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Wednesday 27 November 2013

Lunchtime birding

I'm down at BSC Headquarters this week and with the fresh snowfall over night birds were certainly active. At Old Cut first thing a Fox Sparrow and Vesper Sparrow were enjoying the offerings (complete checklist).

At lunch time I decided to drive down Lakeshore Road towards Clear Creek, hoping to find some geese in the fields here. I saw lots of Tundra Swans (1500-2000) in the fields and just before The Coves I came across a nice flock of Canada Geese. After a few minutes of scanning through them I was lucky to find a couple of Greater White-fronted Geese.

After alerting a couple other birders in the area I headed back east when I noticed a Peregrine Falcon perched along the road.


Closer inspection revealed that it was banded:


I have submitted the combination to the Bird Banding Lab and will update once I find out when and where it was banded - if you happen to know though, feel free to comment or email me!

UPDATE - wow, didn't take long to find out! Thanks to several people I now know that this is Rosetta, a female Peregrine hatched in 2013 and banded at her nest in Rochester, NY on June 18, 2013. Rosetta has a strong Ontario connection in that she is named after Rosetta McClain Gardens, site of the Rosetta McClain Gardens Raptor Watch in memory of Frank "Big Frank" Butson, who founded the raptor watch. There are some photos and information of Rosetta as a chick being banded on the RFalconCam website and on their blog.
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9 comments:

  1. Anonymous28 November 2013 at 14:57

    This is Rosetta from Rochester,NY-born to Beauty and Dot.Ca this past spring. WOOHOO!!

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    1. Anonymous28 November 2013 at 20:09

      My name is MAK by the way and I'm one of the Rochester Falcon Watchers. Rosetta is special because she's tied to Big Franks' memory.
      I was so excited that I didn't identify myself when I told ya who it was. I'm still pretty excited! Thanks for the pics!

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  2. Sheri Fresonke Harper28 November 2013 at 15:01

    How exciting to see a Peregrine so patiently allowing you to grab the photo

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  3. Joyce (wnyfalconfan)28 November 2013 at 16:39

    Mike - Rosetta was named in honor of Frank Butson who is no longer with us. He was a member of The Canadian Peregrine Foundation and established the Hawkwatch at Rosetta McClain Gardens outside Toronto on Scarborough Bluffs. We are so excited to hear of the whereabouts of one of our juvies. There are photos of Rosetta as an eyas and a fledgling on our website blogs and forum at rfalconcam.com. Thanks for posting your sighting!

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    1. Mike Burrell28 November 2013 at 17:03

      Thanks Anonymous and Joyce! That is really nice information to have, always nice to know where these birds come from!

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  4. Anonymous28 November 2013 at 17:48

    Thanks so much Mike for posting these wonderful pics of Rosetta. There is a group of volunteer falcon watchers here in Rochester, NY, that are very happy to see her doing so well. Thank you! - Carol P from Rochester, NY

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  5. Anonymous28 November 2013 at 18:48

    Thank you Mike! Rosetta has fans in Canada too! Wonderful to see her!
    Kathy from Toronto

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  6. David M. Gascoigne,28 November 2013 at 20:50

    I knew Big Frank reasonably well. He struggled with certain aspects of his life, but there was no greater devotee of Peregrine Falcons. It was a privilege to have known him. I am sure that the Canadian Peregrine Foundation is much the poorer for his loss.

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  7. Donna28 November 2013 at 21:47

    I was hoping she would go to Canada! There's no better place for her to honor Big Frank! Thank you so much Mike. Donna in NJ

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