There are an estimated 350 nesting pairs of bald eagles in NYS this year and about seven pairs are here in Genesee County. The birds pictured in this post live just outside of Le Roy. Other nesting pairs have been reported in Attica, around Silver Lake, and a few pair in the Iroquois National Wildlife Refuge. The oldest recorded banded bald eagle in the country lived close by in Henrietta to the age of 38.

This nesting pair was first reported to The Batavian in March of this year. (Original story.) From what is reported by local residents, this is the first year for this nest in this location. Most bald eagle clutches consist of one to three eggs. From what was observed in this nest, there may have been only one egg. There was only one chick ever spotted in the nest.

It is common for the chick that hatches first to eat the small chick once it hatches. This is normal and the parents pay no attention if this happens. In this bald eagle family, the father was banded and the mother was not.

Mom and Dad trade places sitting on the incubating egg(s).

Father sits in nest on eggs as mom flies by.

After about 35 days of incubation, a chick was hatched. At the time this picture was taken, the chick was about two to three weeks old.

The chick has fresh fish flown in for lunch by Dad.

Mom and chick snuggle up in nest as the weather turns cold again in April.

Growing very quickly...the chick, about six to seven weeks old, is still fed by Mom.

Even though the chick now looks like a big bird, there is a lot of learning and practice that needs to be done before the chick can leave the nest.

About the second week in June, the chick fledged the nest. While looking strong and graceful in flight, this eaglet is still not very graceful at landing. Mom will still hunt for the eaglet for about another five weeks. After that, the eaglet will be on its own until it mates in maturity in about five years. After about four years, the eaglet will have the white feathers on its head, yellow beek and solid brown body that we are familar with as our national bird. 

Below the eaglet practices life skills, in this case, using its talons to pick up a stick.

If you haven’t already seen some of the local eagles, keep an eye to the sky and look for them, thanks to a managed recovery program we are blessed with quite a few in this area.

For more information about bald eagles visit http://www.dec.ny.gov/animals/74052.html 

If you would like to learn more about photography visit: Batavia Photography Club

Eagle pictures

Many readers probably remember that about three months ago I had surgery for a detached retina. I was unable to work for three weeks.

That surgery went well and I seem to have healed fine. Now it's time to have the silicon oil put in my eye to hold the retina in place while it healed removed. That surgery is this morning.

This time, the doctor says I can't work for a week.

At least, if all goes well, when it's over, my vision should be back to where it was.

We have our great freelancers to help with coverage, and Billie, of course, and our news partnerships with WBTA and 13WHAM to help out, so we should be fine, but that's why I won't be doing much over the next week.

An accident with minor injuries is reported at Route 63 and Clapsaddle Road, Bethany. It's a sedan vs. semi-truck. There is entrapment. Two occupants are in the sedan and one door won't open, says the dispatcher. Two Mercy medic units and Bethany Fire Department are responding.

UPDATE 8 a.m.: A law enforcement officer on scene reports the driver claims he is OK, but has some knee pain. His female passenger says she's just shaken up but will need evaluating. Traffic control in the vicinity will be needed.

UPDATE 8:02 a.m.: The sedan has heavy front-end damage; it is leaking fluids and will need to be hosed down, says a responder.

UPDATE 8:25 a.m.: Mercy medic #1 is transporting two patients to UMMC. The second Mercy rig is back in service.

UPDATE 9:05 a.m. (by Howard): Spoke with a trooper at the scene. The sedan was turning right off of Clapsaddle and apparently swung too wide in its turn and veered into the oncoming lane. 

Michael Mazutta, an Afghanistan and Iraq war veteran, was the keynote speaker at a Flag Day ceremony this afternoon at the VA hospital in Batavia.

Included in the ceremony were certificates of appreciation to Vernon Rowe and Joe Gerace. After Rowe received his certificate from Mazutta, he volunteered to present Gerace with his certificate.

Students from Batavia Middle School presented handmade gifts to the veterans who are residents at the hospital.

The St. Joe's band performed after the ceremony.

Prior to his invocation, Chaplain Robert Chambers called for a moment of silence to honor the victims of the mass shooting in Orlando and then prayed for them and their grieving families.

Three guys in Oakfield think they've hit the nail on the head when it comes to their new business.

They've put a new twist on an old German game. They introduced the concept at a tournament yesterday held at the Caryville Inn.

The game is MöbileSchlägen, a portable version of hammerschlägen.

In schlägen, you get a cross-peen hammer and a nail and you get one whack at the nail per turn, hitting it with the wedge (or peen) end. The starting position is with the hammer on the table outside the wood block, making it harder to aim. The nail is tapped in to a depth equal to a line on the hammer, so everybody starts at an equal distance.

The first person with the head of the nail flush with the wood wins.

"Being first is pretty cool, but the last thing you want to do is be last," said Marc Johnson, one of the co-inventors of the mobile version of the game.

Last means ridicule from your buddies, at the least, and if alcohol is involved, it might mean buying a round of drinks.

Teasing and harassing is part of the fun of the game, because if you can goad a competitor into talking while he or she holds the hammer, (the rule is, "no hammer talk") that person loses a turn.

Johnson said for years, every time he hosts a party at his house, he and the guests play hammerschlägen, but hauling around the giant tree stumps needed for the game made it impractical for tailgate parties or picnics.

A few years ago, he brought two logs to a family gathering in Vermont and that's when he started to think there had to be a better way.

"Everybody loved it, but it killed my back," Johnson said. "It was a bad idea. You’re on a mountain and you’re rolling those stumps around."

When he got home, he and his friend James Betters started imagining a mobile version of the game, but lacked the engineering background to make it a reality, so Dan Mangus joined the team.

They formed a company, drew up their plans and filed for a patent, which was issued in March.

The end-grain wood plate, which can be laser etched with any possible logo, fits snuggly in a hard plastic base, which rests on sturdy, but foldable, legs.

"Basically, it fits in a bag that looks like a big banjo and you can throw it over your shoulder and carry it a lot easier than a 300-pound stump," Mangus said.

It took a few prototypes to get the right design and then a long search to find the right end-grain wood with the right density to take in a pounded nail easily, but not too easily. 

And lest would-be competitors might think they can make their own log inserts (the inserts need to be replaced after they fill up with nails), the design requires a properly cut and fitted log into the reverse-cupped holder. This design not only improves safety and durability, but with the patent, it also prevents copycat manufacturers from making replacement parts.

Some 40 or 50 people showed up for the game's public debut at the Caryville Inn yesterday to compete in the first official MöbileSchlägen tournament.  

There seemed to be no shortage of fun nor frustration during the tournament.

The next big step for the entrepreneurs is a Kickstarter campaign to fund the manufacturing of games for consumers. If that does well, they hope to ship the first games to customers by Spring.

A tree reportedly fell on a house at 3 Madison Ave. in the city. Wires are down, too, and it is blocking the roadway. City fire is responding.

UPDATE 5:18 p.m.: National Grid, Verizon and Time Warner are contacted. The tree has been removed from the roadway.

An argument between the clerk at the Yellow Goose in Oakfield and some customers is reported. The customers are said to be throwing things inside the store at the clerk. Law enforcement is responding. The store is located at 33 S. Main St.

City police are dispatched to a pending complaint at West Main and North Lyon streets. The caller, who is no longer in the area, told dispatchers a male goes from the sidewalk out into the middle of the roadway and dances approximately one minute, then returns to the sidewalk, and "he's done done this a few times now."

A man is lying roadside with unknown injuries following what is believed to be a motorcycle accident on the westbound Thruway at mile marker 386. Town of Batavia Fire Department and Mercy medic #2 are responding.

Returning from Le Roy last night, I stopped for a few scenic shots.

Above, a tractor in a field off Randall Road, Stafford.

A barn off Randall Road.

One of my favorite trees (we had a picture just last week) off Route 33 in Stafford.

Collin Raye, who is celebrating 25 years as a recording artist this year, opened the 2016 concert season at Frostridge last night with a set that highlighted his #1 hits and other fan favorites.

Before the show, he met with fans who had purchased VIP passes, including one who presented him with a handmade guitar strap. He also posed for a picture with Frostridge owners David and Greg Luetticke-Archbell.

Among the opening acts were the Morgan Twins.

City fire is dispatched to Maple Street near Thorpe for a tree stump on fire in a yard.

Although Flag Day is actually Tuesday, June 14, there will be a Flag Day Ceremony on Sunday, June 12, at the VA WNY Healthcare System, Batavia.

It starts at 1 p.m. with a prelude comprised of a motorcycle procession.

This will be followed by the Presentation of Colors by the Genesee County Joint Veterans Color Guard, and then the Invocation will be given by Chaplain Robert Chambers of the VA Chaplain Service.

Next, those assembled will say the Pledge of Allegiance.

Mark J. Francis, volunteer program manager, will welcome participants and then Michael Mazutto will speak. Mazutto is a veteran of Afghanistan/Iraq and a recipient of the Purple Heart.

James Neider will speak on the Flag Day tradition. He is with the American Legion Genesee Veterans Club.

A Tribute to Veterans follows, provided by Batavia Middle School students and Assistant Principal Maureen Notoro.

St. Joe's Brass Ensemble will perform a musical salute and concert.

The ceremony ends with Chaplain Robert's benediction and the Retirement of Colors.

The public is welcome to attend. The VA medical center is located at 222 Richmond Ave. in the City of Batavia.

Press release:

U.S. Border Patrol agents assigned to the Rochester Border Patrol Station arrested a previously deported alien with a criminal record on June 6.

Le Roy Police Department turned over Juan Rivas-Silva, age 42, to Border Patrol after stopping his vehicle for a traffic violation. The Le Roy Police department had requested Border Patrol assistance during the traffic stop.

An agent from the Rochester Border Patrol Station interviewed Rivas-Silva, a citizen of Mexico. Rivas-Silva was in possession of an expired driver’s license and a Mexican passport. Rivas-Silva was determined by Border Patrol to be illegally present in the United States, placed under arrest, and transported to the Rochester Border Patrol Station for processing.

Rivas-Silva told agents that he entered the United States illegally in 1998 in California. While in the United States, Rivas-Silva has committed felony crimes including burglary, assault and battery, domestic violence, and driving under the influence. Rivas-Silva is held without bond pending his removal from the United States.

Rochester Station Patrol Agent In Charge Michael Werthman said, “The arrest of this individual highlights the cooperation between law enforcement agencies in bringing criminals to justice. I commend our agents and the Le Roy Police Department for their hard work and commitment to service.”

The 60th annual Lawn Fete hosted by Resurrection Parish in Batavia is underway. The festival features rides, games, delicious food including a chicken dinner, beer tent with live entertainment and more! Located on the grounds of St. Joseph School on Main and Summit streets.

Last night a portion of Main Street was closed off to traffic in front of St. Joe's for some music and fun with The Hit Men from Rochester featuring Batavia residents.

The Carnival is open Saturday from 1 to 11 p.m. and Sunday from noon to 5 p.m. The carnival features a ride special from 1 to 5 p.m. on Saturday and noon to 5 p.m. on Sunday, with unlimited rides for $15. There are home-baked goodies for sale as well as hamburgers, hotdogs, sausage, pizza, fries and of course their famous waffles.

If you visited Valle Jewelers today, you probably met Megan Williams, mother of Brady, 9, who was diagnosed with neuroblastoma at 20 months.

The Williams family of Oakfield is one of the Alex's Lemonade Stand Foundation families around the nation that raises money to help fight pediatric cancer. The family has raised more than $30,000 for the foundation, mostly through the lemonade stand they set up every year at Oakfield's Labor Days festival.

Today, as they did last year, Valle's donated 10 percent of all sales to the foundation. 

Plus you got a free cup of lemonade from Megan.

The foundation today had a goal of raising $1 million nationally, through the participation of 36 families, representing the 36 children diagnosed every day with cancer.

The new public market -- a merger of the Business Improvement District's public market and the Genesee County Farmers' Market -- opened at Bank Street and Alva Place today.

A new vendor this year is Big Bossman's BBQ, run by Anthony Person, of Lockport.

Person said his family has a long tradition in the food business, and after his mother died recently, he wanted to keep the tradition going.

Fighting back tears, Pearson told WBTA's Alex Feig that he was president of his mother's company, Mrs. Ribs, but after she died, he didn't want to trade on her name, so he bought his own truck and called it Big Bossman's, a name his parents used for their first restaurant, which they ran out of their home.

The recipes have been handed down generation after generation in his family, from mother to mother to mother, going back to the family's days as slaves in the South. 

He was pleased to get invited to be a vendor in Batavia, he said.

"I’m a small businessman just trying to make an honest living just like anybody else, always looking for a way to expand my market, sell my product in new areas, and Batavia, I’ve always wanted to come this way and the Farmers' Market offered me a chance to showcase my cuisine," he said.

The market will be open for business from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m., Tuesdays, Thursdays and Fridays and will run through Oct. 28, weather permitting.

It's probably never happened in Batavia HS history -- three players participating in three different sports across the course of a single school year winning Section V title patches.

This year, Andrew Mruczek, Jake Schrider and Adonis Davis did it in football, basketball and track.

At a school that won six sectional titles this year, a few of other athletes came close, but the trifecta is a singular accomplishment.

"It means a lot to us," Schrider said. "It means we worked hard."

Davis agreed.

"It means hard work paid off," Davis said. "Going to summer camps and workouts to try and reach our goal to be sectional champions. It showed more this year."

It's also an accomplishment that hasn't drawn a lot of attention at school, Davis said. Everybody knows they're champions, but the never-before trifecta hasn't sunk in with the student body.

"They know we've won," Davis said. "They're proud of us, I guess, but they probably just haven't put it all together."

Athletic Director Michael Bromley said it's a great accomplishment that is rarely achieved by athletes in the region. In boys sports this year, Andrew Mruczek, Trevor Sherwood (football and basketball) and Noah Dobbertin (football and wrestling) came the closest when the baseball team lost a title game to Aquinas 2-1, and though several girls got two titles this year, none got quite as close to a third title.

Batavia was blessed with a great group of seniors this year, Bromley said, but also, a great homegrown coaching staff that is also very focused on success and the hard work it takes to achieve it.

The senior athletes, Bromley said, really came together this year and supported each other and their teammates as they competed throughout the year. Athletes not in competition jumped the stands as part of the Blue Zoo, the school's cheering section. They also rallied the school throughout each school day.

"They’re really going to be missed around here," Bromley said. "They were good leaders. They were positive leaders. They were role models. Sometimes you get classes come through who are not those things and this class really was and the school is going to miss them."

The support of classmates and teachers was really a motivating factor all year long, Davis said. 

"Everyone tells us they will come out the games and stuff and you don’t want to disappoint when you have a bunch of teachers and a bunch of students saying they’re coming," Davis said. "That motivates us when people are watching to do it for them.”

It's especially helpful, he said, with road games against bigger Monroe County schools.

"When we travel to other places against bigger schools, our fan base goes with us, and just having people behind us to cheer us on to at the other schools, the bigger schools, it’s more fun," he said.

Brennen Briggs, football, Buddy Brasky, basketball, and Nick Burke, track, are all Batavia HS graduates and lifelong residents. Bromley thinks that further fuels their dedication to the school and the athletic program.

"The time commitment they put into ti and the love they have for Batavia High School is evident," Bromley said. "Those guys are 12-month-a-year coaches. If you go by the track, come by the football field, go by a weight room, come by a gym, one of those guys is probably doing something.

"The real special part about it," he added, "is it seems over recent years is they’ve really come together. They support each other, they share kids, so that’s why we’re seeing a lot of success."

All three share a high level of commitment to hard work and motivating their kids to work hard and stick through the tough things, but given the nature of team sports, Briggs and Brasky also model hard work by watching hours and hours of game film week after week.

"They spend days each week on just looking at film and trying to figure out what we can do to be successful," Bromley said. "The kids have bought into that. They know the coaches are going to work hard for them, so that’s why they work hard."

Asked which coach is the toughest on them, Mruczek, Schrider and Davis said Brasky is, hands down.

"He takes you to a whole new level," Mruczek said. "You've got to be tough. He drives you hard."

Schrider said there's no slacking off during a Brasky-led practice.

"You've got to give 120 percent the whole time," Schrider said.

Davis said that drive made Brasky kind of an "old-fashioned coach," but in a good way.

"When we do stuff, he wants us to be perfect and I think that’s what helps us in games," Davis said. "When we’re practicing, we're doing reps over and over and over again and then we’re more prepared than the other team."

Of the three athletes, only Mruczek has another upcoming season with Brasky, and rather than fearing the intensity, he's looking forward to it.

"It makes me want to be successful," said Mruczek, whose goal for 2016-17 is to repeat the trifecta.

The hard work, the focus on success, has helped each of the young men grow, they said, carrying over to school work and the rest of life.

"I think success on the field is helping me to be successful in school, because being on a sports team, it takes hard work and then in the classroom you’ve got to work hard there, too," Mruczek said.

Davis said he thinks he was still pretty young when he first joined the football team and got exposed to the dedication demanded by Briggs, but he learned quickly that dedication and hard work pays off and that has helped him beyond just athletics and even beyond academics.

"At first, I wasn’t really into putting into much time into sports," said Davis, who now intends to attend SUNY Brockport, compete in track and pursue a degree in athletic training. "Once I did, then everything else, plus the sports, I put more time into it, school, helping out in the community. I volunteered for a camp, a football camp for little kids and I never thought I would  do that. I just put time into stuff. It transfers over to everything else and I think it helped me."

There is a clear connection between athletic success and academic and life success, Bromley said. In athletics, you learn about the value of practice and repetition, how to deal with setbacks and how to work on a common goal with others -- all lessons that carry onto all aspects of adult life.

"Sports are life lessons," Bromley said. "That’s pretty much what it is. That’s probably the area in the academic world where you learn it the most. I would say, after school from 3 to 5, those kids are learning life lessons that they’re going to use forever. Hopefully, they leave after this year and they go on and they’re successful in college and they’re successful parents and some of them come back and coach. That would be great."

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The Drama Club of Elba High School presents a performance tonight that highlights the past 10 years of musicals performed by the Club, including selections from "The King and I," "Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory," "Cats" and "My Fair Lady." The performances will be followed by senior awards.

The show starts at 7 p.m. in the Elba Central School theater and tickets are $3 per person.