Anatomy of a Food Exchange

I stopped by the bridge this morning on my way to work. It was a decision I'm glad I made, because I had the opportunity to photograph a food exchange between Sabrina and Kaver at close range, as well as some other sights worhty of my time. Already on the Pont de Rennes when I arrived were Jo & Lavanna who were visiting from Ithica; official fledge watchers Roger & Marion, Mr. Bird Nerd Mike, and Brian H. They pointed out one of the juveniles on a low roof of the BeeBee station, fast at work on breakfast:


Nearby sat one of the American Kestels (Falco sparverius), an adult male, I think:


When the fledgling Peregrine moved to the edge of the roof I was able to get a look at her leg band to identify Aura:


After some minutes of inactivity the sounds of hungry fledglings filled the gorge. Looking up, we found Kaver flying in, prey clutched in his talons:


It wasn't long before a fledgling flew into view, and no one was surprised when we identified Sabrina. As she flew nearer, Kaver transferred the prey to his bill:
          

Sabrina dove behind and beneath her father, then rose toward their rendezvous:
     

At the last instant Sabrina climbed, talons outstretched, then flipped over as Kaver delivered the meal!
     

Kacking the whole time, Sabrina flew away with her prize:
     

She gave us a nice close look as she headed for the catwalk on the High Falls smokestack, where she made a masterful one-footed landing:
     

     

          

While Sabrina ate, we watched the Kestrels flitting around the power station:


Freshly fortified, Sabrina decided it would be fun to chase her sister:


I had to leave for work then, but what a seredipitous detour I'd made!

---

After dinner I stopped by the Kodak Visitor parking lot where I found a number of watchers assembled. Rhea Mae did quite a bit of flying, looking splendid in the evening light
          

When she landed on the southwest corner of the 17^th floor ledge, Sabrina decided to join her:


There was more flying, but the fading light made it hard to capture. All of the fledglings have shown themselves to be confident flyers, and watching them is made all the more enjoyable knowing that they aren't likely to get into any further trouble.

Morning Means More Fledgling Flights

Heavy gray clouds, the remnants of early morning showers greeted me as I parked outside of the Bru restaurant at 7:00AM today. Dan, Jeanne and Larry O'Heron were my partners for the first part of my offical watch. Ensconced in their folding camp chairs, they informed me of the fledglings' positions-- Sabrina and Rhea Mae on opposite sides of the middle smokestack, and Aura on the northern stack. Kaver sat high above her on the smokestack's ladder, wary for potential breakfast.

The fledglings began flying around 7:30. Here's Rhea Mae and Sabrina hitting the skies for some morning calesthenics:
     

Sabrina joined her sister Aura on some pipes at the top of BeeBee station:


There were various short flights by the three of them, primarily over the RGE complex for most of the morning. Once, Rhea Mae passed low overhead:


Jeanne, Dan and Larry left around 8:00, just as the clouds began to clear, but other watchers took their places. Brian, Helen and Carol turned out, as did lurker (and fellow Kodaker) Mike, who brought his Olympus E-Volt E500 digital SLR and a solid Manfrotto monopod. Kodak makes the image sensor for the E-Volt cameras, which have a number of innovative features. Mike bought the camera to take pictures of his new child, but has found himself drawn to nature, and especially bird photography. He has a website, Mr. Bird Nerd, where you can view his excellent work.

We walked out onto the pedestrian bridge to get a better look at all the flying going on, and there we found Sabrina zooming through the gorge and chasing Aura:
          

The seredipity of a fledge watch is sometimes too incredible to believe. More often than not, the best opportunities appear out of nowhere. So it was that when Sabrina and Aura were pursuing each other around the gorge we had no idea how brightly fortune was about to smile. It began with innocent happenstance, when Aura broke away from Sabrina:
     

She flew up the gorge heading straight at us. Then in a move that left us all agape, she landed on the bridge rail within 20 feet of us!
     

Her landing didn't quite stick, and as she slipped off the rail, Aura glided smoothly to the surface of the bridge. She gave us an aloof look, probably to let us know she'd planned it that way all along:
          

In a second she was off into the air again, disappearing over the railing back into the gorge:
          


What a look! The fun was only getting started, though. Rhea Mae started flapping and was soon airborne:
     

Sabrina, mischevious as ever, had a new sister to chase, and she made the most of the opportunity for play:
          

Rhea Mae jinked, wheeled and dove as Sabrina pressed her mock attack:
          

After a few moments of fun, Sabrina broke off the pursuit with her sister, and the two went their separate ways, Rhea Mae in particular looking none too pleased:
     

The girls calmed down for a while then, and we turned our lenses on a pair of juvenile male Kestrels (Falco Sparverius) beneath the bridge:
     

After all of that magnificent flying, my memory card was nearing it's capacity, and time was getting late. I left the bridge for my car, but not before getting one more shot of Aura as she passed by the BeeBee station:


Many thanks to the watchers who came out this morning including first timer Shelley, Joni and Jon (with TimBits!), Liza O, and Baerbel among many more. I can't believe all the fantastic flying we've seen in just a few short days. The way things are going, this summer may prove to be one of the best yet for fans of the Kodak falcons everywhere!

Rhea Mae Really Made It!

When I arrived in downtown Rochester a little after 5PM yesterday I found myself alone at the Kodak visitor parking lot. Many of the fledge watchers had gone home after keeping an eye on Rhea Mae for more than seven hours following her emergence from the subterranean maze beneath RGE's BeeBee station. While walking north along Mill Street to get a better look at Rhea Mae on the catwalk of the middle smokestack, Sabrina suddenly showed up. Her lack of vocalization caught me a little off guard, but I managed to get a shot of her on her way to land on the catwalk near her sister:


Rhea Mae stayed on the northeast side of the catwalk for much of the evening, which made for some difficult positioning in order to get a decent shot of her:


Aura, too was on the catwalk of the northern smokestack:


Brian joined me and brought me up to date on the day's events, including the past two hours in which he'd kept a solo watch. He said Sabrina had kept him busy flying back and forth among the smokestacks and the Kodak office buildings. Here she is getting dinner just after Kaver delivered it:


When he left, he did some nice flying, including a tight inverted turn before landing on the access ladder at the top of the northern smokestack:
     

Lisa McKeown arrived bearing pizza and soda, for which I was very grateful. Rhea Mae, unfed since earlier in the day, protested the fact that she hadn't received a meal. Desire for Sabrina's food might have prompted her into flight. Whatever the impetus, she made a credible, if short, flight and landing that I caught in a long sequence of shots:
          

          

          

Aura made a lot of noise too:


She was nearly as active in the air as Sabrina, and later she too got fed. Poor Rhea Mae had nothing, but she didn't let that stop her from flying some more, though for the most part she restricted herself to short jaunts:
     

As more watchers joined us throughout the evening, Sabrina and Aura repeatedly took to the skies, and landed on various Kodak and RGE buildings:
          

With the sun going down, Sabrina finished her meal and headed over to Building 10. I caught this lucky shot just as she was making her landing approach:


Rhea Mae got airborne again, making a short loop and joining Aura on the catwalk again:
     

The evening light gave a pleasant flame-like cast to everything. Lou and I found a worhty subject in Sabrina, who flew back to the catwalk after a short nap on a window ledge:


Rea Mae took another short flight, or at least she intended it to be:


Sabrina had other ideas, though. She took off after Rhea Mae, chasing her down:


They played a quick game of talon tag, Sabrina's idea, I think. Rhea Mae's endurance isn't yet up to Sabrina's standards, and she tired quickly, landing on one of the BeeBee station buildings:
     

With the light fading fast, I was obliged to increase the sensitivity of my camera's imaging sensor to ISO 1600, which often results in some loss of quality, as well as introduction of signal noise. Dan Stiehler pointed out a couple of young White-tailed deer fawns and their mother in the grass below the Pont de Rennes bridge:
     

An American Kestrel (Falco sparverius) caught our eye as he flew near the BeeBee station


Another flight by Rhea Mae, this time an attempt to perch with Mariah on one of the catwalks proved too strenusous for her. She missed the landing on the middle smokestack and turned back for the High Falls chimney, intending to perch on that catwalk. Instead, she ended up precariously balanced on one of its braces:


A few minutes later she gathered her strength and made it all the way to the catwalk railing, and there the fledglings remained for the rest of the night. I finished the evening with a nice shot of the Kestrel silhouetted against the dusky sky:


Great flights from Aura and especially Sabrina continue to impress and amaze, and Rhea Mae, none the worse for her night below the BeeBee station, is picking up valuable flight experience as well as improving her strength. It was a great way to spend an evening in the company of many watchers including Baerbel, Greg S, Kathy O and her daughter, Granny and Lou, Shaky and Carrie, Jeanne, Carol, and many many others whose names have regrettably escaped my porous memory. The coming weeks promise more great flying, and I'm thrilled to be able to witness it.

A Fledge Watch in Three Acts

ACT I: In which Sabrina gets harrassed by gulls

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 16^th 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 18^th 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 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.

Sabrina's Spectacular Show

Dan, Julia , Larry and Jeanne were already on the scene when I arrived shortly after 7:00. All three eyases were easily visible, with Sabrina on the east side of the playpen and Aura and Rhea Mae on the nest box rail:


The watchers reported that Kaver had recently brought prey to Sabrina on the floor of the playpen. Unfortuntely in her enthusiasm to get the food she knocked it off the ledge and it fell behind the A in the KODAK sign.

Mariah arrived, landing on the north side of the playpen rail, which set Sabrina into motion along the east side ledge:


Our expectations were rewarded when Sabrina took off and flew about halfway to the smokestacks before returning to the tower:
     

     

She overshot her landing on the playpen railing, ending up directly below the nest box, but she appeared unfazed. Dan and Jeanne departed a short time later, leaving the remainder of the watch to Julia and me. Things were quiet for a while, and I turned my attention toward Aura, who was engaged in some strenuous wing exercises at the nest box. Movement in the air caught my eye, and I turned away from Aura and Rhea Mae to see Mariah and Kaver flying together toward the smoke stacks:


I surveyed the sky for threats or prey, but found neither. They split up, Kaver angling for the northern stack while Mariah landed on the High Falls stack. Curious about their behavior I scanned the two falcons with my binoculars, but it was Julia who gave me the answer. Sabrina had flown to the northern smokestack while I was watching her sisters! Sure enough, when I looked back at the chimney, I found a lump at the top that hadn't been there before. It seems that Mariah and Kaver had followed Sabrina, and Kaver had gone to keep an eye on her.

I usually think of these falcons as creatures of instinct, but every once in a while they do something that hints at the possibility of something more guiding their behavior. Kaver flying after his daughter, like a father running after his child on her first bicycle ride struck me as one of those instances. Are they capable of rational thought? I very much doubt it, but I think that perhaps they do have the capacity to exceed simple instinct, if only in a limited way.

About the time that the road work crews started hammering away at State Street with their jackhammers Kaver took off for the lilies, and I walked toward the BeeBee station for a closer look at Sabrina:


I was on my way to rejoin Julia near the Bru when Sabrina began hopping along the circumference of the smokestack:


Then, to my delight, she leapt into the air, gathering speed and height with each sweep of her wings:
          

She made a direct line for the Kodak tower and I followed her with my camera, shooting furiously:
     

I expected a landing, but to my amazement she turned northward and winged her way past the tower!
     

She emerged to the south of the tower, circling it widdershins, and I thought surely she would land now, but she scoffed at my presumption of her weakness, completing two more loops before she landed under Mariah's watchful gaze:
     

I ran back across the street and Julia informed me that she had landed between her sisters, nearly knocking Aura over as she jumped into the nest box. We exchanged exclaimations at the gorgeous flying we had just witnessed, but Sabrina wasn't finished yet. She stayed only a short time before she was in the air again, making another loop around the building:
     

This time she climbed a bit and flew by the ever alert Kaver:


She made her landing on the east side playpen rail in classic style:
          

Wow-- Four flights in less than 20 minutes, and what a flier she is! She didn't seem fatigued from her exertions at all. Kathy O arrived just after the action, and Julia left for work. I kept watching until I had to leave for a meeting, but on my way into the office I got a few frames of Kaver, who had returned to his perch on the northern RGE smokestack and enjoyed a sunbath:


Sabrina certainly is one impressive fledgling. Her flights are swift and sure. She turns well, and she's even begun soaring for short stretches. She's going to be a real treat to watch this summer, if her short wingtime thus far is any indication.

One Strong Fledgling, Two More to Go

Morning

I arrived at the Kodak visitor parking lot a little after 7:00 to find Dan, Jeanne, Carol and Larry O'Heron set up in the shadow of the Bru restaurant, eyes fixed on the Kodak Tower. I found all three eyases easily. Sabrina perched on the very edge of the southeast corner of the playpen, while Aura stood behind her on the floodlight that she appears to have claimed for her own:
     

Sabrina and Aura watched with great interest as Mariah and Kaver made a few passes, doing their best to tempt the eyases into flight:
          

The eyases were having none of it though, probably because neither parent had brought any food with them. In fact, the only visible response came from Rhea Mae, who decided that today was the day to begin testing her wings:
          

Regrettably, that was about the extent of the action for the duration of my time outside. Greg and Lisa showed up around 8:00, and I left shortly thereafter to do my morning's work.

---

Noon

Just as I was getting ready to go out for my noon hour watch Shaky called over the radio to let me know that Sabrina had flown around to the west side of the tower, and that neither he nor Greg could locate her. In addition, he informed me that one of the decorative "lantern" lights on the cupola of the tower was out of place, leaving a large round hole into which Sabrina or another of the eyases might indavertently fly. I went up to the roof of Building 9, and from there I made my way up another two stories to the cooling towers on Building 16 that provide air conditioning to the Kodak office complex. Meanwhile, Larry, Carol and Dana joined the watch crew, taking up positions all around the office. The machinery atop the towers is LOUD, which made monitoring the radio something of a challenge, and in my exposed position I was buffetted by strong winds. I braced myself against the wooden safety railing and checked the hole that Shaky had indicated. To my relief I found that it was covered with fine wire mesh, proof against any avian intrusion. Then, a movement caught my eye. Raising my binoculars, I was surprised to see Sabrina tucked safely against the capital of a column on the cupola:


She seemed content to sit in the breezy shade, so I took my ease, resting on the landing at the top of the stairway up which I had come. I had an unobstructed view of her, and in my lower position the wind wasn't quite so gusty. The noise of the giant fans did not abate, though. I radioed my discoveries to the other watchers and we traded status reports on the locations of all the eyases and adults. While I waitied for Sabrina to make a move, this Great Blue Heron (Ardea herodias) flew out of the west toward the gorge:


Kaver also flew by, perhaps to check up on his precocious youngster:


Sabrina made a short hop to the other side of the arch. Sensing that she was about to take flight, I made ready to follow her with my camera. Unfortunately thick clouds rolled in north of the tower, making a bright shot difficult. Nevertheless, when she took off, I started shooting:
     

After a few wingbeats she disappeared around the north side of the tower. Emerging at the southeast corner a few seconds later, she made a final approach toward the playpen:


Sabrina is indeed a very able flier. She has no trouble maintaining altitude, and in particular, I have not noticed the "butterfly" flight that is often characteristic of new, weak fledglings. She has strong, steady wingbeats and even today's stiff and blustery breezes didn't to bother her overmuch. Her landing was deliberate and steady, executed with rather more skill than I would have attributed to a bird that has been flying for less than 24 hours.

Her arrival seemed to energize Rhea Mae, who had surprised us a little earlier by hopping out onto one of Camera 1's support arms. Now she began a furious flapping with vocalizations to match:
          

Mariah and Kaver made another coaxing flight in front of the playpen, but the eyases seemed unimpressed:


I left the cooling tower then, glad to be rid of its mechanical roar, and returned to the roof of Building 9 for a more direct line of sight on the south side of the playpen. Mariah landed on the southwest corner of the playpen, which sent Rhea Mae into another round of vocalizing and fanning:


When one of the resident Kestrels showed up near the RGE smokestacks, Mariah leapt off the tower and launched into an aggressive pursuit. On her return, she flew south of the my position, very low, and then turned and climbed straight at me. She passed just a few feet over my head, so close that for a while I thought she might be making an attack run at me. She turned and made a fly-by on my left flank, fixing me firmly with her Fierce Look™:
          

Fabulous! Sabrina may have been the focus of our attention, but Mariah proved that she can steal the show at will. Since it was nearly the end of the hour, I left the roof. I joined Carol and Susan on the plaza outside of Kodak, then moved to the Bru restaurant where Carrie and Kelly were watching with Kathy O and Linda. Tom Hoehn/Cornpoppy made a brief appearance, and as time wore toward the bottom of the hour, I abandoned my watch in order to attend a previously scheduled meeting just about the time that Lisa McKeown returned for her afternoon watch.

The juveniles are fortunate indeed to have so many dedicated volunteers to help ensure their safety. I have little anxiety for Sabrina now. She has proven to be such a good flier already that I'm almost certain she'll have no difficulties. Her sisters have yet to take flight (at least as far as I know), but given all of the fanning we've seen, first from Aura and now also from Rhea Mae, I doubt not that we'll soon have new fledglings upon which to fix our attentions and our anxieties. With luck, they'll emulate Sabrina, and we'll have three strong new falcons gracing the skies around the Kodak tower.

A Fledge, Finally!

Sabrina certainly put us through our paces today, and the inconstant weather only added to the anxiety of the fledge watchers. The morning started innocently enough, with Sabrina on the arm of Camera 4 and Aura on the perch rail. Before I could get my camera ready, Sabrina had hopped to the nest box roof:


I joined Dan, Jeanne & Larry in the Kodak Visitor parking lot and we watched as Sabrina and Aura engaged in a bit of tandem fanning:
          

When Mariah showed up, Sabrina ran over to the right side of the nest box roof, hoping to snag some breakfast. Mariah had other plans though, landing on the perch rail:
          

Much of the rest of the morning was spent watching Sabrina madly flapping. More than once it seemed like she was bound to take off, but by the time I left just after 8:00 she was still clinging to the area around the nest box. The sky was growing darker fast and tiny raindrops were already beginning to fall, so I left Jeanne to finish her official watch and headed into work.

Little did I know I'd be back outside within the hour. Watching the feed from Camera 1, I finally located Sabrina crouching in an alcove on the east side of the tower. Then, before my startled eyes, she leapt out of the camera's view! Unable to see where she went, I grabbed my camera and binoculars and raced outside. I located her on the peak of the Kodak tower roof:


The light sprinkling rain devolved into a driving shower in only a few minutes. Sabrina, who had started out tucked in tight against the base of the steeple, decided to walk along the spine of the roof, fanning the whole time. I sought shelter beneath the awning of the old Bru restaurant, expecting to see Sabrina take off at any moment, so energetic were her wingbeats. She turned around, and appeared to be heading back toward the steeple when she lost her footing, and slid down the rain-slicked metal roof:
     

I tried to take a picture of her as she went, but my camera decided to focus on the streaks of rain, and I saw nothing but a brown blur through my lens. Ruth joined me for her scheduled watch, so I reviewed the action and went back to the office. Fortunately, Sabrina appeared on the stone rail just beneath the KODAK sign none the worse for wear, though she got a good soaking from the rain. She spent the rest of the morning exploring the ledge and shaking the water from her plumage.

Lunchtime found me out on the roof of Building 9, where I did a less than salutary job of dodging the raindrops. The trade-off was a good view of all three eyases. Here's Rhea Mae enjoying the shelter of the nest box:


Aura spent the noon hour on the floodlight in the southeast corner of the playpen. Sabrina contented herself with hopping to and fro atop the aptly named "Dolphin Rail":
     

     

The rain abated by degrees as the hour wore on, until near the end of the hour the sun emerged from behind the clouds and blue skies appeared in the west. Free of the constant rain, Sabrina preened and dried herself:
          

The afternoon brought more drama and a heart-stopping moment for me. Again watching the live view from Camera 1, I saw Sabrina perched on the decorative stonework at the southeast corner of the tower. As she fanned and flapped, she appeared to slip to the east. Unable to keep her footing she slid from the corner finial, wings outspread, but instead of falling she flapped hard and flew away to the north!. Not knowing how many watchers we might have outside, I once again gathered my camera and binoculars, plus my jacket (in case a rescue became necessary). I called Carol to let her know Sabrina's current status, then ran outside to search for our newest fledgling. I found that Sabrina was in good hands though, as I met up with Shaky, who had been watching since lunchtime. We circled the buildings in the Kodak Office complex, but were unsuccessful in locating Sabrina. While Shaky headed back around to the east side, I went up to the roof of several of the Kodak Office buildings, both to get a higher vantage, and to see if perhaps she had landed on one of them. Mariah was on the north side of the steeple, and appeared utterly unperturbed, while Kaver hunted from his lily:
     

After scouring every roofline, wall and street for the better part of a half hour I finally located Sabrina on the 18^th floor of the Kodak tower:
     

I radioed my discovery to Shaky and called Carol to let her know. Sabrina looked to be in good shape, having apparently made an easy return flight to the tower after originally heading toward the RGE smokestacks (according to Shaky's report). For reasons that aren't clear to me, Mariah and Kaver both left their perches and flew for a while over the BeeBee station, before returning to the tower. Here's Mariah catching perfectly the afternoon light:
          

I grabbed a few (OK, a few dozen) more shots of Sabrina, then returned to my office to pack up for the day. Down in the visitor lot, Shaky and I found that Sabrina had moved to the southeast side and tucked herself against a stone column. Strong backlight from the sun made shooting difficult:
     

Mariah landed on top of the D of the KODAK sign:


Carol arrived to keep an eye on the restless Sabrina, and I headed home after a long, busy day. One fledgling down, two to go. If today's excitement is any indication, the rest of the week is going to be hard on the nerves.

Falcon Flights, Window Washing, Road Repair

It doesn't look like Sabrina's quite ready to take off, but there were plenty of watchers out this morning just in case she decided to take the leap. Among the morning's attendants were Dan Stiehler, Dana & Lou, Lisa McKeown, Brad Carney, Jeanne, Carol. We had a number of new watchers as well, including Roger & Marian, Kelley, and several others whose names I have unfortunately forgotten. I arrived shortly after 7:00, but the only flying at that time came from a noisy little fledgling American Kestrel (Falco sparverius). Shooting into the morning light, the best I could do was a smudgy sort of sillhouette as he flapped madly near the High Falls smokestack:
     

We were taken aback to see that a number of people had gone outside on the 19^th floor, which sent Mariah into DefCon 2. She swooped and dove on the intruders, though she kept a distance and wasn't nearly as aggressive as she was on Banding Day. Carol circled around to the north side of the building to see if she could divine their intentions. Upon her return she reported that they were cleaning the windows of the offices and conference rooms:


Now, the 19^th floor is home to all of the top level executives at Kodak, and doubtless they need to have clean windows, but the timing of the job, so close to fledging, could have been better thought out in this writer's opinion. In their favor, they worked quickly and didn't linger outside once they were finished. Still, the energy Mariah expended in her sorties could have been better directed toward hunting. As far as I'm concerned it was needless provocation and poor planning on someone's part.

Fortunately, no sooner had the cleaning crew left than Mariah and Kaver renewed their aerial tuition while their pupils looked on:
     

Kaver left for a time only to return bearing prey, which he promptly deposited in front of the waiting Sabrina:
     

When she had eaten her fill, Mariah dropped down into the nestbox to take the remainder for herself. Afterward, she and Kaver were back in the sky. Here's one of the many times they flew close together:


Our watching was made somewhat unpleasant by the incessant sound of jackhammers tearing into asphalt. State Street is undergoing road maintenance and the current locus of attention is right outside of the Kodak office:
     
For some reason I'm reminded of overgrown Oompa Loompas...

The cacophany below didn't appear to bother the falcons, though. Here's Sabrina fanning on the east side of the playpen while Kaver sits nearby:


One of the highlights of the morning was seeing Aura take her first step out of the nestbox. To the perch rail she went, much to our shouted delight:
     

I left around 10:00 so that I could get home and walk Tessa and Quest before the day turned too oppressive. On my way out I spied this amorous pair in flagrante delicto. I haven't a clue as to what sort of birds these are. I thought perhaps a grossbeak of some kind, or maybe a finch?
     
UPDATE! Thanks to Helen for the ID of English Sparrow (Passer domesticus)!

Though we didn't get to see any of the eyases take off, the flying from the adults was enough to keep us engaged. Perhaps we'll see some fledging tomorrow. I'll be back out in the morning to keep an eye on things.

New Watchers but no Fledging Yet

It's terrific to see a lot of new people coming out to watch the falcons and prepare for the fledging that appears to be only a few days away. This morning I arrived downtown a little after 7:00. I found Dan Stiehler and new fledge watcher Julia, a contractor working at Kodak. Dan left soon after my arrival, and Julia and I spent about an hour monitoring the nest. From our position near the old Bru restaurant we saw plenty of flapping, and a bit of jumping around by Sabrina. Kaver left the tower with some prey and headed over to the middle RGE smokestack to enjoy some breakfast:


After his short meal, he circled the tower with Mariah:


After she landed he continued to fly, flapping frequently, a gesture copied by Sabrina:
     

When this Great Blue Heron flew by the tower, I thought Mariah or Kaver might take off after it, but they let it go by unmolested:


Julia and I watched as an unknown person walked out at the KODAK sign level, a broom held to ward off any angry falcons:


Mariah and Kaver both raised the alarm and Mariah made a few passes, but she didn't seem overly concerned, and the person left after a couple of minutes. I have no idea what he or she was doing up there, though.

Lisa McKeown joined us for a short while, and we ended the morning watch with Sabrina making a hop off the nestbox perch to the ledge beside the scrape. As you can see, Mariah watched with some interest along with us:
     

---

At noon I went up to the roof of Building 9 to see what was happening from that vantage. I observed a lot of hopping and fanning from Sabrina, who was perhaps showing off for her mother:
     

Down at street level I found Susan and Pat, a pair of self-proclaimed "Bird Nerds" from Monroe County Community College (MCC). They've both been watching the Birdcam for three years, but this was only their second trip to see the falcons. Other watchers included Lisa, Dana, Sue and Carol P, plus an appearance by Tom Hoehn/Cornpoppy. The adults did a bit of flying, but that was the only activity of note. Here's Kaver making a few turns over the Kodak Visitor parking lot:
     

We saw Mariah hop down to the floor of the playpen, then up onto one of the floodlights. We thought that perhaps one of the eyases had gone down there, but her true purpose remained a mystery. Maybe she's checking out the place, making sure it's safe for her eyases, or maybe she's become an electrical inspector. Take my advice and keep your day job, Mariah.

Sunny Skies, Sabrina Shrugs

Or flaps, to be more specific. No fledging flights yet by any of the eyases, but Sabrina spent much of the day out on the perch rail in front of the nest box. I arrived at Kodak Office a little past 7:00 this morning. Dan Stiehler and Jeanne were already watching from the sidewalk near the former Bru restaurant. I set up my spotting scope and had great views of Sabrina enjoying the morning sun. Her sisters seemed to like it too:


I was only able to stay for a half hour, but I returned at lunchtime to find Sabrina again outside of the nestbox. Here she is preeing while one of her sisters exercises her wings:


Sabrina did a lot of flapping, or fanning, often hopping from side to side on the perch rail:
     

     

She didn't make any attempt to fly, though. I spied a number of watchers on the plaza below the tower, so I left the roof of Building 9 and joined them on the ground level. As the hour wore on we had to content ourselves with a flight by Kaver:
     

He did provide one bit of excitement. His launch from the tower began lazily, but after soaring over our heads he tucked in his wings and went into a stoop. Over the Bru restaurant building he suddenly flipped onto his back and went into a spectacular inverted dive! He came up empty but the speed and aggressiveness with which he pursued his prey surprised all of us. Unfortunately I didn't have my camera ready to shoot it. Marcia, Dana and Carol all had their cameras though, so perhaps one of them caught the action. He returned to a perch on the east playpen rail, which is where we left him when the lunch hour ended:


We'll stay vigilant over the next few days. With all the fanning that Sabrina was doing today, it can't be long before she'll be soaring with her parents.

---

When I got home I went out to the Erie canal to try my luck with the birds there. This one caught my eye. I couldn't identify it at the time, but thanks to one of my readers, I now know that it's a Great Crested Flycatcher (Myiarchus crinitus)-- a life bird for me:


I found the Belted Kingfisher (Ceryle alcyon), but it was too far away for a detailed shot:


Because it's so shy, I tried stalking slowly up the gravel road that parallels the canal inlet. I got a bit closer, but the bird went fishing and flew out of sight completely. I didn't see it again in the 1 1/2 hours I spent waiting. There were a couple of consolation birds though, such as this Great Blue Heron (Ardea herodias) that was hunting in the shallows:


On my way back home, I spied this Northern Flicker (Colaptes auratus) calling from a tree just above my head:


I'll keep trying for a closer shot of the Kingfisher. I suspect it'll require more than an hour's patience, not to mention persistence and luck. The first two I can muster; the last is anyone's guess.

Coaxing by Example & Some Pictures From Home

I got outside late today because I had a meeting that went through part of the lunch hour. Unfortunately I was just in time to see Sabrina hop back into the nest box, and she didn't emerge during the hour or so that I was observing. I did, however, get to see quite a lot of flying from Mariah and Kaver, who have moved into coaxing mode with the eyases. We've seen this behavior in past years. The adults fly around the tower, sometimes calling to the eyases in an attempt to get them to leave the nestbox or take to the air for their debutante flights.

The weather was of particular interest today. The sky over Rochester was a rich blue, without a cloud to be seen, but look at the horizon in any direction revealed banks of tempestuous clouds:


The falcons cared nothing for the weather, though. I found Mariah perched on the playpen railing, her feathers ruffled by the wind:
     

Kaver was the first to get airborne, leaving his perch on the lillies for an overhead circuit:
     

Kaver flew out over the gorge, passing low over the bridge and making me wish I'd been out on the span of the Pont de Rennes instead of the roof of one of the Kodak office buildings. As he flew back and forth Mariah joined him:
     

They both took turns flying back to the tower and circling it, staying in easy view of the vocalizing eyases in the nest box:
     

     

Between their circuits around the tower they headed back out over the gorge. One time, I watched as Mariah dove into a cloud of Rock Doves, and came very near to catching one of them! It's the first time since her injury that I've seen her hunt, and though she didn't snag her prey, it's heartening to see her doing what Peregrines do best.

On one of her passes, I caught Mariah picking at her leg in flight. I'm not sure if this is simple preening or whether something was bothering her, but I think this is her injured limb:


She and Kaver made a few more flights around the tower before settling back near the nestbox:
     


     

---

I've been making a point of taking my camera with me when we walk the dogs. This evening we saw several birds of interest, including at least 2 and possibly 3 Belted Kingfishers (Ceryle alcyon) and a Great Blue Heron (Ardea herodias). There wasn't enough light for good shots of them, unfortunately. That wasn't the case with this Gray Catbird (Dumetella carolinensis), though:


We walk Tessa and Quest through an easement for the Niagara Mohawk power company that leads down to the Erie Canal. At this time of year, the grass grows to nearly 3 feet/1 meter high. The dogs seem to enjoy it:
     

Yesterday I found this Indigo Bunting (Passerina cyanea) deep in the shadows of a tree:


Tessa flushed this Northern Flicker (Colaptes auratus) from the grass onto a nearby bough:


A Red-bellied Woodpecker (Melanerpes carolinus) perched near his nest hole as well, teasing me by staying just out of the late evening light:
     

As he scratched an itch, he gave me a glimpse of the red abdominal patch that gives this bird its common name:


I'm very excited to have seen the Kingfishers. I've been hoping they would return. My goal is to capture a close up shot, but they're so active, alert and aloof that I think it's going to be quite a challenge. I plan on getting out there by myself (the dogs cause too much commotion), setting up on a perch of my own, and waiting for the bird to come to me. With any luck, I'll have some nice shots to share soon. Until then, there are always the falcons to occupy my time...

Mariah and Kaver Stick Close to the Nest

Mariah and Kaver were homebodies for most of the noon hour today, with only a couple of flights. I too stayed close to the office, it being my duty day on the Medical Emergency Response Team. I emerged onto the roof of Building 9 into unexpected sunlight, but the sky was full of clouds and the sun was obscured as often as it was out. I found Mariah atop the nest box, with Kaver keeping an eye on things from his perch on Camera 1:
     

Mariah bounced around, eventually ending up on the "playpen" rail, but beyond that there was not much activity:


There was a decided lack of action until Mariah and Kaver both shot into the air with a great deal of alarmed kacking. They circled each other a couple of times, then Kaver drove due east, climbing with a will toward a Red-tailed hawk (Buteo jamaicensis) that had wandered too close. He made at least a dozen attacks, pirouetting on a wingtip after each stoop:


The hawk, of course, was no match for Kaver, and it left the area with understandable alacrity. Back to the tower flew the victorious Kaver. I discovered that I wasn't the only one watching his aerial derring-do. Dana and Carol trained their cameras on the tower from the top level of the State Street parking garage:
     

Mariah landed on Camera 4 in the ambit of one of her daughters:


She was off again before long, though she didn't go far-- just a couple of laps overhead, then she was back for a well-executed landing on the 17th floor ledge:
     

     

Kaver took a quick jaunt too, settling back on Camera 1 once more:
     

Mariah appeared to find a food cache, and she moved out of sight, farther back on the deep ledge. Doubtless the occupants of the office under which she ate had an excellent view. She emerged after a while and struck a regal pose:


I left soon thereafter, needing to get ready for an afternoon meeting. Tomorrow promises good weather with plenty of sun and with the eyases beginning to show their restlessness in the nest, I anticipate plenty of opportunities for more pictures this week.

Birding at the Fledge Watch Meeting

Mariah and Kaver did a bit of flying for those of us who braved the unseasonable wind and cold this morning, but the skies were featureless and white, and the Peregrines stayed near the tower, making for franky boring photography. The closest I got to a falcon today was this American Kestrel (Falco sparverius) perched above his nest:


The Genesee Valley Audubon Society's annual Fledge Watch signup meeting took place this morning. I was glad to see many new faces as well as returning fans of the falcons, Mariah and Kaver's three eyases will begin taking their first flights soon (my prediction: June 17), and we'll need to be vigilant for their wobbly initial flights. Here are a few of the meeting's participants picking up their official 2006 Fledge Watcher pins:


After a presentation on the fundamentals of fledge watching, the meeting adjourned. The weather had improved somewhat from the morning, featuring breaks of blue sky amid the field of clouds. A few of us decided to drive up Lake Avenue to one of the Kodak Research Labs buildings. A nest box had been placed there early last year, and we'd received reports that a falcon might be in residence. We parked near enough to get a good view through our spotting scopes, but there appeared to be no signs of habitation. The trip was far from a failure, though. The location of the parking lot overlooked the gorge, and we had a great view of the Genesee River below, while in the sky before us a dramatic chase played out as a Red-tailed hawk (Buteo jamaicensis) found itself the unfortunate target of incessant harrassment by a pair of Red-winged Blackbirds (Agelaius phoeniceus):
     

To our amazement, the attacking birds actually landed on the buteo's back!
          

The hawk left the area, but on its return the attacks began anew. The blackbirds reminded me of the circus performers who stand on the back of a horse and jump through hoops as the horse gallops around the ring:
          

     

     

I always feel bad for these poor hawks, but this one seemed none the worse for the indignities it had suffered, and it eventually flew south, out of the blackbirds' territory. They remained watchful, even after it left, though:


Meanwhile, there were other sights to see. This White-tailed deer for instance, his antlers full of velvet:


A Great Blue Heron perched on the far river bank, blending into the shadows:


Carol P and I both found this bumblebee to be a worthy subject for our lenses:


I had to get home, so I made my farewells to the other assembled watchers. On the way out I spied a Belted Kingfisher (Ceryle alcyon) speeding low over the water before he alighted on a dead branch:


So, what began as a dreary day ended on a brighter note. The clouds appear to have moved on, so it may be that I'll have better opportunities for photographing Mariah and Kaver during the rest of the weekend.

Mariah and Kaver in Fine Form

A faint haze was the only distraction from an otherwise perfect day for falcon watching. My noon sojourn started with flying and that's the way it stayed until I returned to my office an hour later. As I walked toward the pedestrian bridge, the sound of urgent kacking suffused the air. Over my shoulder, Mariah sped from the nestbox. Assuming a food transfer was imminent I searched for Kaver, and found him south over state street. The falcons converged but there was no exchange of prey. Instead, they both disappeared behind the old Bru restaurant. I hastened my pace to the corner of Platt and Mill streets, where I found Mariah and Kaver tangling with a juvenile Red-tailed Hawk (Buteo jamaicensis)
     

          

     

One after another the Peregrines dove and strafed the young hawk until it quit the field:


Their territorial defense successfully concluded, the falcons flew together for a while before I lost track of them:


I continued out to the bridge where I found Lisa McKeown. We watched as Mariah chased Kaver from his perch on Camera 1 in what seemed to be a falcon's way of scolding him for not bringing home any lunch. Kaver's response was to fly far enough away for Mariah to break off her nagging, then return to the tower. Of course, that earned him another reproach as Mariah pushed him into the sky again. Three or four times this little drama repeated itself before Kaver finally headed north and out of sight.

I left Lisa on the bridge and headed back toward the visitor parking lot in search of other watchers. I found Shaky, Dana and Carol, cameras and optics aimed skyward to follow the falcons who had taken to the air once again. We watched as Mariah flew by and went into what looked like a stoop:
     

Instead of diving on some prey bird, though, she amazed us by floating to a landing on one of the BeeBee station's access ladders:
     

We ran for a better vantage, but she was airborne again before we could get a clear view. Through the gaps in the power station's pipework we saw her fencing with a small bird-- at first we thought it might have been an American Kestral, but we decided it was too small. Dana believed it was a swallow, and I have no reason to disbelieve it. The confrontation was brief, lasting only a few seconds. Mariah emerged on the near side of the station, and passed close by:
          

     

She may have an injured foot, but there's nothing wrong with her flying. Back to the tower she sped, and forced Kaver from his perch again!
     

He made a few circuits overhead, then tempted fate by making a brazen landing under Mariah's watchful eyes:
     

     

Perhaps Mariah decided it wasn't worth the effort to cajole her mate. Instead, she took off and flew around the tower before settling back near the nest box as the lunch hour drew to a close:
     

When I got home this afternoon, I spied this female Hairy Woodpecker (Picoides villosus) noshing on some suet:


I'll close with another moon image. Apparently its a favorite non-bird subject for me. I shot this yesterday in the fading light of dusk while Dawn and I were walking the dogs. I've been practicing with composition, and I liked the way the trees framed the lunar orb, and the red cast of the scene:


Another day, another opportunity to hone my photographic skills...

New Jewelry for the Eyases

Three and a half weeks after the first hatchings of 2006, Mike Allen and Barbara Loucks joined Cornpoppy/Tom Hoehn, fal-Kenn Martinez, Carol P, Dana/Grannywood, June Summers and me for the banding of Mariah and Kaver's three eyases. Both of the adults were busy this morning, with Mariah observed stooping on prey, and at least 2 feedings in the hour preceeding the banding.

When I arrived, Mariah was flying around the Kodak tower, and she landed on the lilies atop the steeple, a perch more normally associated with Kaver. He was present too, sitting on Camera 1. The light gray, hazy sky boded ill for photography, but we take what we can get.

Mike and Barb were joined by Melissa Kelly and DEC regional director Sean Hanna (who told me this is one of his favorite events of the year), and watchers were already gathering shortly after 9:00. We headed inside the Kodak Office lobby where we met up with Dennis Money and Judy from the Birdcam team. After securing visitor passes for our guests, it was up to the conference room to prep for the eyas extraction.

Tom, Kenn and birdcammer Art were already in the banding room, and Tom was just finishing a post for the Yahoo Kfalconcam discussion board. Here's Dennis and Melissa Kelly enjoying some refreshments, and Sean eagerly awaiting the trip to the nestbox:
     

We checked our equipment, and at about 10 minutes before the hour, we headed up to the top of the tower for the extraction. Dennis and I were assigned to "decoy" duty, at the KODAK sign level. It afforded us a good vantage for photography. Dennis had brought his capable Canon Powershot camera, but at 3x zoom, it didn't have quite the telescopic reach he was after, so I lent him my DX6490. As you'll see, he put it to good use.

The Eyas Extraction team headed out onto the catwalk, and Mariah was off in an instant, every bit as aggressive as she has been in past years despite her injured foot:
     

     

She didn't hesitate at all to strafe the folks in the playpen, yelling her warcry all the while. Tom Hoehn reported at least two thumps on his head from being brushed by Mariah's wing; it's a feeling I know well, having lost my glasses during just such a pass from her on Banding Day two years ago.
          

     

We weren't the only ones following the action. I counted nearly two dozen watchers observing from the roof of the State Street Parking Garage:


Mariah didn't relent in her attacks. We were out only for three minutes, though it felt much longer as she subjected us to repeated dives every few seconds:
          

          

Finally we retreated to the safety of the tower, a pair of the eyases safely stashed in a 5 gallon bucket for the trip to the banding location:


Barb Loucks held the third eyas on the trip down the elevator. We were greeted by members of the Kodak.com group who had crowded into the conference room that served as our banding theater. Everyone got right to work, including your intrepid narrator, as I swapped my long zoom lens out for some wide-angle work:
          

Mike handled the banding duties. One by one, each eyas was examined and banded. Barbara kept a record of the leg band and health information. Here's Rhea Mae, named by Carol P, newly banded:


She was quiet during the procedure, almost reserved. Her sister Sabrina (named by long time watcher Dan Stiehler was just the opposite, protesting her treatment and demonstrating something of her mother's fierce nature:
     

     

The third eyas was also judged to be a female, only the second time we've had all female eyases at Kodak! She was named Aura by Robin, a member of the Kfalconcam discussion group on Yahoo, who had submitted that name along with several dozen others. All the names were voted on by secret poll, and the winning name was announced when the eyas was banded:
     

Before we knew it, banding was over, and we prepared for the return trip. Carol and I were assigned "broom duty"-- Our job was to protect the others while they returned the eyases to the nestbox. Tom, Dana, and June played decoy this time. Out on the catwalk, there was little time for photography, though I managed a few one-handed shots, thanks to my Canon 20D's 5fps burst rate and my image-stabilized zoom lens. Once again, Mariah was the main aggressor. This time, though, Kaver put in an appearance:


On each of Mariah's passes, I held up the net I was carrying (Carol had the only broom) as a target, guarding Sean Hanna's back from her fearsome talons. Carol received an inaugural thump on her hard hat, inducting her into the fraternity of those of us who've been struck by the aggressive Mariah. After many close strafes, Mariah appeared to relent a bit, and she stopped flying so close, which enabled me to get a few approach shots:
     

She even decided to take a short break from the attacks, and I took full advantage of the lull before she shot back into the air for more battle:
          

We headed inside as soon as the eyases had been returned and Kenn made quick work of cleaning a couple of the camera lenses. After all the excitement, we decompressed on the ride down the elevators. Mike, Barb and Melissa headed to Syracuse to band the eyases there, and I took my leave as well. Another successful banding for Kodak, and I was privileged to take part. I would have wished for blue skies and sunshine, but we take our opportunities as they come. Here's to long and successful lives for the 2006 eyases, Rhea Mae, Sabrina and Aura!