The overnight was relatively mild with temperatures in the 50’s. The day was overcast with temperatures rising into the low 70’s by early afternoon. Later in the day, it was close to 80 degrees. Astrid was on the long perch for part of the night but then flew off at 12:49 AM. Ares arrived at the box with a cuckoo at 2:48. Percy and Kara got highly excited and since Astrid wasn’t intervening, Ares started to do a feeding from the lip of the box. The chicks were very intense and snapping at Ares’ bill faster than he could rip off portions of meat. Ares also seemed aware that Astrid could show up at any second and take over the feeding session. He continued with the raucous session for only a couple of minutes and then ceded the food to the nestlings. He went out onto the crossperch. He spent some time on the west veranda after that. Interestingly, during the meal, Astrid was perched on the State Building. Obviously, she knew that he had brought food, but she chose not to interfere. Was this because the prey was a cuckoo? A few minutes after 5:00 the chicks became active in the nestbox and began flapping their wings. At 5:10 Kara found some leftovers on the floor of the box and she began picking at them. Five minutes later Astrid showed up at the nest, hopped in, picked up the cuckoo, and began feeding it to Kara. At 5:24 while the feeding was still going on, Ares showed up at the box with a hunk of something. Astrid was still busy serving out the cuckoo and so Ares just handed it to Kara and jumped out again. The meal was done, and Astrid was out of the box before 5:29. During the meal Percy refrained from feeding. It seemed like he was patiently waiting for his turn while his sister fed. The problem being that the meal ended before he had his turn. At 5:34 Ares was seen doing some flying around the canyon and around the State Building. He screeched to the box, got the kids worked up, and then flew up to his lookout post on the roof of the State Building. Astrid was on the State Building by that point as well. At 5:56 Ares landed on the east veranda with prey. Astrid met him there, took the food, flew off into the canyon, doubled back, and started a feeding. Again, Kara was first in line. Percy stepped up and began getting a share a few minutes in.
At 6:15 AM Ares brought food inside the box. The nestlings were not so intense by this point since they had eaten several times already. Ares concentrated on feeding Kara (again!), accept he was tearing off tiny pieces of meat for her as if she were a hatchling. After a couple of minutes, Ares picked up the food and left the box. We think its because Astrid had just arrived on the west veranda. Ares is having consistently poor luck feeding the young this year. At 7:33 Astrid was on the roof of the nestbox. Obviously, she was waiting for someone in the office behind the window and the blind to make a wrong move. At 10:25 we heard Ares calling from somewhere in the canyon. The chicks took notice and began squealing back. Astrid arrived at the crossperch apparently expecting Ares to have something. He didn’t disappoint; a minute later he landed on the east veranda with prey. Astrid took it and began a feeding. This time both nestlings were fed fairly equally. By 10:34 the meal was done, and Astrid was out of the box. At 11:35 we noticed that Ares was on the upper ledge of the hotel with prey. He was plucking and then feeding. At around 11:40 he brought it to the nest. Astrid grabbed it and conducted the last feeding for the morning. After the meal the chicks had a major wing flapping session. At 12:05 PM Astrid got back on the roof of the nestbox. Ares was on the State Building. At 1:14 one of the parents did a brief chick check at the nest. Ares did another one fifteen minutes later, and another twenty minutes after that. It was close to 80 degrees by midafternoon. It was getting warm in the box, but the parents no longer have the strong compulsion to provide shade. Ares came into the box a couple times in short order. The last time he was chased out by Kara. At 2:18 we heard some long calls and some cackle calls coming from the adults, somewhere in the canyon. Probably a non-falcon raptor or vulture was passing through. Ten minutes later, A&A were watching their domain from adjacent window ledges on the State Building. At 3:31 Astrid was on the west veranda. A minute later Ares came to the long perch. He tried to come in, but Percy was squealing in his face and effectively blocked his entrance. At 4:50 PM Ares again tried to come into the nest box – perhaps he did want to provide shade. However, the chicks were too intense, and he didn’t stay. At 5:40, and then again eight minutes later, Astrid did chick checks at the box. Both times the nestlings squealed but didn’t get up from their reclined positions. At 6:11 Ares brought prey to the east veranda. Astrid took it into the box and immediately began feeding Percy. This time it was Kara waiting patiently (more or less) in the background. Soon they were both being served. After Astrid left, Percy did some impressive wing flapping. His flight feathers are remarkably well developed. Five minutes later, Kara and Percy were peering into the canyon with rapt attention as they watched Pigeons and other birds flying. At 6:42 Percy backed up onto the lip of the box and then flap-hopped into the box. He then got more rambunctious and grabbed his sister with his foot. Astrid had been on the steeple, and when she took off, one of the nestlings let out a loud cackle call. At 6:50 Ares had fresh prey on the hotel. Astrid was perched nearby on the same ledge. He took off and came to the east veranda and Astrid followed, landing on the west veranda. She took off again, came back to the west veranda, scrambled over the crossperch, took the prey from him, and dashed back into the canyon. She came right back to the box and started a feeding. Again, she started feeding Percy first, and while she did Kara bit and footed her tail. Soon they were both being served by Astrid. By 7:02 PM the meal was done and she had left the box. Ares was still guarding the nest from the west veranda and that point. By 7:30 he was up and she was guarding the box from the west veranda. We don’t expect there to be much more action tonight, but we never really know. Goodnight all.