Dan, Carol, Jeanne, Sally and Larry O'Heron were already present when I arrived around 7:00 and they quickly related the locations of all of the falcons. Our attention was fixed on Sabrina, who had perched on top of the Bru restaurant building with Mariah. Her position was perfect for some good photographs, once the sunlight broke through the clouds:
We watched her for a time (and shot a lot of pictures). When a flock of gulls passed overhead, a couple of them decided that they didn't like Sabrina's position, so they dove on her several times. She watched them with those sharp falcon eyes of hers, and had to duck a couple of times, but she was never in any peril, and in any case Mariah was close by to ensure her safety. After a few minutes' taunting, the gulls departed. Sabrina, shrugged off the incident, acting as though the gulls were beneath her notice. She shifted her posture and stretched her wings; signs of an imminent take-off. When she flew, my camera and I were ready:
Spectacular! She winged her way to the catwalk of the High Falls smokestack, and there she was joined by Mariah a few moments later:
Mariah did some more flying, and I took the opportunity to photograph her as she passed nearby:
The sun played hide and seek with the clouds all morning, so when the light cooperated, I found a good vantage for more pictures of Sabrina:
Once in the midst of her preening she let me know she had her eye on me:
I left Sabrina on the catwalk near 8:00 and went in to work. My impression of her has only grown in the few short days that she's been flying (as has my fondness-- Don't tell anyone, but she's my favorite). She reminds me of Hafoc in her easy manner and adventurous spirit, and I suspect she's going to provide many days opportunities for those of us who watch and admire these birds to marvel at her exploits.
ACT II: In which Aura makes her fledging debut
There were a great many watchers out at lunchtime today, including Kelly (the official watcher), Patty and Steve, Shaky and Carrie, Dana, Carol, Larry and Brian (my apologies to anyone I may have overlooked). As soon as I crossed State Street I found a fledgling on the peaked roof of Building 10, to the north of the Kodak tower. But looking across to the RGE stacks a juvenile was clearly visible on the catwalk of the High Falls smokestack. That could only mean-- A second fledgling! I had a feeling it was Aura, but a look through my binoculars confirmed it. Unfortunately, the rather hasty picture I shot doesn't show her blue leg band very well:
I joined Patty and Steve at Mill Street across from BeeBee station, and found Sabrina enjoying the mid-day sun:
We had a nice conversation about falcons, optics, cameras and spotting scopes, until Sabrina decided to visit her sister. I followed her and after a bit of walking, found a good position from which to photograph the two of them. Photography is as much about composition, light, texture, and context as it is about the subject. This one won't win me any awards, but at least I didn't have to contend with the harsh white clouds washing out the shot:
Sabrina was in a playful mood, or perhaps it was pure mischief on her part that set her in the sky again, this time returning to hassle her sibling:
Aura didn't take the bait though, and when Sabrina landed beside her again, the two of them appeared to be communing:
Their discussion didn't last long, though. Sabrina's a bird of bold action; parley doesn't suit her. Off she went again, showing off for me as she passed by on her way to the smokestack's catwalk:
All was quiet for a time, but when Mariah entered the airspace grasping a juicy bit of prey the urgent kacking of hungry fledglings split the air. I looked up to see Aura come off the building in hot pursuit, but as I raised my camera, I was astonished to find three birds in my frame!
Aura and Sabrina made a dogged chase of it, but Mariah outlasted both of them, and the fledglings were obliged to take refuge on the buildings of the Kodak office complex. Sabrina landed on edge of Building 10's roof, while Aura opted for Building 6, nearer her mother, who found the northeast ledge of the 16th floor a convenient place to clean her prey:
The two fledglings cried at their mother for some time, but Mariah ignored them, and began to eat after she had dressed her meal. I had a meeting to attend at 1:00, so I started back into the office, but as I neared State Street, Aura seemed to slip from her perch on Building 6, and into the air she went:
Not to be outdone, Sabrina followed, and I watched dumbstruck as Sabrina pursued her sister and engaged her in a game of talon tag!
Their mock combat and kacking continued until they reahced the smokestacks, where Aura took refuge on a catwalk. Sabrina returned to the Kodak tower, landing below Mariah and immediately begging for food:
Late for my meeting, I left them there and hurried inside.
ACT III: In which Rhea Mae takes a first fateful fledging flight
My meeting was blisfully short, and after taking care of some important work I returned outside to rejoin the watch. I found Carrie and Brian keeping track of the fledglings. Sabrina was on Building 10:
It looked like Rhea Mae finally got her sense of falcon curiosity, venturing beyond the playpen railing for the first time that I can recall. From our post at the Bru restaurant she appeared as a mere lump on the southwest corner of the playpen catwalk:
Later, she disappeared along the west side. Aura made a loop around the tower, landing on a narrow ledge at the northeast corner of the 18th floor:
With Sabrina and Aura accounted for, we were surpised indeed to see a fledgling emerge from behind the Kodak tower, heading east. It was Rhea Mae! Her flight was a bit wobbly as she alternated between a frenetic flapping and short glides, but she held her own as she moved toward the middle RGE smokestack:
Mariah appeared in the air only a second or so behind her newest fledgling, but despite her mother's presence was no help when she misjudged her landing. Mariah touched down on the edge of the chimney, but there was no sign of Rhea Mae. Brian and I hastened toward the smokestack while Carrie headed out to the pedestrian bridge to get better angles of view. As Brian and I crossed the Kodak visitor parking lot, first Sabrina, then Aura flew overhead, bound for the smokestack:
Our search from a vantage far to the north revealed no trace of Rhea Mae, and Carrie reported no sighting from the bridge. Kaver flew in too, and it was clear that Rhea Mae had fallen down the smokestack. Baerbel joined us and we took up stations outside the BeeBee station's fence, our ears straining over the noise of the street and the calls of the falcons to listen for the sounds of Rhea Mae. At least twice, we believe we heard her vocalizing, and her siblings and parents kept a calm, close vigil for the remainder of the time I was there.
Each of the smokestacks in the decommissioned power plant have large holes cut in their bases to allow an unlucky fledgling to simply walk out should they fall down the shafts. The holes for the High Falls stack and the northern smokestack are at ground level, but due to the terrain, the middle stack plunges some 20 feet (6 meters) lower down, and once the bird exits it has to climb through a tangle of pipes, wires, catwalks and stairways to emerge. This feat is not unduly difficult for a falcon, provided that it is uninjured. In cases such as this, it is best to wait for the falcon to rescue itself, rather than rush in. The tangle of old infrastructure in the station is not easy for a person to navigate, and descending to the base of the middle smokestack carries a significant degree of risk.
Fortunately, there appeared to be little need for an immediate intervention. Predators were not in evidence, as shown by the presence of this Groundhog mother and her pup that we found playing in the grass within the fenceline:
Carol arrived a little after 4:00PM to continue the watch, and I headed home. Later updates from watchers on-site indicate that Rhea Mae has moved part of the way toward the surface, and she appears to be in good health. With any luck, tomorrow will find her safely out of the station and back in the company of her family. With such dedicated watchers as we have, I'm confident of a positive outcome.
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