Author: Matt Perry

Early this morning a very anxious Ares tried his best to lure Astrid into the nestbox with food. He flew in and out again and again, calling and looking desperate. Finally near the end of this 6 minute clip, Astrid shows up and takes the meal. Success at last!

Today was a calmer and wetter day than yesterday. There were no exciting chase scenes – thankfully. For the most part the pair kept close to vicinity of the nest box. Ares caught prey for his mate at least 3 times. Later in the afternoon Astrid and Ares performed a courtship display at the box. Here’s the video:

It was yet another active day for the Utica Peregrines. Two early morning matings at the nest box and two food exchanges took place. The pair continues to show great fidelity to the nest box. They keep close tabs on it throughout the day. It’s highly likely that interlopers in search of their own territory will be coming into the canyon in the coming weeks. It will be Astrid and Ares’ top priority to keep control over the site. No doubt there are to be some exciting times ahead!

These days Astrid and Ares are spending a great amount of time at the nest box or in view of the box. This morning they’ve already mated two and a half times at the box. I say “half” because the second attempt was aborted for some reason. Ares brought Astrid some prey soon after that last attempt so apparently there are no hard feelings.

As the weeks proceed it is getting harder and harder for the falcon watchers to track Skye and Comet. They are both disappearing from the downtown canyon for increasingly longer periods – sometimes not even returning at nightfall. Most likely they are spending that time exploring and hunting. We know for a fact that Comet has been doing some of his own hunting for weeks now. Even though Skye may still be somewhat hampered by his injury, he too has been witnessed pursuing prey. Also, his appearing on high perches on a variety of buildings gives us confidence that he is getting around sufficiently. The independence of the immature falcons is in part prompted by their parents’ ceasing to provide as much food as they used to. Just a week ago, many ledges in the canyon held prey – most caught and cached by Ares. Now those cupboards are bare and the youngsters are forced by hunger to do more than just beg to their parents. Based on last year’s experience we expect that the immatures will leave the area by the end of August. It seems that Comet is skilled enough to leave at any time, but he may just choose to remain in the prey-rich environment of the city, at least for a little while longer. Skye will likely stay longer in order to properly hone his skills and increase his stamina. This is the time that our remaining Fledge Watch Volunteers will be experiencing serious falcon withdrawal. It’s hard to believe this breeding season is nearly wrapped!