Author: Matt Perry

The 30^th Day on Continuous Incubation – No Pip and No Hatch Yet

So, according to the Falcon Etiquette Handbook, Chapter 3, Section 7, Subsection B, Clause 4, it’s written in bold font: “Male Peregrines shall not, under any circumstances, take nighttime incubation shifts.” But guess who missed that memo? Ares, the maverick falcon who prefers winging it over reading dry ornithological textbooks. Last night, when Astrid took her unscheduled break from nest duty at the fashionably late hour of 12:30 AM, Ares swooped, ready to play Mr. Mom. When Astrid returned 2 1/2 hours later, Ares, dug in his talons and refused to budge for 7 minutes. Some impatient chirping finally convinced him to skedaddle. One can only imagine Ares flying off into the night, muttering about needing to catch up on his Falcon Code of Conduct reading.

Well, today’s egg report is in, and alas, no pips, or cracks, or peeps, or chicks – not yet anyhow.  But fear not, dear egg enthusiasts, for as we’ve hinted before, the grand hatching will most likely start happening on Tuesday or Wednesday. Nevertheless, our egg-watch duties continue unabated, with each egg receiving its fair share of scrutiny whenever we manage to glimpse them during changeovers.

Update for Saturday, April 27, 2024

We tried to get good looks at the eggs during each changeover today to see if any were pipped or had hatched. We saw nothing of the kind. Also, there were no audible sounds emanating from the eggs, and Astrid refrained from shuffling them, a behavior she typically employs to induce hatching. However, the falcons did a lot more changeovers than usual. Generally, their turns on the eggs were shorter. Typically, when the eggs are nearing hatching, Astrid is reluctant to depart from them, yet today she seemed less hesitant, leaving them multiple times without much persuasion. In one instance during the afternoon, Astrid had some difficulty persuading Ares to get off the eggs. She started out using gentle persuasion being quite nice about it using gentle persuasion and tenderly beaking with him,. But after 7 minutes of “nice” not working, she resorted to stepping on him and unceremoniously shoving him off the eggs.

Update for Friday, April 26, 2024

Today, we entered the hatch window, but there were no indications that any of the eggs were nearing hatching. This outcome was expected, as we anticipate the eggs will require a few more days. However, in the afternoon, a Peregrine intruder stirred both Astrid and Ares into action. Despite Ares being in the midst of incubating, he left the eggs unattended to assist Astrid in handling the intruder. Ares returned to the nest after eight minutes, while Astrid continued to confront the intruder alone. The intruder, identified as a female, prompted Astrid to take charge. They were spotted sparring and heading northward. Astrid was not seen in the canyon for over an hour afterward, indicating she was maintaining vigilance.

On Friday afternoon in Little Falls, a hatch was confirmed at the nest on that Adirondack Bank building ledge. The female, Anna, was seen bringing food back to the nest and feeding at least one hatchling. FYI – there are no cameras on that nest, so we have no photos.

Update for Thursday, April 25, 2024

Tomorrow, we enter the hatch window – marking 28 days of continuous incubation. However, I think we can expect the falcon eggs to begin hatching at 33 – 35 days, sometime in the middle of next week. Meanwhile, today started out very cold, with temperatures in the low 30’s! The falcons were careful to stay tight on the eggs all morning. The rest of the day they concentrated on doing quick incubation switches and defending the territory. Astrid was witnessed chasing after a Bald Eagle today.

Update for Wednesday, April 24, 2024

The hatch window commences on Friday, April 26th; however, it’s improbable that any hatching will occur on that day. The eggs are anticipated to hatch somewhere between the 33rd and 35th day of incubation. Wednesday, May 2nd, stands out as the most probable date for our first hatch. But, keep in mind, we’re dealing with Astrid and Ares here—birds known to challenge our expectations. Meanwhile, the falcon pair continues their usual routine of tending to the eggs and vigilantly scanning the skies for intruders.