As everyone who has been following the fledge watch reports knows, all four of this year’s juveniles fledged successfully! Through the Gallery at Imprints and the pictures posted by many of our watchers in their Fledge Watch Reports, we’ve watched them grow from their first tentative flights. Ananta, Linn, Sacajawea and Grace are now well on their way to becoming accomplished fliers. They’re still spending much of their time near the High Falls area, but they’re also beginning to explore areas farther away. Over the next several weeks we expect we’ll see the juveniles less and less downtown, though our watchers will be keeping an eye out for them through the rest of the summer.

The “official” four-week fledge watch has ended for 2007, but we’ll continue to bring you updates on the falcons throughout the summer, so be sure to check back often! On behalf of the Genesee Valley Audubon Society and the Rochester Falconcam, we want to thank each and every watcher– official and unofficial– who donated their time and effort to help ensure the safety of the fledglings and to document their activity. I’ve missed writing, but it was great to read all of the fledge watch reports that have been posted. We’re certainly very fortunate here in Rochester to have such a dedicated and talented group of volunteers.

In the weeks to come the young falcons will begin to strike out on their own. They may range far away, or stick close to home. Sometimes juveniles are reluctant to leave. Life isn’t easy for a first-year falcon. They need to hunt in order to survive, and that’s hard work. There are reports of juveniles begging food from non-parental adults along Peregrine migration routes. It’s much easier to have your food brought to you than to have to get it yourself. If any of the fledglings do try to stay around, the adults will eventually drive them out of the territory. Think of it as kicking the kids out of the house. They can’t stay around forever, after all.

Mariah and Kaver sometimes make it look easy, but the fact is that hunting is a difficult task. By some estimates, Peregrines are successful in only one out of every 5 or 6 hunting attempts. It takes a lot of energy to hunt, so a young falcon, lacking experience, can get into trouble if it has a bad run of luck. It’s an unfortunate fact that the highest mortality rate occurs among juveniles at this stage, often because they can’t catch enough food to survive. We’re hopeful that all four of this year’s Rochester fledglings will go on to lead successful lives, but experience teaches us that one or more of them probably won’t make it. We can take comfort in the knowledge that the strongest of them will likely survive, and perhaps in a few years we’ll hear that they’ve established territories of their own just as Freedom and Ranger have done.

Meanwhile, we’re still busy here at the Rochester Falconcam. Look for some exciting new features coming soon!

-Jess

While the watchers skipped lunch for a chance to see the falcons today, Linn enjoyed a nice meal. You can view pictures and video here.

Linn’s First Catch(?)

I stopped down to the bridge this afternoon for a short visit. After waiting a half hour with no juvies in sight, I decided to head back to work. However, just as I was getting into my car, Carol P called to me to say that Linn was in the tree. I only managed to snap a few pics of Linn eating a small bird, before heading back to work. I wondered if this was a catch that Linn made by herself – I didn’t see a food transfer. Here are some of the pics I took.

Click the image above to see the full-sized picture

Marcia Lyman sent this beautiful picture of Ananta taking off from the roof of the High Falls Office building. Her riveting gaze and the frozen action are what make this such an engaging shot.

Look for more pictures in the Gallery at Imprints. If you have pictures of the Rochester falcons that you’d like to submit, check out our submission guidelines.

Lots of Food Delivered to the Young Peregrines

If you were wondering if Mariah and Kaver were still feeding the juvies, the answer is yes. During my Sunday Fledge Watch, both Mariah and Kaver delivered food to Ananta, Linn, Grace and Sacajawea. All six Falcons were seen during the day, spending most of their time in the Genesee River Gorge area. Here’s a Kodak EasyShare Gallery Album with pictures from Sunday’s watch.

Grace and Linn Hit the Beach

You know, just when you think you’ve seen it all with falcon watching, something unusual happens that reminds you that there’s always something new to see. This album captures on of those moments.

Lou

Can Peregrine Falcons Swim?

This question was answered during my Fledge Watch on Saturday, July 14th. Many Falcon Watchers were on hand to watch Grace land on the edge of the island below the pedestrian bridge. At first she tentatively walked into the Genesee River. As Grace became more comfortable, she walked out a little further and started to bathe, by flapping her wings and splashing water over her body. That’s when it got really interesting.
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Sacajawea Chases a Mystery Bird

We returned to the river gorge this evening to check on the Rochester Falcons. We saw a few bird chases and one food transfer while we were there. There were also some Great Blue Herons and a handsome buck in the gorge. These are some of the pics that I snapped. Note: If anybody can identify the bird that Sacajawea is chasing in this album, please comment with an ID.

Thanks,

Lou

Lucky Noon Hour Watch

Well, where do I begin? Watchers during the noon hour included Jim P, Shaky, Dan S, Larry O, Kelly, Susan C and me. It was a little chilly, with the sun coming in and out from behind the clouds, but it felt very refreshing, almost fall-like.

For the noon hour we had Linn & Grace flying around the gorge, harassing gulls, a cormorant, ducks, etc (the usual suspects). Most of the time Linn and Grace spent their time on the small building on the island below the pedestrian bridge and the wire that crosses the river.
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Linn, Grace, and Ananta go, “Hmmph!”

I took a vacation day today, so Dana and I stopped out to the bridge this morning. We had all 4 juvies in the gorge. Here’s some pictures that I snapped.

Lou