Peregrine Breeding Log for March 11 – 12, 2019:
Monday, March 11th featured sustained winds throughout the day. The temperature stayed just above freezing, but the wind made it seem colder. Generally, the Utica falcons were fairly inactive – at least when compared to the last few days. However, they were quite visible through much of the day, remaining on the north face of the State Building for extended periods. In fact, that’s where we found them perched at 5 AM when we first checked the cameras. At dawn, crows from the local roost were filtering through the canyon. As I’ve mentioned before, the falcons don’t usually pay them any mind, but today was different. At 7 o’clock, one of the pair made a dramatic dive after a crow that flew too close to the State Building. I’m not sure if the falcons hit it. I don’t think so. Following that, a falcon flew a lap around the State Building while the other perched up on the lookout post. It seemed like a territorial proclamation. A minute later, both zoomed over to the box. Astrid stayed on the main perch for less than a minute and then returned to the State Building. He left soon after and made an appearance on the hotel ledge. At 7:40, they were calling loudly to each other from their respective perches on the State Building. Ten minutes later, Ares blasted by Astrid with a food tribute. They both converged at the box for the exchange. She took the small gift over to the hotel and made sort work of it. One of them (we think Astrid) did some fancy flying around the State Building before joining its mate on the building’s north face. The two were up and down a couple of more times before noon. At that point, Astrid took off toward the northeast and Ares followed right behind her. It had all the earmarks of a hunting foray. At around 12:30, Theresa White saw black feathers flying near an office window on the east side of the bank building. That was probably Ares plucking a Starling. Astrid had returned to the State Building by that time. Ten minutes later Ares came screeching over to the nestbox, but he had no tribute in hand. We figured that he either ate it or stored it somewhere. In the early afternoon, both falcons took turns flying through the canyon and usually retuning to the State Building in short order. Astrid did a short flight display for him during one of his brief visits to the box. In the second half of the afternoon, Ares made a couple more visits to the box – each time doing a little work on his scrape and making it deeper. We figure he’ll have a pool put in there by this summer.
Just before 5 PM, Ares came screeching around from the back of the bank building and proceeded through the canyon, apparently struggling in the headwind, He had a food tribute in his talons. He called as he flew by Astrid on the State Building. He came to the box and she followed him. Ares went right inside the box this time and Astrid hopped in to accept the food. She tugged at it with her bill, but he wouldn’t let go. Finally, she grabbed it with her foot, wrested it away and flew to the hotel with it. She ate it pretty quickly. Both falcons remained visible on the State Building until just before 6:30 PM, when one peeled off to go to its night perch. The other falcon left about 15 minutes earlier. Good night falcons!
Tuesday March 12th, weather-wise was almost identical to the day before. There were some snow flurries in the early morning and then a steady wind blew throughout the day. Temps were around the freezing point, but the windchill made it seem colder. The first falcon sighting of the morning occurred at 6:10 when one landed on the State Building. The other joined it only minutes later. There was a mating attempt at just before 7 AM, but it was too short to be successful. Twenty minutes later Ares screeched to the nest. He called to his mate, but she was content to stay on the State Building. While in the box, he ate a few stones. At 7:30, she was flying. The pair’s mating vocalizations were heard twice in a row, but we weren’t sure where the birds were. Following that, Astrid was at the box. While there she took the opportunity to ingest some stones as well. It seemed to be the day for that particular activity. Both falcons were back on the State Building after that and they were definitely in hunting mode. They were making frequent forays after prey. Interestingly, both left in tandem each time, which suggested cooperative hunting. At 11:40, Astrid and Ares were both on the hotel. Astrid had prey (probably a Starling) and was feeding while her mate stood by. It wasn’t clear which one originally captured the prey or if it was a food tribute from him to her. After she fed for about twelve minutes, he came over and tried to take some! We thought he wasn’t doing that kind of thing anymore. Regardless, she flew off with the food, but then came right back and put down in the same spot. He tried to take it again, and they both flew off, only to return yet again to the very same place on the ledge. He stopped trying to muscle in on the food and yet they flew off and came right back one additional time. At that point, it was hard to believe they weren’t just having fun. It was very windy after all, and falcons love the wind. It accentuates their already awesome superpowers. After she flew away, he checked out the leftovers. It was just feathers. She finished it all. When she left the hotel she flew back to the State Building and Ares came to the box. He called to her, but again, he wasn’t able to persuade her to come over. At 1:15, Ares had caught his own meal (a Starling) and was eating it on the hotel. After finishing his it, he joined Astrid on the State Building. In the mid-afternoon, he came to the box a couple of times. He was still trying to lure her over. At one point she did some fancy soaring around the canyon, but she didn’t stop at the box, despite his invitations. In the late afternoon Ares was out of sight for a while. Finally, at 5:40 PM, he reappeared. He had prey and was plucking it on a ledge to the west of the nestbox. After processing the meal and feeding on it for a while, he brought it to the nest. Astrid joined him and they did a food transfer. She took the morsel over to the hotel and ate it. She was back on the State Building at 6:10. A minute later Ares gave a cackle-type alarm call and dashed out of the box. We saw him soaring high around the canyon, but we didn’t see what had gotten him upset. He landed on the lookout post. For the next hour or so, he kept switching to different lookout positions on the roof of the State Building. After that he went to his night perch, like Astrid had done about an hour before.