Author: Matt Perry

Update for Sunday, May 19, 2024

For our longtime friends and supporters at Grace Episcopal Church, this season the Utica Peregrine Falcon Project is honoring the church by using names inspired by the names of prominent clergy and staff. The eldest chick, a female, is named Caris; the middle chick, possibly a female, is Vol; and the youngest, probably a male, is Richae. In Welsh and Greek, Caris signifies love, grace, and kindness. In Latin, Vol means someone who is strong and healthy. In English, Richae denotes an individual who is responsible, self-sufficient, and dependable.

The chicks got fed several times overnight and the meals kept coming until around 8:30 AM, and then there was a long pause. In fact, no more food came into the nest until Ares brought a Black-billed Cuckoo at 3:20 PM. It was the second cuckoo known to be served that day. Interestingly, Astrid dutifully doled them out, even though they are her among her least favorite prey items. The mid to late afternoon was very warm on Sunday and it got quite hot in the box. Both parents took turns shading the nestlings

Update for Saturday, May 19, 2024

This morning, when the chicks woke up in the nest, we noticed they had begun developing their dark masks overnight. Along with the small fringe of feathers on their tails and wings, these subtle plumage changes mark the beginning of a significant molt into juvenile plumage. Nestling falcons undergo a remarkable transformation as they shed their white downy plumage. This process typically starts around three weeks of age, with the fluffy white down being replaced by sleek, cryptically patterned juvenile plumage. These new feathers, darker and more streamlined, provide better protection for the young birds and are essential for their future flight capabilities.

By the time they reach five to six weeks old, most nestlings have completed this molting process, sporting a full set of juvenile feathers. This marks a critical stage in their development as they prepare to leave the nest and embark on their first flights. The transition from down to feathers not only signifies their growth but also their readiness to begin honing their hunting skills, a key aspect of their survival.

Of course, observing the early stages of their plumage change is a reminder that fledgewatch is not far off. In less than four weeks, volunteers will gather at the nest site in downtown Utica, ready to help Astrid and Ares spot and safeguard their young as they venture into the canyon on untested wings.

Probably no Overnight Feedings, Plenty of Nest Guarding and Lots of Shading in the Afternoon

Update for Friday, May 17, 2024

My video feeds shut down last night and so I am not sure if there were any feedings between 10:00 PM and 2:30 AM. We predict that nocturnal feeding will slow down and stop altogether as the chicks continue to develop. At 2:30 AM Astrid was on the long perch, standing guard. Most probably she was there for the entire night. A&A are serious about guarding the nest every year but this year they seem particularly vigilant. We believe the threats they are guarding against are primarily falcon intruders – would-be usurpers of the territory, and people on nearby rooftops and in office windows. Another threat to the nestlings is overheating. The parents respond to this by turning themselves into parasols and providing shade during the hottest parts of the day – generally in the mid to late afternoon frame. When it came to shading, both parents took turns and at one point, they were both shading simultaneously. Regarding the nestlings, when they weren’t being shaded or fed, they spent most of their time crashed out on the floor in the back of the box – looking a bit like piles of oddly shaped hunks of cotton wading. When they weren’t doing impressions of stray pieces of insulation, they were hobbling around in the box, flapping their wings, and practicing their squealing calls.

Update for Thursday, May 16, 2024

The nestlings continue to develop rapidly. We are now seeing the beginnings of a fringe of wing feathers on the chicks. Their behavior is changing too. They now have better visual abilities. They can peer into the Canyon to veiw their parents’ exciting exploits.  They now react with excitement when a parent flies towards the nestbox. They have also just begun utilizing most of the nest floor – moving around in a more coordinated manner.  As for the floor of the box, it is becoming covered with the feathers of prey. Many of the species the feathers belonged to can be identified. Most obvious are the feathers of a Yellow-billed Cuckoo, Northern Flicker, Virgina Rail, and Blue Jay. Astrid brought in the Virginia Rail in the late morning. Undoubtable, the rail was caught by Ares as he hunted the Mohawk River Floodplain. Astrid had only gotten a few minutes into the rail feeding when she suddenly picked up the food again and left – cackling loudly as she went. We checked around with our PTZ camera, But couldn’t locate any intruder or Astrid and Ares for that matter. Of course, before long they returned to the north face of the State Building, none-the-worse for the adventure.  

Update for Wednesday, May 15, 2024

For most of the day the three nestlings kept to the back corner of the nestbox where they were often invisible to our nest cameras. People looking at or live camera feed were only seeing one chick and sometimes no chicks at all, depending on how closely they were tucked against the back wall. Indeed, they were real corner trolls today. One of the chicks did more walking around than the others today. In fact, it shuffled all the way over to the opposite corner at the back of the box, and it did it while a feeding was underway. The chicks did get fed a lot today. There were a couple of feedings overnight and one especially long feeding in the early morning. That one had to a Pigeon. Astrid spent about 34 minutes stuffing them until their crops resembled balloons on the verge of bursting. The chicks are starting to exercise more today; not just walking, but wing flapping as well.