News, video, and more about Utica's Peregrine Falcons
February 23, 2024 – Action observed in the downtown canyon on Friday included: three mating attempts at the box area (two were successful). There was lots of nest site guarding, and one ledge display at the box. At the end of the day Astrid was seen feeding on a Pigeon on a ledge of the hotel.
Astrid and Ares have been ramping up breeding behavior in the downtown canyon over the last few weeks. They have been mating, engaging in flight displays, and performing ledge displays at the nest box. Yesterday morning (February 21st) was the first time this season we confirmed Ares gifting food to Astrid. It happened again this morning and it occurred at the nestbox.
They have been spending a lot of time in the vicinity of the box today – guarding it and keeping watch for interlopers.
Announcing UPFP’s
FALCON SEASON FINALE!
Friday, October 13, 2023, 6-8 PM
Join us for a fun evening to celebrate and commemorate another great year of falcon watching with cofounders Matt Perry and Deb Saltis!
– An awesome presentation by Matt with never-before-seen photos!
– Italian buffet from Bella Cucina! ($10 per person, RSVP by Monday, 10/9 so we have an accurate count, cash pay at event.)
– Special dessert for 10th anniversary of Astrid & Ares raising chicks in the nest box!
All in Utica’s historic Grace Church – the Munson Room on the second floor. Park in Grace Church upper parking lot (where Fledge Watch happens)!
RSVP – text or call Diane at 760-822-4475 by Monday, 10/9! All are welcome – we’d love to see you there!
Utica Peregrine Falcons Update for Wednesday, June 14th, 2023
It was cool and rainy overnight with temperatures in the 50s. Rain continued through the day. The high temperature was in the low 60’s. Astrid was around the box area for much of the night. She was on the east veranda for a while and then moved to an east ledge, and then she was out of view. Ares was on the State Building late last night but then out of view in the predawn hours. Astrid came to the long perch at 4:42 AM. Predictably, that got the nestlings up and active. Astrid tried to go into the box, most likely to look for food scraps, but the nestlings were too excited to let her pass. At 5:22 Ares brought prey to the nest. Astrid took it but promptly lost it to Niles. Niles took the food to the back corner of the box. Ares went to an east ledge and Astrid was on the crossperch contemplating how to recover the food. At 5:38 Amelia got a turn feeding in the back of the box. At 5:42 she was on the lip of the box eyeing the east veranda. At 5:51 Niles was flapping his wings inside the box. A few minutes later he was up on the lip of the box. He did some flapping while there much to our consternation. At 6:15 Niles had come back onto the floor of the box and was trying to bring up a pellet. At 6:48 Niles got back up onto the lip of the box followed by Amelia. They were both up and down from the lip several times in the subsequent thirty minutes. At 7:18 Amelia went over to the west veranda! Ten minutes later, Niles crossed over to the veranda as well!! Of course, this move wasn’t so surprising with Amelia given her stage of development. Her flight feathers are all in and she has very little downy white plumage left. However, we have never had a nestling that looks like Niles, with all his fluffy white down, go onto a veranda. The two of them seemed to be having a great time, interacting, flapping their wings, exploring, and napping. As it happened they would remain there for the balance of the day. At 8:25 there was a food drop, we did not see it but suddenly Niles had food at the back of the veranda. It didn’t look very large and was probably just scraps. At 10:25 Ares was on his pillar perch to the east of the nest and Astrid was on the State Building. It was still raining. Astrid flew over to the roof of the nestbox at 10:34. Ten minutes later she came to the crossperch. The nestlings became excited, but they did not try to scramble back into the box. At 11:46 Ares brought food to the far edge of the west veranda. Astrid flew over to take it and immediately lost it to Niles. Niles brought the food to the back of the veranda. He then spent some time picking at it. Poor Amelia was missing out once again. At 11:50 Astrid went into the nestbox with leftovers of the white Pigeon she caught the day before. She ate some and then brought what was left to the west veranda. The nestlings were very excited. First, she fed Niles and then Amelia joined in and got a share.
At 12:22 PM Ares was back on his pillar. Astrid was on a pillar as well – one located to the west of the box. The nestlings were quiet and resting in the rain on the west veranda. In light of new evidence, we now think that Amelia is a male falcon. The camera that points at the veranda is not a fisheye and does not distort falcon sizes, and we could clearly see that Amelia (or “Amelio?”) is about the same size as Niles and clearly smaller than Astrid. At 1:47 Amelio was flapping his wings but by 2:18 both nestlings were napping. A minutes later they sprung back into action. At 2:20, probably Ares did a food drop. We missed seeing it but Astrid was feeding Amelio with whatever it was. At 2:32 it was raining again and the nestlings were flapping and horsing around. Being in the rain and the wind has accelerated the loss of Nile’s white down feathers, but he still has more than he should for a veranda bird. At 5:53 Ares was on the steeple and Astrid was on the State Building. The nestlings were active flapping and moving around on the veranda. At 5:55 Astrid came to the long perch. It was raining once again. At 6:32 PM Ares brought prey to the far edge of the west veranda. Astrid flew over and grabbed it but immediately lost it to Amelio. He picked at it for a while and then walked away from it. At 6:40 he went back into the nestbox, seemingly with little trouble – just a few flaps of the wings for balance and he was in. By then the rain was accompanied by some thunder and lightning. Niles was in the middle of the west veranda platform and didn’t seem to be in a hurry to go inside. By 7:00 PM he had moved to the near edge of the veranda platform. He was close to coming into the box but seemed content to stay where he was. By this time Astrid was on the steeple and Ares was on the State Building. An hour later Niles was on the edge of the veranda right near the box. He was facing in and nestled against the base of a pillar. Perhaps he wouldn’t be coming back in tonight. We shall see if he changes his mind later on. Goodnight all.
Utica Peregrine Falcons Update for Tuesday, June 13th, 2023
It rained off and on last night. The temperature was in the 50s. The day was partly cloudy with high temperatures in the mid 60s. Astrid and Ares were visible for part of the night, Ares on the State Building and Astrid on the east veranda. She left the veranda at 2:42 AM. Before she left she flapped her wings in the rain and had a shower. The nestlings became active at around 4:25 AM. At 5:32 we heard Ares call. Both nestlings responded with their own squealing vocalizations. At 5:41 Niles was doing some serious wing flapping. Ten minutes later he surprised us by hopping up onto the lip of the box and staying there. He came back down at 6:00 but then was back up on the lip only moments later. His curiosity was extreme. He was looking all around at the canyon and looking straight down towards the street. At one point it seemed like he was interested in the West Veranda and we were wondering if he was going to try to make it over there. Luckily, he did not. He is not mature enough. His flight feathers are still growing out and he obviously still has a lot of white down in his plumage. We had to strain our brains to think if we ever had a nestling with so much down plumage act so adventurous. Ares arrived on the East Veranda with prey at 7:00. He brought it to the lip of the box where it was promptly grabbed by Amelia. She took it to the back of the box but didn’t seem to know what to do with it. Astrid arrived moments later. It seemed for a moment like she was going to try to recover it but Niles charged her and she left. Ten minutes later Niles was feeding on it in the corner. Amelia had her turn five minutes later. Niles then moved up onto the lip of the box again. By that point Astrid was on the steeple. At 7:30 Ares came to the crossperch. He moved back and forth between the West Veranda and the crossperch a few times. It seemed like he was showing the nestlings where the veranda was. We’ve seen the falcon parents do this kind of thing before. Not to be left out, at 8:00 Amelia started bobbing her head while she was looking out into the canyon. Sometimes that’s a sign that a nestling is about to fledge. At least she looks the part now that she’s lost most of her white down. At 8:20 Ares brought food to the east veranda. Astrid took it, flew away, came back, and started a feeding. Miraculously, the food wasn’t grabbed away by either of the nestlings. She started out by feeding Niles, but Amelia got a turn as well. We couldn’t see what the prey was but obviously it was something sizable, perhaps a Mourning Dove. Astrid finished it after the young both turned away. Astrid left the box at 8:41. At 8:53 Ares made a number of stops on various perches and verandas. Was he encouraging the nestlings to be more active outside of the nest? Astrid was on the steeple at that point. At 8:55 Amelia got up onto the lip of the box. She didn’t stay there for too long. At 9:20 Astrid was on the roof of the nest box giving cackle calls. Eight minutes later she flew into the canyon, cackling as she went. When someone went up on the roof of the bank to do some maintenance both Astrid and Ares carried out some hazing. Thankfully, the work didn’t take very long and the falcons got over it quickly. Astrid was soon back up on the roof of the nest box watching the office window. At 6:56 Amelia was up on the lip of the box looking out into the canyon. She began bobbing her head at one point which was worrisome.
At 12:22 PM Ares brought prey to the nest. Astrid took it but then immediately lost it to Amelia. Astrid grabbed it back and then Niles stole it. He took it to the corner. Astrid left after that. At 12:52 Amelia was in the corner eating scraps and both parents were on the State Office Building. Less than an hour later the nestlings were sprawled out in the nest resting. At 2:00 they had another spurt of activity – dashing around the nest and exercising. Amelia began picking at scraps. At 2:37 Amelia let out a loud cackle call. At 3:19 Astrid came to the nest with most of a Pigeon. She then proceeded to feed it out to the nestlings. She started by serving Niles, but Amelia eventually joined in. They fed until they were not hungry anymore and walked away. Astrid left the nest at 3:37. Amelia did some wing flapping after her mother left. At 3:43 the nestlings beaked and then they squabbled. A parent visited the box at 4:48 and that got the chicks all excited again. At 5:04 Ares was on the east veranda. At one point he started hanging his wings a bit as if he was shading. Of course, there was nobody and nothing to shade on the veranda. At 6:57 PM Amelia was up on the lip of the nest box. She bobbed her head at one point, and we wondered if she was going to attempt to fledge. Thankfully, she went back into the box instead. The nestlings were crashed out on the floor of the box for a while, but at 8:11 they were up and looking out into the canyon. Astrid was on the east veranda by then and Ares was on the State Building. It looks like we might be starting official fledgewatch a little sooner than we thought. We will keep everyone informed. Goodnight all.