NY / Rochester - 2008-15

[allikat]

Good for Mariah and her new mate 
I read on "Imprints" that someone witnessed the two of them mating...

[carly]

Falcon watch report/update on Mariah and her new mate.

http://www.rfalconcam.com/falconwatch/?p=155

[carly]

While we wait in anticipation for a Princess/Trey sighting; I found this on the Imprints Rochester site.  Jess, who I think is one of the falcon watchers has posted this in reply to a question that we also had about Mariah's eggs - the response is from the DEC: (I hope it's ok to post it here)

After all the questions about Mariah mating with T-C and whether she could lay eggs based on their copulation activity we asked the DEC.

Their answer is that all the evidence points to Peregrine females being able to store usable sperm for only a couple of days. Under controlled laboratory conditions some artificial insemination efforts have produced 2 or 3 eggs from a single insemination, but the timing has to be very precise. In the wild that’s not likely to happen.

Since it takes about two days for the egg to form and be laid, Mariah needs to have a pretty steady supply of sperm while she’s in her egg-laying phase in order to produce viable eggs. That’s one reason why we continue to see copulation behavior throughout the egg-laying cycle.

So it doesn’t look like any of the mating activity between Mariah and T-C would have resulted in laying fertilized eggs.

[Loriann]

Ah... good red-blooded Canadian boys ! gotta love 'em.

[carly]

The new tiercel might be another Canadian!!!  And a third peregrine was also spotted but new guy escorted him out!

http://marchlords.com/birdblog/2009/03/mariahs-neuveau-beau.html

[allikat]

Well, a girl can never be too careful. We do have our moments and we want the best of the best!!!
Okay so let's all let this pair get to know each other, even though Mariah is making him work for it, and even if they nest on Midtown, we won't think about what's supposed to happen to that building. 
Come on Mariah, enough playing hard to get....

[carly]

Part I and II of Joyce's falcon watch report from today:

Part I: http://pets.groups.yahoo.com/group/kfalconcam/message/95405

Part II: http://pets.groups.yahoo.com/group/kfalconcam/message/95423

So the tiercel looks to be banded (not confirmed yet but they thought they saw bands), they were hanging at MidTown - no clue where that is but at least it's not the old site so that's a positive sign.  Even though she didn't allow him to mate with her, it seems she's making him work for it...hehe..you go girl!! 

More reports and pics to come later.

*Ack*: I just googled MidTown, if it's the same building they're referring to - it's slated for demolition in the next two years!

[The Peregrine Chick]

Yup, there is definitely a little woo-ing going on in the skies above Rochester ...

[eagle63_1999]

Quite the pictures of Mariah and the tiercel!

[carly]

One of the watchers named Joyce has posted her photos of Mariah and the new tiercel, very promising and she sure looks like she's having fun!  Also a few nice shots of a bald eagle that Mariah and new guy escorted along 

http://www.kodakgallery.com/ShareLanding.action?c=tq6stye.c6m1yufq&x=0&y=-abvoil&localeid=en_US

[allikat]

Oh that's great news...I read the blog and it mentioned that the pair returned together and that was about it so this could be the one for Mariah....Let's hope! 

[carly]

I was finally able to read the full report this moring, last night there were problems with the board.  Here is the direct link and an excerpt from Carol's report (hopefully ok to post it)..sounds very encouraging..and sounds like courtship behaviour!

http://www.rfalconcam.com/falconwatch/

Two Falcons came flying in from the south. Mariah in the lead the Tiercel
behind her. They both flew back to the Kodak Tower and around it. I quickly jumped in my car and drove over to the KTower.

Mariah had landed on the SE corner of the launchpad and the Tiercel was doing all kinds of fancy flying in front her. I really expected them to mate or
copulate, but it never happened.

There was glorious ee-chupping filling the air!

The Tiercel flew by Mariah, heading north and Mariah was off in a flash. They
both did a U-turn, heading back towards me. Both Mariah and the Tiercel flew over me, low, and at a great rate of speed. I just watched and enjoyed the show.

They took off heading south.

[allikat]

Oh that's great news...let's hope that this tiercel is a potential mate for years to come and that he finds a great nestbox (not try the Kodak tower) to raise some chicks with Mariah.  Come on Mariah, show your talons off and you go girl!!!

[carly]

Good news today; the Mariah watchers spotted Mariah flying around with a tiercel today.  Too early to tell who it is and whether he's just passing through or if this could be a potential mate for her...but a positive sign none the less    You go Mariah 

[The Peregrine Chick]

Hard to say what might happen ... the only two scenarios I know of examples are:

Mariah could lay and incubate with new mate - that happened here when T-Rex replaced his father Pop mid-incubation
Mariah could lay and abandon her eggs - not sure how likely that is or the exact reasons/timing for it - I do know that it has happened, though not here

In any case, it would really take a DNA test to know who is (or isn't) the Dad.

My advice for what its worth is don't worry about who the father is, just keep your fingers crossed that Mariah finds a replacement because she can't raise the chicks by herself - she can't leave the chicks alone to be able to hunt enough to feed herself and them, particularly in the first 10 days when she needs to regulate their body temperatures.  She is on the territory and defending it no doubt, so with luck, she will attract a passing male (and I have only started to see reports of migrating falcons - American Kestrels mostly, only a couple of peregrines - at the hawk watch locations in the US) and this year will not be a lost year for Mariah and her fans in Rochester ...