New York State and Rochester played an important role in the reintroduction of Peregrine Falcons to eastern North America after the species was nearly wiped out in the 1970s from the use of DDT.
In 1994 Dennis Money, founder of the Rochester Peregrine Falcon Project, asked Kodak for permission to place a nest box on top of the Kodak Office Tower. Kodak eagerly agreed, and in 1995 the nest box was installed in a location described as a perfect nesting place that simulated their natural cliff habitat. It remained on the tower until 2008, when it was removed to allow the building's crumbling stone exterior to be repaired and restored. A female Peregrine Falcon, Mariah, with two mates, first Cabot-Sirocco and then Kaver, raised 43 young during that time. A few of these young have gone on to raise families of their own in other cities, including Toronto, Ontario, Canada.
A new nest box was installed on the Time Square building in 2008, and a new pair, Archer and Beauty, claimed it. They raised two young eyases in 2010, both of which fledged successfully. Archer was also the grandson of Mariah and Kaver, thus ensuring the continuation of their legacy in Rochester.
- 1995 - A nest box is placed on top of the Kodak Office Tower.
- 1998 - The first Peregrine Falcons, Mariah (female) and Cabot-Sirocco (male), use the nest. They successfully raise 3 hatchlings.
- 1999 - Cabot-Sirocco and Mariah successfully raise another 3 hatchlings.
> Total offspring from the Kodak Office Tower nest: 6
- 2000 - Cabot-Sirocco and Mariah successfully raise 4 hatchlings.
> Total offspring from the Kodak Office Tower nest: 10
- 2001 - Cabot-Sirocco and Mariah successfully raise 4 more hatchlings.
> Total offspring from the Kodak Office Tower nest: 14
- 2002 - Kaver replaces Cabot-Sirocco as Mariah's mate and they successfully raise 2 hatchlings.
> Total offspring from the Kodak Office Tower nest: 16
- 2003 - Kaver and Mariah lay 5 eggs; all hatch successfully.
> Total offspring from the Kodak Office Tower nest: 21
- 2004 - Kaver and Mariah lay 5 eggs; all hatch successfully. Hafoc, one of the juvenile peregrines, is fitted with a satellite transmitter.
> Total offspring from the Kodak Office Tower nest: 26
- 2005 - Once again, Kaver and Mariah lay 5 eggs and all hatch successfully. Skye, one of the juvenile peregrines, is fitted with a satellite transmitter.
> Total offspring from the Kodak Office Tower nest: 31
- 2006 - Mariah lays 6 eggs, 5 of which hatch. Three eyases survive to fledge in mid-June.
> Total offspring from the Kodak Office Tower Nest: 34
- 2007 - Mariah lays 5 eggs. One disappears and 4 hatch. All fledge in mid-June.
> Total offspring from the Kodak Office Tower nest: 38
- 2008 - Mariah lays 5 eggs and raises five fledglings. Quest is fitted with a satellite transmitter. The nest box is relocated to the Powers Building in August to allow a 3-year repair program for the Kodak tower. A second nest box is placed at the Times Square Building.
> Total offspring from the Kodak Office Tower nest:
43.
That's an amazing accomplishment, and it might even be a record in the US!
- 2009 - Kaver fails to return from winter migration. Mariah attracts a
total of 3 mates in spring but none stay with her. A new female and
male arrive in town, team up and challenge Mariah for control of her
territory. Mariah is injured in a territory battle, rescued by watchers
and eventually recovers. She returns to Rochester in late May and spends
the summer at the Kodak tower and High Falls gorge. The new territorial
pair Beauty (h. 2007 at Pittsburgh Cathederal of Learning,
Pennsylvania USA) and Archer (h. 2006, ADM plant in Port Colbourne,
Ontario Canada) are observed mating and possibly incubating eggs on the
Midtown Plaza tower, but no hatching occurs. Archer ID'ed as the son of
Freedom and Purity, is Mariah's grandson! Archer and Beauty abandon the
Midtown Plaza tower site and move to Times Square. Courtship is observed on
cameras but no mating or egg laying. Mariah moves to the northern part
of the city and the suburb of Irondequoit. She is last sighted in October
although a falcon with her characteristic split wing tip is sighted twice
in late November. Archer leaves Rochester in the fall.
- 2010 - Beauty remains in Rochester for the winter. An unbanded adult
male courts her in late February but disappers a few weeks later. Archer
returns in late March. Beauty lays 4 eggs. Two hatch and fledge in late-June.
> Total offspring from the Times Square nest: 2 From Rochester: 45
- 2011 - Beauty remains in Rochester for the winter. An unbanded adult
male arrives in December 2010 and stays until Archer
returns in mid March. Another female Peregrine named Unity takes up residence
on a power plant in Eastman Business Park. She is from Toledo, Ohio and just
happens to be Beauty's niece. Archer courts both females. Beauty lays 3 eggs,
but none hatch. Unity lays at least 2 eggs, neither of which hatch.
- 2012 - Beauty remains in downtown Rochester for the winter. Unity remains at Eastman Business park. An unidentified adult
male arrives downtown. Unity moves to downtown in February and injures Beauty in a territorial battle. Beauty is rescued and placed in rehab. The male stays with Unity until Archer returns in March. Unity lays one egg. Archer injures his legs and cannot stand. After a week he shows signs of recovery but is chased away in early April by a new male named Dot.ca, hatched in 2010 in Etobicoke. Meanwhile, Beauty is fully recovered and released at Montezuma Wetlands Complex. Days later, Unity is struck and killed by a car while chasing a pigeon. Beauty arrives in downtown Rochester that evening. Over the next few weeks, Dot.ca and Beauty bond and eventualy produce two eggs. Dot.ca also courts a sub-adult female at the Brighton site. The female is Pigott, a 2011 hatch from Hamilton, Ontario. One of Beauty's eggs hatches on June 20. On July 13, the eyas is banded an determined to be male. He is given the name Orion. Orion fledges on August 2 and leaves Rochester on September 8. Dot.ca migrates in October, and an unbanded male begins frequenting the Brighton site with Pigott. Beauty remains in downtown Rochester.
> Total offspring from the Times Square nest: 3 From Rochester: 46
- 2013 - Beauty remains in downtown Rochester for the winter. Pigott and an unbanded male share the Brighton site. The unbanded male leaves in mid February. Another unidentified adult male arrives downtown in late February and begins courting Beauty. Dot.ca returns in mid March to a less than welcoming reception by Beauty. He stays with Pigott at the Brighton site and acts aggressively toward Beauty. However, by April, he and Beauty are bonding and 4 eggs are laid late in the month. Three eggs hatch in late May, and the eyases are banded in June. They are given the names Baron (m), Rosetta (f), and Voyager (f). All 3 fledge in early July and leave Rochester in mid August. Baron is spotted at Montezuma NWR in early September. Several migrating falcons make brief stops in the Rochester area throughout the fall. Dot.ca does not migrate before year's end.
> Total offspring from the Times Square nest: 6 From Rochester: 49
- 2014 - Beauty and Dot.ca remain in downtown Rochester for the winter. Pigott leaves the Brighton site in March and moves to Syracuse where she finds a mate and raises one daughter. Beauty lays 4 eggs in April and all 4 hatch in May. Meanwhile a banded female from Luzerne County, PA and an unbanded male are spotted at Seneca Towers. They are given the names Luzerne and Veteran. In June, Beauty and Dot.ca's eyases are banded. They are given the names Mercury (m), Nettie (f), Nor'easter (m), and Tesh (f). All 4 fledge by July 1st and leave Rochester in mid August. Luzerne is found dead in late July. Another falcon, Billie (Buffalo 2013, 77/AX) daughter of Diamante and granddaughter of M&K, takes her place at Seneca Towers in August. Veteran is last spotted in September, and a new banded tiercel takes his place. He is given the temporary name 99 because of his black over green 99/BA leg band. Billie and 99 stay at Seneca Towers for the winter. Beauty and Dot.ca also do not migrate.
> Total offspring from the Times Square nest: 10 From Rochester: 53
- 2015 - Beauty and Dot.ca remain in downtown Rochester for the winter. Billie and 99, now named Seth, remain at Seneca Towers. Beauty lays 4 eggs in March-April, but only 3 hatch in May. In June, Beauty and Dot.ca's eyases are banded. They are given the names Genesee (m), Cadence (f), and Bronx (m). All 3 fledge in June, but soon after, Bronx is fatally injured in a presumed collision with the Times Square building. Cadence leaves Rochester in late July. Genesee hangs around into October. Meanwhile, Billie and Seth produce 2 tiercels that successfully fledge. Billie and Seth stay at Seneca Towers for the winter. Beauty and Dot.ca also do not migrate.
> Total offspring from the Times Square nest: 13 From Downtown Rochester: 56
- 2016 - Beauty and Dot.ca remain in downtown Rochester for the winter while Billie and Seth stay close to Seneca Tower. Beauty lays 4 eggs in late March, and all of them hatch in early May. On May 24th, Beauty and Dot.ca's eyases are banded. They are given the names Leo (m), Lilac (f), Aria (f), and Matilda (f). All 4 fledge in mid June and leave Rochester by early August. Genesee from 2015 is spotted along the Lake Ontario shore in June and stays there throughout the rest of the year. Meanwhile, Billie and Seth successfully raised two young. Billie and Seth stay at Seneca Towers for the winter, and Beauty and Dot.ca stay in Downtown Rochester.
> Total offspring from the Times Square nest: 17 From Downtown Rochester: 60
- 2017 - Beauty and Dot.ca remain in downtown Rochester for the winter while Billie and Seth stay close to Seneca Towers. Genesee stays along the lake shore and is joined by a female. In early January, Genesee is found dead on the Irondequoit Bay Bridge after being struck by a car. Beauty lays 4 eggs in late March, and all of them hatch in early May. On May 22nd, Beauty and Dot.ca's eyases are banded. They are given the names Seabreeze (m), Ontario (m), Charlotte (f), and Rachel (f). In early June, Seabreeze slips off the building and ends up on the ground with only a few broken feathers. He is rescued and sent to rehabilitation
where his feathers are allowed to grow back before being released several months later. The other 3 fledge by mid June. Charlotte is sruck by a car and killed a few days later. The remaining two learn to fly and hunt and eventually leave Rochester by late August. Meanwhile, Billie and Seth successfully raise two young. Billie and Seth stay at Seneca Towers for the winter, and Beauty and Dot.ca stay in Downtown Rochester.
> Total offspring from the Times Square nest: 21 From Downtown Rochester: 64
- 2018 - Once again Beauty and Dot.ca remain in downtown Rochester for the winter while Billie and Seth stay close to Seneca Towers. Beauty lays four eggs in April, but only three hatch in May. The fourth egg starts to leak and is taken from the nest by Dot.ca. On May 29th, Beauty and Dot.ca's eyases are banded. They are given the names Mike (m), Letchworth (f), and Sundara (f). All 3 fledge by late June then learn to fly and hunt and eventually leave Rochester by late August. Meanwhile, Billie and Seth successfully raise two young before Seth is injured in September. He is rescued and surgery is performed to repair a compound fracture. He dies several days later. Billie is seen with another male at Seneca Towers during the winter. Beauty and Dot.ca stay in Downtown Rochester.
> Total offspring from the Times Square nest: 24 From Downtown Rochester: 67
- 2019 - Beauty and Dot.ca remain in downtown Rochester for the winter while Billie and an unbanded male (nicknamed Beau by local watchers) stay close to Seneca Towers. Four eggs are laid in late March/early April. Four eyases arrive in early May and are banded on May 31st. They are given the names Lakota (m), Phoenix (m), Jupiter (m), and Donna (f). By June 21st, all four have successfully fledged. However, just two days later, Donna is found dead near Cornhill Landing. The three males continue to thrive until August 4th when Jupiter is found injured on the ground near Kodak headquarters on State St. He is taken to a local rehabber and vet. The X-rays show that he has a broken coracoid bone in his shoulder and possible soft tissue damage on the other side. After a successful rehab, he is released on November 5th. Jupiter is seen once in Rochester after his release. On August 24, a third Rochester juvenile is found injured. Phoenix is found on the ground in Brockport. He is transported to the Cornell Wildlife Veterinary Clinic by the DEC and a rehabber. They do everything they can to save his life, but he does not survive his injuries. It is determined that he had hit a window on a building at a high rate of speed. Lakota is seen a few times downtown in October with Beauty. There have been no sightings since. Meanwhile, Billie and Beau successfully raise three young falcons.
> Total offspring from the Times Square nest: 28 From Downtown Rochester: 71
- 2020 - Beauty and Dot.ca remain in downtown Rochester for the winter while Billie and Beau stay close to Seneca Towers. Four eggs are laid in late March. Four eyases arrive in early May, but one of them dies a few weeks later. Due to regulations put in place during the COVID-19 pandemic, the eyases are not banded this year by the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation. Fortunately, even without bands, they are still identifiable by their unique markings. They are given the names Roc (m), γεράκι (f), and Hope (f). By June 16th, all three have successfully fledged. They learn to fly and hunt and eventually leave Rochester in late July. Meanwhile, Billie and Beau successfully raise three young falcons.
> Total offspring from the Times Square nest: 31 From Downtown Rochester: 74
- 2021 - Beauty and Dot.ca remain in downtown Rochester for the winter while Billie and Beau stay close to Seneca Towers. Four eggs are laid in late March and early April. Only two of them hatch in early May. The eyases are banded on June 2nd. They are given the names Freyja (f) and Golden (m). By June 20th, both have successfully fledged. However, just 10 days later, Freyja is found dead on the roof of First Federal Plaza. Golden continues to learn to fly and hunt and leaves the Downtown area by late summer. Meanwhile, Billie and Beau successfully raise three young falcons.
> Total offspring from the Times Square nest: 33 From Downtown Rochester: 76
- 2022 - Beauty and Dot.ca remain in downtown Rochester for the winter while Billie and Beau stay close to Seneca Towers. In late January, a tiercel is spotted downtown with Beauty, but he appears to be unfamiliar with the area. It is determined that this is not Dot.ca. This new suiter is unbanded and smaller than Dot.ca but with similar white coloring. On April 5th Beauty passed away on the platform in front of the Powers nest box. Beauty was 15 years old. That same day, a new unbanded female joins the unbanded male. The new pair are named Nova and Neander. In May Dot.ca's body was found at the Rochester Riverside Hotel by two firefighters from the Rochester Fire Department. Nova lays 4 eggs, but only 3 hatch. The eyases were banded and given names; Blaze (m), Zara (f) and Kanfai Malachim (f). All three fledge successfully. Zara fledges on July 8th, the same day as Kanfai Malachim, but can not be found the next morning. Searches for her are performed daily. Finally, Zara is found in the Wilder Bldg basement on July 22nd. She is sent to a rehabber and found to be healthy. On August 25th, she is released at the Montezuma National Wildlife Refuge. Meanwhile, Billie and Beau successfully raise four young falcons.
> Total offspring from the Times Square nest: 36 From Downtown Rochester: 79
- 2023 - Nova and Neander remain in downtown Rochester for the winter while Billie and Beau stay close to Seneca Towers. In late January, a tiercel with a white feather on his left wing is spotted downtown with Nova. Closer exammination reveals that he is indeed Neander with a new white feather. Nova lays 4 eggs, but only 3 hatch. The eyases were banded on May 30th and given names; Sterling (m), Artemis (f) and Jubilee (f). All three fledge successfully on June 16th. Sterling and Jubilee are last seen on July 8th. Artemis continues to be spotted in Downtown until August 1st. On September 14th, Artemis is found dead on the roof of First Federal Plaza. Meanwhile, Billie and Beau successfully raise two young falcons.
> Total offspring from the Times Square nest: 39 From Downtown Rochester: 82
- 2024 - Nova and Neander remain in downtown Rochester for the winter while Billie and Beau stay close to Seneca Towers.
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