The overnight was cool and a little foggy. It was close to fifty degrees at daybreak. During the morning the sun was out, and the temperature quickly rose to 70 degrees. By late afternoon the temperature was in the high seventies. Astrid spent part of Thursday evening out on the crossperch and not brooding. Notably, for the first night in a long time, there were no overnight feedings. Ares brought prey to the nest at 4:54 AM. Astrid took it and conducted a long feeding session. Ares had moved to the west veranda and remained there while the feeding was going on. At 5:48 Ares brought more prey to the box. This time it was a migrant sandpiper called a Dunlin. He has caught a few of those in the past. Astrid fed it to the chicks who took it slowly since they were already full from the last meal. Astrid left the box when the meal was done at 6:01 and Ares screeched over to chick-sit only a minute later. He proceeded to do his approximation of brooding. At 6:30 Astrid flew over from the State Building and took over brooding. Ten minutes later she was out on the crossperch – and then, shortly after, she was back and brooding again. At 7:25 Ares brought food to the east veranda. Astrid scrambled over to take it, flew into the canyon with it, boomeranged back, and took it into the nest. She then conducted another feeding. At 8:40 Ares came to the east veranda with still more prey, Astrid took it, flew into the canyon and, once again, flew into the box and carried out another feeding. The chicks were still full, so it was a truncated session. When it was over at 8:44 she took off and presumably stored the leftovers. Four minutes later Ares screeched in and started guarding/brooding the chicks. At 8:52 the parents began a series of rapid switchovers: She took over from him; she left abruptly; he was back; he was out……etc. it was getting confusing! At 9:48 Astrid got up onto the nestbox roof which meant she was mad about people in offices. She managed to restrain herself from hazing the 15th floor this time. At 11:21 Ares popped into the box to do a chick check. He wasn’t in with them long. At 11:36 he had prey and he landed on the east veranda. Astrid grabbed it from him and started a feeding. The feeding had scarcely begun when Ares started cackling. He soon took off after something. Astrid then became highly distressed. She produced a loud cackle call and dived out of the box with the food in her talons. We didn’t see what it was that upset them, but it must have come close to elicit such a dramatic defensive response. At 11:37 she was back to the box. She cackled again and then resumed doling out the food to the chicks.
At 11:45 AM Ares was back from his police action, and he was minding chicks while Astrid was on the State Building. At 12:41 Ares left the nest. We heard chirpings-type alarm calls this time which indicate that they were dealing with a Peregrine intruder. At 12:42 Astrid returned and was on the west veranda. She was then back and forth between the nest area and the State Building several times in the subsequent half hour. By 2:00 Ares had been in the nest box with the chicks. The temperature had risen into the mid-seventies by this time, and it was mostly sunny. However, a persistent wind made conditions inside the box more tolerable. Astrid came in and relived Ares. She brought some prey in with her and started a feeding. At 2:34 Ares screeched to the long perch. At 3:54 he was shading the chicks. Astrid came in two minutes later and took over shading duties – at least for a few seconds. She was out on the crossperch by 4:15. Five minutes later she moved over to the east veranda. The chicks were then left alone for an extended time. The parents weren’t even in view for much of it. At 5:29 Ares screeched to the nestbox. The chicks had been crowded into the only shady corner of the box, and they began squealing when they saw their father come in. A minute later Astrid came in to take over watching the nestlings. During this time, we noted that one of the chicks did some proper wing flapping for the first time. At 5:45 Astrid was back with another meal. She proceeded to feed them in their shady corner. In less than ten minutes the meal was over, and Astrid had left the box. At 6:17 it was Ares’ turn to bring food. No sooner had he landed on the crossperch then Astrid blasted in from nowhere and grabbed it. She tired to get the chicks interested in another feed, but they weren’t very enthusiastic. She gave up after a few minutes of trying and left to store the food. And then, only seven minutes later, Astrid was again trying to feed them. Three minutes later she gave up and left. At 6:27 Ares was to the nest with prey! Astrid took it and once again, was trying to top off the nestlings. It still wasn’t really working. She took the food and flew into the canyon with it. While she was gone one of the chicks held a bird leg in her talons and picked at it. After angling it and dropping it a few times, she swallowed the thing. At 6:48 both parents were observing the nest from their perches on the State Building. At 7:23 Ares flew over to the box and got the nestling squealing in their corner. Three minutes later Astrid was in trying to feed them again. She doesn’t give up easily! She was out after only a few minutes. We weren’t sure if they finished the meal this time or if she stopped it prematurely. At 8:40 Astrid was on the west veranda and from there she moved to the crossperch. She was gone at 9:37 PM and probably watching the nest from the State Building. One of them was up there anyhow. At a few minutes before 10:00 Ares screeched to the box with food. Astrid blasted in and did a feeding. The hours between 9:00 and midnight are actually the rarest time for feedings to take place at the Utica nest, so it was a unusual event. Goodnight falcons.
Little Falls Falcon Video:
