Utica Peregrine Falcons Update for Tuesday, April 4th, 2023
It was cool and rainy overnight. The temperature was around 43°. Light rain continued through the morning. The temperature ultimately got up to 50° by evening. Astrid spent most of the night in the nestbox. At 11:50 Monday evening she left the egg and went out on to the crossperch. It was raining at that time. At 12:20-ish she left, but then returned only a minute to an east ledge. She left the ledge at 1:12 and came back to the box. She spent a few minutes on the long perch before going into the nest box. Ares showed up at 5:22-ish and the pair did their first switch of the day. Astrid flew to the State Building and Ares was on egg duty. At 5:50 the pair mated on the State building, after which, Astrid came over to the nest. The falcons did another switch at 6:39. Astrid flew back to State Building while Ares got some preening done on the crossperch. They mated again at 6:53 – presumably on the State Building. At 7:14 Astrid came to the east veranda and Ares to the box. They mated on the veranda at 7:40, and then again at 8:15. Astrid then moved to the Steeple, and at 8:17 and there was an aborted mating there. At 8:25 the falcons converged at the nestbox and conducted a ledge display. Ares was out at 8:28 and Astrid stayed and settled onto the egg. At 8:52 he came back to the nest and ask for a turn with the egg. She sent him out. Astrid then moved onto the west veranda and the pair mated there at 9:19. At 9:55 Astrid was still on the veranda and Ares was talking to her from the box. She was asking to mate again. At 10:22 Astrid was in the box and on the egg. Ares came in at 10:56. They kind of conducted a ledge display but it was also an attempted switch. Mostly it seemed that Ares was checking to see if there was another egg yet. He walked around behind her during the interaction and peered underneath her. She sent him away after a few minutes. Ares was on his pillar perch at 11:31. A minute later he was back at the nest and lobbying for a turn with the egg. Once again, he walked around behind Astrid to see if she was concealing a second egg. Of course, there wasn’t one and she sent him away.
At 12:15 PM, after a couple of perceptible contractions, Astrid laid her second egg for the 2023 season. The interval between the two eggs was 59 hours and 46 minutes which is a little on the short side for Astrid who usually produces eggs at intervals of 60 to 62 hours. The new egg was wet and glossy, and appeared more reddish brown than the first one. At 12:19 Ares came into the box. He walked around behind Astrid once again, and this time he perceived two eggs. Of course, she sent him out. At 12:55 Ares brought prey to the long perch. Astrid didn’t come out to accept it and so he left. Most likely, he stored it on one of his pantry ledges. A few minutes later, he was up on his pillar perch. He had some gore on his bill and some blood on his talons from the prey he just had. At 1:30 Ares came back to the box and this time Astrid consented to switch. He came onto the two eggs as soon as she left. She ended up on the east veranda. The pair mated there at 1:34. Five minutes later, Ares was back on his pillar perch, and Astrid was back with the eggs. The next switch occurred at 2:27. Astrid went to the steeple and Ares took a shift with the eggs. Sometime before 3:19, the falcons switched again. This time it was Ares that was on the Steeple while Astrid guarded the nest. At around 3:30 Ares brought prey to the box. Astrid took it over to the hotel. At 4:04 Astrid was back on the steeple. She had a large crop and had obviously eaten well. Meanwhile Ares was pulling nest duty. At 4:47 PM Astrid came to the nest and relieved Ares. He was on the State Building for a while but eventually left for his night perch. As for Astrid, she seemed to be settled in for the night. We expect the next egg to be laid late Thursday night or early Friday morning. Goodnight falcons.