Extreme Makeover for the Visitor Lot

Across the street from the Kodak tower, construction is moving along:


The sidewalks are closed on all four sides of what used to be the visitor parking lot. The asphalt has been stripped away for the most part, and big construction vehicles have begun digging a trench that will eventually become an underground parking garage for the townhouses going up on the site:
     

At the same time, work on the new electrical substation at the RGE BeeBee facility continues unabated:


They've put the brakes on pulling down the northern smokestack. All the demolition equipment is still there though, so I don't suppose it'll be too long before the task is completed.
     

There's little doubt that falcon watchers are going to have to deal with a lot of obstacles this year. With the visitor lot off limits and sidewalk access limited, moving around the area, especially during fledging time, could be challenging. We may even want to consider outfitting ourselves with hard hats, just to be on the safe side. That's a lot of speculation of course, but something for us to keep in mind.

After sizing up the construction situation, I took a walk out on the Pont de Rennes. The Genesee River beneath the High Falls is partly frozen over:


Stiff winds and cold temperatures make it inhospitable right now. I stayed just long enough to confirm that there were no other watchers about, then retreated back to the former Bru restaurant, which provided some refuge from the wind. Fellow watcher Sue was out for a walk and we exchanged quick greetings before heading back to our respective offices.

At about 12:40 Mariah flew in:


She disappeared around the west side of the Kodak Office complex, then came back around for a couple of circling passes before landing on the tower's south side:


Her timing was perfect, as other watchers have reported that she often shows up right around this time. I shot a few pictures but didn't loiter. I'm glad to see that she's staying on territorial watch and her consistency is always welcome. I'm not anticipating more falcon reports anytime soon since better weather appears to be several days away at the earliest. This is Rochester though, and the weather is notoriously capricious, so I may be out again before you know it.