Raptor Romance a Welcome Sight

OK ...so it's not really romance-- Falcons of course, are much too busy to bother with affairs of the heart. Author's license aside though, every spring for the past few years one of my "must have" photo sequences has been to capture Mariah and Kaver in the act of mating. Not out of any prurient interest, but rather because because it's an affirmation of the promise of spring, a welcome harbinger of the season to come. Call me crazy, but I also find the dynamics of the act fascinating.

So yesterday I found myself outside at lunch time for what promised to be the best weather of the week. The forecast in Rochester is for snow, rain and clouds for the next few days, but today featured crisp a crisp azure sky and an abundance of bright sunlight.

Kaver sat near the nest box, resplendent in the sun. Mariah was nowhere to be found. During the first half of the hour that's how things stayed, and I began to think the only activity I was going to witness for the hour was the incremental progress on the construction of the new townhouses across from the Kodak tower.

My waiting was to be rewarded though as Mariah flew in from a her hidden perch somewhere on the east or north side of the cupola at the top of the tower:
     

When she landed tail up on the southwest corner of the playpen, I figured things were about to get more interesting:
     

Kaver didn't make me wait long. He swung out over the construction workers, oblivious to the activity above them, and headed for his rendezvous:


It was a pattern well known to those who've watched these two for a while, so I had no problem getting my camera ready for the landing and subsequent copulation:
          

My Canon chattered away at 6.5 frames per second and the bright conditions helped me grab a great many shots, a mere smattering of which I've included here. One thing I noticed is that for all the care that Kaver appears to take, there's a good deal of jostling going on up there:
          
Look closely and you'll see that Mariah has to work hard to hang on to the edge of the playpen. In a couple of frames I didn't include, she actually lost her footing!

In only a few seconds their brief congress ended:
          

Kaver headed for the High Falls smokestack where he made an effortless landing:
          

Mariah remained where she was for a while, then shook out her feathers and took off:


They both circled over the old Visitor parking lot, then Kaver headed for the communication tower:


I didn't follow Mariah's flight, but I imagine she went downtown because some time later she reappeared, flying in from the south. She landed on the perch rail of the nest box:


Kaver remained on one of the antennas, a sleek silhouette against the blue sky, and that's where I left them as the hour drew to a close.

Back in the office, I checked the images from the Rochester Falconcam's cameras. I'd hoped that the view from Camera 1 would capture Mariah on the corner of the playpen, and indeed there she was in the lower left corner:


Was fortune smiling on us? Did the camera perhaps capture the mating moment? Alas, no. All the action occurred in the minute between the image above and this one:


No big deal-- that's what fast firing D-SLR cameras and long lenses are for. In a bit of a post-script, as I was walking out to my car in the afternoon I witnessed another mating. Watchers are reporting multiple copulations each day. Egg laying should begin in about a week, so everything is on track for another great falcon-rearing season. Of course, the past couple of years have brought mystery and some real drama during egg laying. I wouldn't even hazard a guess as to what we'll see this year, but I'm looking forward to following all the action.

Operation Windex a Success, Despite Kacks

Dateline: Rochester, New York

A pair of protesters shouted and circled nearby, but failed to stop the planned maintenance work at the high-rise nest box penthouse on the Kodak tower. Residence Council president Mariah was particularly aggrieved. "I have to raise eyases in that box. They just barge in when they want, mess up the furniture, and for what, so a bunch of peeping toms can get a better look at my family? Come on, let's get real. What ever happened to a family's privacy?"

Representatives of the nest box's management group did not return our calls seeking commment.

OK, so it wasn't quite that dramatic. They did do a good deal of vocalizing, beginning with Kaver before I even stepped out into the playpen. How do I know it was Kaver, you ask? Because he was on the southwest corner of the playpen as I walked out. Before I'd taken a step around the south side (where the nest box and cameras are) he was airborne, swinging around and kacking:


Mariah was there too, though where she came from is anyone's guess:


Kaver stayed pretty close-- unusual for him, but a boon for me, photographically speaking:
          

Mariah made more noise than the last time I was at the nest box a couple of weeks ago, but she didn't thump me on the head during this visit. I made sure I gave her as few opportunities for mischief as possible. I spent most of the time crouching to present a smaller target for her attacks:
          

I poked my head up only as long as it took to wipe the winter's grime from the cameras. Camera 1 was troublesome, since it's mounted about 6 feet (1.85 meters) out from the playpen railing. I'd brought an extendible wand with me, but even with that I had to lean over the railing a bit-- quite an exposed position with an angry territorial Peregrine swooping around.

All's well that ends, though, and I lingered only to grab a few photos, then ducked back into the safety of the cupola, chased by Mariah all the way. She landed on top of camera one upon my departure. Kaver took up a loftier, but more distant perch on the High Falls stack:
     

They were in the same spots when I left a little later in the afternoon. With the cameras cleaned we can look forward to clear viewing for the rest of the season-- as long as nature cooperates, that is.

The Consort's Return

If Mariah is the queen of the Rochester skies, then Kaver is her faithful consort. It's always a wonderful sign of approaching spring when he makes his return after wintering in parts unknown. Today came the news that Kaver was back, and since the weather was pretty good I decided to get downtown to greet the plucky Peregrine in person.

I wasn't the only one who had that idea. The better part of a dozen of the "regular" watchers stopped by at one time or another, starting with Larry O'Heron, who made the initial report of Kaver's return. Others I saw included Carol P, Dana, Kathy O, Kelly W, Susan C, Joyce M and Marcia L. Of course the Canon DSLRs and long lenses were much in evidence. It's never too soon to give the old photographic muscles a little exercise.

I arrived a little after 3:00 in the afternoon. Clouds were rolling in but there was still plenty of bright blue sky and sunlight. Kaver perched on top of Camera 1 near the nest box, but my first shots were of Mariah, on the lip of the High Falls smokestack:
     

Here's our wanderer, lately come from who knows where:


He and Mariah both preened for some time. Occasional vocalizations from Mariah drifted down to those of us assembled below. She stood up and began stretching:


I figured something was up, and sure enough, a few seconds later she was off:
     

     

She headed east with a purpose, disappearing behind the BeeBee station. Carol P and I ran toward Morrie Silver way for a better view just as Kaver got airborne, heading south. He made a sharp left turn and fell into a shallow dive toward the gorge. I caught a glimpse of him chasing a large bird-- maybe a pigeon-- but by the time I got a clear view of the sky over the river he was lost to sight.

I walked toward the bridge, and was nearly at the span when Kaver came into view again, heading west:
     

I followed him, shooting furiously as he flapped toward the Kodak tower:
     

He made his typical effortless landing back on top of Camera 1. We waited to see if Mariah would show up, but she never did. I took a few perched shots of Kaver as the clouds thickened and the air grew colder:
          

Now that Queen and Consort are in town, it looks like the 2008 nesting season will be getting under way in earnest. For me it's a thrill to see Mariah and Kaver return to the nest box each year, ready to begin a new family. It signals the start of four months of drama, excitement and fun that I'm honored to experience. I can't wait to see how this year's story will unfold.