Author: Matt Perry

We’ve now entered the time of year when, in a typical season, the first eggs would be hatching. Instead, we remain without a single egg. It’s not for lack of effort—Ares and Vera continue to behave like a serious, committed pair, doing everything short of applying to an adoption agency. Each passing week makes it increasingly clear that this may be a barren season.

That outcome is especially poignant considering Ares’ age. Had the pair produced young this year, Vera could have benefitted from Ares’ deep reservoir of breeding experience—an invaluable resource for a first-time falcon mother. As things stand, the two remain bonded and deeply engaged in the rituals of courtship, despite no sign that reproduction will follow.

Unless we’re surprised by a very late clutch, we’re now curious to observe how long Ares will continue offering food gifts, and how long the pair will maintain their mating behavior. We expect their frequent and intense ledge displays to continue throughout the season—and likely beyond. These displays are central to how Peregrines maintain their pair bonds year-round, and Ares and Vera seem committed to keeping that connection strong, even if this year doesn’t bring a family.

It has now been a full month since the average date that Astrid would have laid her first egg, and still, no eggs have been produced by Vera. Despite this, both Ares and Vera continue to maintain their downtown territory and engage in courtship rituals, including mating and ledge displays. Both seem highly motivated to keep their pair bond strong.

In recent days, Vera has been less consistent in her visits to the nestbox, though today (Wednesday) she broke that pattern. She made several appearances, including an extended visit to the east veranda where she consumed an entire meal. Later, she spent time in the nestbox doing what appeared to be a sitting session or practice brooding. In a moment of optimism—or maybe confusion—Ares attempted to shift her as if checking beneath her for eggs that might have appeared by surprise.

While it’s increasingly unlikely that Vera will lay any eggs this season, we’ll continue to monitor the pair closely. If anything changes—if Vera defies expectations—we’ll be sure to share it.

Ares and Vera continue to behave as if they are preparing for a breeding season, but Vera’s physiology may have other plans. While we hesitate to definitively say that eggs won’t be happening this year, the truth is that we simply don’t know — and for now, there is still a glimmer of hope.

In the meantime, the pair have been faithfully carrying out the rituals of the season, including ledge displays, food giftings, and matings. Vera has engaged in several practice brooding sessions inside the nest box, while Ares has taken his turn shading what we can only call invisible eggs.

Regardless of the outcome, one thing remains clear: their pair bond continues to strengthen with each passing day, even as the chances of a successful breeding season may be quietly slipping away.

While there are still no eggs in the nest box, Ares and Vera have remained quite active, engaging in all the classic breeding behaviors we expect to see during the first part of the breeding season. In recent days, they’ve also resumed nestbox guarding—something we hadn’t seen much of lately—suggesting a renewed sense of investment in the site.

Perhaps the most intriguing development has been the emergence of “practice incubation.” Vera has taken to lying down in the box as if brooding a clutch, and during one such moment, Ares decided it was his turn. He stepped directly on Vera’s tail, prompting her to stand up so he could settle in on the imaginary eggs himself. Will any real eggs appear this season? It’s impossible to say. But for now, they’re rehearsing their roles with convincing dedication.

With the return of warmer weather, activity in the downtown canyon picked up significantly over the past couple of days. All the expected breeding behaviors were on display: ledge displays, food giftings, and multiple matings. At times, Ares could be seen using food quite deliberately to lure Vera into the nestbox—a time-honored tactic. Ares clearly wants eggs, and since he can’t produce them himself, he’s doing everything he can to convince Vera to handle the task.

On Saturday afternoon, Vera appeared to inch closer to that possibility. She settled into a sitting posture inside the box and remained there for about twenty minutes. It looked very much like brooding behavior. A few days earlier, she had done something similar, so this wasn’t entirely new—but it was encouraging to see it happen again, and for a longer stretch. Perhaps she is indeed preparing to lay eggs, even if she’s taking her time getting there. We are now ten days beyond what would have been the egg laying window for Astrid’s first egg. Having said that, Astrid had laid an egg on Easter Sunday at least once before, perhaps Vera will take on that tradition.