Refuge. Temperature sensor data, when we receive it, shows that she’s staying warm, doubtless a reflection of the good weather overall in April.

Photo Courtesy of Joyce Miller

UPDATED! Read below
Well, we don’t know if he has a name, but thanks to watcher Joyce Miller we’ve got a positive read on his ID band. Joyce took this picture (click the image above to view the full version) on the 12^th of April when the tiercel perched on the fire escape of a nearby building.

Yesterday, Jim Pisello shot this image of the tiercel taking off from the Midtown Plaza Tower:

The band isn’t quite as clear, but it’s still a good look.

Black bands are often used in Canada (though they are also used in the US on occasion), so we’ve sent a request our Canadian contacts to see if we can learn his Identity.

Sharp-eyed viewers will note that this tiercel’s band ID, 25 over V, is close to the ID band worn by Tybropa-Cree, the tiercel who was in Rochester earlier this year and unfortunately was killed in an automobile collision. Tybropa-Cree was hatched in 2007 and fledged in Scarborough Ontario. Since 25/V comes after 15/V, it might be reasonable to assume that this tiercel was banded sometime after Tybropa-Cree. His adult plumage means that he’s at least 2 years old, so a hatching date of 2007 fits with our observations. In any event, it’s only a matter of time before we learn more about Rochester’s newest tiercel. As soon as we find out more we’ll let you know.

UPDATE
In a turn both strange and wonderful we’ve received more information about our new tiercel. It comes from Doug Garbutt, one of our friends in Port Colborne, who have been the caretakers of Freedom and his mate since 2005. Doug wrote to Rochester Falconcam member Carol P with this news:

Hi Carol

Looks like you have Freedom’s son “Archer” in Rochester. The MNR [Canadian Ministry of Natural Resources] banded solid black 25 over V June 10 2006 here in Port Colborne. Gotta run I’ll give more info soon as I can.

Doug

Welcome Archer!

Everyone here at the Rochester Falconcam is thrilled beyond words. Of course you’ll all remember that Freedom is Mariah and Kaver’s son from 2002, the first year that Mariah and Kaver were paired. Imagine, after all the turmoil we’ve had this year, that it is Mariah and Kaver’s own grandson who has taken residence! So even though Kaver is gone and Mariah’s return uncertain, we can take comfort in knowing that their successor carries on their legacy!

Next to having Mariah and Kaver back, It’s hard to imagine much better news than this. Many thanks to Doug, Joyce, Jim, Carol and all the other watchers who’ve been out trying to ID our Archer!

-Jess (who’s still doing a happy dance over the news)

We’re happy to report the latest news on Mariah, courtesy of DEC Wildlife Technician Mike Allen:

Received another update this morning, Mariah is being a model patient, standing and eating on her own – the veterinarian is planning to do surgery on the throat wound but not until next week. They wanted to make sure she was stable first and at this point there is no rush. That’s all for now but I thought you would like to know she’s doing well.

Mike

Well, that’s excellent news! I don’t think we could hope for any better at this point.

-Jess

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

View Larger Map
(Zoom in or out on the map by clicking the small + & – signs. Move it around by clicking your mouse button and dragging the map in the desired direction. Click the falcon icons for more information about each location.)

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.

As we reported on the 19^th, the New York State Dept. of Environmental Conservation (DEC) was considering “seeding” the nest boxes with food in order to entice Mariah to use one of them. Yesterday, Wildlife Technician Mike Allen supplied both of the Rochester boxes with dead quail, a standard food used for feeding raptors. Why quail? It’s readily available both frozen and fresh, and quail meat has a lot of nutritional value for raptors.

Only time will tell if Mariah “takes the bait” at one of the nest boxes, but we’re hopeful that the newly delivered morsels will entice her or the new male to visit the nest boxes.