The overnight was warm with temperatures in the 60’s. After dawn it quickly warmed up into the 70’s and was breezy. Strong Storms arrived in the midafternoon. Astrid was in and around the nestbox all night. Ares was later than usual with his first food delivery – coming to the box at 3:46 AM. It was something fairly large. Astrid took it, plucked it, and then fed it out to the nestlings. Less than an hour later, at 4:43 Ares was back with the second meal of the morning. Astrid took it and tried to interest the chicks in eating so soon after their last meal. They rallied. At 5:37 there was a changing of the guard and Ares was on duty in the box. Astrid had gone to the State Building. At 6:12 the parents were in nest guarding positions on either side of the nestbox. Since it’s Monday and people were soon to be back in their offices, Astrid will have lots to be mad about. As the young continue to grow, she gets increasingly sensitive about people in windows near the nest. At 6:18 she did a quick flyby of the 15th floor office windows and then hopped into the box to brood the chicks. By 6:45 she went up to the roof of the box to stare at that office window. At 7:09 Ares was in the box with the nestlings. Both parents were in and out of the box quite a bit over the next couple of hours. At 8:20 Astrid was back on the roof of the box, glaring into the window and through the blinds.
At 9:23 AM Ares brought prey to the east veranda. Astrid hopped down from the box roof to take it and then she proceeded to conduct a feeding. At five minutes before 10:00 the parents were in their nest guarding positions once again – on the verandas. At 10:14 Ares brought in another meal. Astrid took it and got into another feeding session. Again, both parents were in and out of the box periodically, doing “chick checks” but not much brooding. At 11:57 she got back up on the box roof. Ares screeched to the box at noon to do a chick check. At 12:58 PM Ares brought another meal to the nest. Astrid took it and conducted a long feeding. Towards the end of it, Ares came onto the crossperch and gave some long calls including a couple of warbly long calls, the meaning of which is unknown to us. At 1:15 the meal was over. Astrid blasted out of the box, swooped by the 15th floor once and then went over towards the State Building. Ares then came into the box, picked up a bird leg that was lying on the floor and started trying to feed it to the chicks. It was his first feeding session with them this season and, even though the chicks were already stuffed, they did accept some pieces from him. He did a great job of tearing small pieces off the upper leg and gently putting them into the nestlings’ gaping bills. He also made some squeaking calls while he fed which was interesting since he’s been most often mute during the feedings he’s conducted. Contrast that with Astrid who also gives loud motivational chirps during feedings. Feathers from recently plucked birds were swirling around in the box during Ares’ brief feeding time. By 1:18 he was back out to the crossperch and soon after Astrid arrived in the box to brood. At 1:22 Ares came to the box with a bat. To our surprise Astrid took it and successfully fed it out to the nestlings. How they were still able to eat more was a great mystery. There may only be two chicks this year, but the eat enough for four or five.
At 1:57 PM Ares was on duty brooding the chicks in the nestbox and Astrid was on the box roof. The storm was approaching, and we wondered if Ares would be staying with them through the storm. At 2:55 just as the rain and lightning began Astrid flew into the box and impatiently ousted Ares. He left and she got on top of the chicks (and the eggs as well). The rain was very heavy and the wind relatively intense for several minutes. By 3:20 the storm had mostly passed although some lightning/thunder was still close by. She left the nest at 4:10 when the storm was well passed. At 4:45 she came back to the box with food – probably from Ares’ pantry. She fed the chicks for about ten minutes and then brooded them. After the storm came through the temperature dropped about ten degrees and it was actually cool for the first time in nearly a week (down to 60 degrees). At 5:18 Ares came to the box and asked for a turn with the chicks. Astrid declined the switch request, and he went to the west veranda. By 6:00 PM the rain and wind kicked up again. Rain fell heavily for a while but there was no lightning this time. Astrid remained in the box brooding the chicks. Ares had been on the State Building but left at some point before 6:15. Astrid called out from the box at around 6:18 – perhaps she saw Ares going after something. By that point the rain had diminished to a drizzle. At 6:28 Ares came to the long perch with prey (already processed). Astrid came out to take it from him on the crossperch. As Ares floated off on the wind, she started feeding the eager nestlings, their crops already ridiculously full. Ten minutes into the meal she kept encouraging them to take more and the chicks were complying (that is when they weren’t falling over in a food stupor). The chicks upright or not kept up with continuous begging calls. Between Astrid’s insistent chirps and the chicks’ begging, it was a more raucous sounding feeding than usual. The feeding ended at about five minutes before 7:00 PM. Astrid started brooding them directly after the meal. It was chilly and the wind made it colder. Likely she will stay on them all night long. Goodnight falcons.
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