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The overnight was rainy and chilly with temperatures in the high thirties. Some snow squalls occurred after dawn, but most were over by 8:00 AM and the sky began to clear. The temperature was 40 degrees by noon, although a driving wind made it seem colder. By late afternoon, we had reached 50 degrees. As expected, Astrid was on her eggs all night long. Ares showed up on the State Building at around 5:40 AM and he screeched to the box five minutes later. The pair did a quick switch and then Astrid went to the State Building. The next changing of the guard occurred at 8:35 and then Astrid was back on the nest. initially Ares was on the State Building but seemed to be making occasional forays. At 10:46 she was calling from the nest and reacting to something happening – maybe he was actively chasing prey. At 11:14 he was back on a State Building perch. Almost an hour later he was out on another mission only to return a few minutes after that. When he left at 12:52 PM we didn’t see him again on camera until 3:11 when he popped into the box to ask for a turn on the eggs. By that point Astrid had been sitting for well over 6 hours. She had called out a few times from the nest. We didn’t know if she was doing it because she saw him or because she wanted him to take a shift. Regardless, once he had arrived she took little convincing to leave and he climbed onto the eggs. At 3:14 she was on the State Building. At 4:23 they both began giving cackle-type alarm calls. Ares was quite upset; he got off the eggs and dove into the canyon. Without missing a beat, Astrid came right over and resumed incubating the eggs. She hadn’t had a very long break and now she was most likely going to spend the balance of the afternoon as well as the entire night on the eggs. As for Ares, he seemed to be making forays into the territory – hunting for birds most likely. He was seen on the County Building a couple of times before 7:32 and then he was off – probably to his night perch. Goodnight falcons.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RATmKH1ItQM

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wh1fqguB3rY

Wet heavy snow fell heavily through the night and through the morning accumulating up to a foot in some localities. The temperature remained in the mid-thirties and the wind picked up as the day progressed. Astrid was on the eggs all night long. Ares screeched to the nestbox at 5:00 AM and the pair did a quick switch on the eggs. The next changing of the guard occurred at 7:47. That time Astrid took over. At 8:25 our streaming cameras all went down and for a while we had no way of knowing what the falcons were up to for about three hours. When the cams came back online at 11:47 Astrid was on the eggs (still or again) and Ares was on the State Building. The PTZ cameras were still partially obscured by snow and ice. At 12:14 PM Ares screeched to the box again and the pair switched without complaint or coercion. She went over to the State Building. At 12:45 Ares gave a cackle-type warning call from the nest which likely meant that a Turkey Vulture was flying through the canyon. Neither him nor Astrid gave chase.  At a few minutes before 1:00 PM Ares gave a squeak call – that meant that Astrid was up. We located her a few minutes later. She was feeding in some leftovers (perhaps from Ares’ pantry) on the upper ledge of the hotel. Snow was still falling but it had eased up from what it had been earlier. Rain was also starting to mix in. At 1:11 she was finished with her meal, and she flew over to the northeast corner of the same ledge. At 1:20 she took off and went directly to the State Building. When Ares saw her come through, he started calling like he saw an intruder. He got off the eggs and darted into the canyon. While he was landing on the State Building, she left her perch and flew to the nestbox. She quickly got onto the eggs. At 3:12 PM the falcons switched again, and Ares took over on the nest. Astrid was on the State Building at 4:28. Thirty minutes later Ares was squeaking as if she had flown, but she was still on her perch. He kept squeaking for a few minutes – perhaps he wanted her to take over on the eggs. She finally did leave but she didn’t come to the nest. She returned to the State Building a few minutes before 6:00. At 6:35 PM the falcons switched probably for the last time for the day. Ares flew to the State Building initially but was up and out of view before long. Goodnight falcons.

The overnight period was cold and precipitation free. The temperature got down to 26 degrees. Fortunately conditions improved after daybreak – the skies were clear, and it soon got into the mid-forties. The wind remained an issue – portending the wintery blast that would come in the evening and on Tuesday. Astrid was on the nest all night. Ares screeched to the nestbox at 5:40 AM. They did a rapid switch, and she flew off into the canyon. At 6:36 Astrid was on the hotel where she did some preening. She flew to the steeple at 6:42. We couldn’t tell if she had a crop or if her chest feathers were just fluffed out due to the cold. We think the latter scenario was more likely. The falcons switched at 7:05 and Astrid took over on the eggs. Ares left without complaint. He was back again just before 9:00 asking for another turn but she sent him away. At around 10:22 we heard some cackle alarm calls. We weren’t sure what brought that on – probably a migrant raptor or vulture. At 10:32 Ares screeched up to his favorite pillar perch. An hour later he darted off somewhere but then came back to a different pillar at 10:40. He was almost directly above the nest box and he and Astrid had a lively conversation. He was giving long calls and she was chirruping. It could be that she wanted him to catch a fresh meal for her. He looked like he was watching for prey – he kept looking down at birds flying over Elizabeth Street. At 11:42 he flew down to the crossperch. He asked to take over on the eggs, but she said no (very loudly) and he went to the east veranda instead. From there he moved to the east ledge. It really seemed like he was guarding the box closely today – maybe due to the recent intruders. The falcons switched at around noon and Ares got to incubate the eggs.

At 12:21 PM Ares began giving warning chirps from the nest. He got off the eggs and dashed off towards the west and quickly flew out of camera view. Astrid had just landed on the State Building, but then flew to the box and resumed incubation. The eggs were only uncovered for about a minute. At 12:32 Ares returned to the canyon and screeched up to his pillar perch. He was preening but he was also trying to bring up a pellet. Astrid started vocalizing from the box again; possibly trying to encourage him to hunt up some lunch. He came to the box at 12:39 and was keen to take over on the eggs. Astrid denied his request. He was still trying to bring up a pellet while he was attempting to shift her, so the scene was preposterous. He soon gave up and flew to the east veranda. From there he flew back up to his pillar. At 1:26 Ares tried once again to get Astrid to give him a turn on the eggs. He walked up behind her but wasn’t pushy. He gave up and ate a stone before flying out again. He then boomeranged back and landed on the east veranda.  At 1:52 Ares hopped back into the nest and asked to take over on the eggs again. He got up right behind her, stepped on her, and bent her tail to the side, but she still didn’t get up. He left instead, this time going over to the west veranda. From there he flew to his pillar. At 2:46 and at 3:46 Ares tried again. The second time he invaded her space and tread on her wingtips and tail, but it didn’t work. She wasn’t leaving. He hopped off to the east veranda and then back to his pillar. He was still very much in nest guarding mode. At 4:50 when he tried again, the magic worked, and Astrid ceded the box to him. At 5:32 Astrid was flying back and forth in front of the west face of the State Building. She was likely checking Ares’ pantry ledges. A few minutes later she dashed towards the hotel, but we didn’t find her over there. Six minutes later she was on an upper ledge and eating something which looked like pantry food. She was up again after only a few minutes and back on the State Building. At 6:02 she was back to the hotel and this time was plucking something more substantial. We couldn’t confirm what it was, but it may have been a dark Pigeon. She fed until about 6:30 and then flew to the State Building. She came to the nest at 6:52. She wanted to take over incubation, but Ares wasn’t ready to leave so she let him stay a while longer. The final switch of the night happened at around 7:40 PM. Astrid was on the nest just as the rain and snow were starting to fall. The storm may bring a substantial amount of snow to the region. We shall see. Goodnight falcons.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JniUs-yMWkM

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4hjifV5O_jo

The overnight was cold and blustery with some snow flurries. Snow continued to fall between dawn and 11:00 AM and there were some intense snow squalls during that period. Threat of more flurries and squalls continued into the afternoon but there were also breaks of sun. Afternoon temperatures never exceeded 42 degrees.  Astrid was on the eggs through the night. Ares came to the box at 5:53 AM and the pair did a very quick switch. At 6:38 we located Astrid on the hotel. She appeared to be in hunting mode. At 7:05 she was plucking something on the hotel. It wasn’t a pigeon so its unlikely that she caught it. More likely it was something drawn from Ares’ pantry. By 7:28 she was on the State Building. The pair switched again at around 8:00 and then Astrid was back on the eggs. Ten minutes later Ares was heard giving loud chirping-type alarm calls. An intruder was in the canyon. At one point, the brazen falcon, which looked to be an immature, displaced Ares from his perch on the State Building. Astrid was not at all happy and started calling excitedly from the nest while Ares went up to his lookout post. Astrid then got off the eggs and darted out of the box in pursuit. It was 30 degrees and snowing heavily, but that didn’t seem to slow anyone down. As it happened, the eggs were left uncovered for less than a minute. Ares came in and took over incubating. Given the falcons’ reaction to the intruder, it must’ve been a female and therefore very much Astrid’s problem. At 8:22 Astrid was back to the nest and asking to take over on the eggs. Ares didn’t want to leave and so she let him stay. She was back at 8:50 and that time they did switch. Meanwhile our PTZ cameras were icing up and it was getting hard to see the falcons away from the box. At 11:13 Ares left a perch on the State Building and dashed off towards the west.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tJP8j9PJjwY

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PRkszEcNXdw

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vsOclXZLeww

At 11:51 AM Astrid quietly got off the eggs and sailed off into the canyon. Ares dashed to the box and was on the eggs in less than a minute. At 12:19 PM Astrid landed on the State Building – she had returned from chasing off the intruder. Ares called out when she made her landing. The next changing of the guard was a fast one and took place at 1:27. A few stray rain/snow showers hit in the mid-afternoon frame, but there were also more breaks of sun. The wind continued unabated. At 4:15 Astrid left the box and Ares came in a couple minutes later – from where, we don’t know. He had been out of view for a few hours. Astrid was then out of camera view for a while. She was back to the State Building at 5:05. At 5:48 she flew over to the box and the pair executed a quick switch. It seemed like it was going to be their last changeover of the day, but then at 6:30 Astrid became alarmed and hopped off the eggs. She flew out into the canyon and quickly disappeared from view. It’s likely that the intruder was back. Ares was up on his lookout post again. When she flew out, he made a dramatic dive off the roof and then swooped up to the nest. The eggs had remained uncovered for only a minute. At 6:48 she returned to the nest. She came into the box and asked to take over on the eggs, but Ares didn’t want to leave. She consented to let him stay a little longer and went to a perch on the State Building. At 7:39 PM she was back, and this time Ares was ready to go. She took over on the eggs just as he was flying out. Goodnight all.

Little Falls Falcon Update: Incubation continues at the Little Falls nest. At 11:13 AM the male of the pair (Erie) was giving alarm calls. We believe it was due to a Turkey Vulture that flew too close to the nest building. Otherwise, the pair were sharing incubation duties as expected. We have a video of Anna coming onto the nest. Enjoy

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xVMdnxY-ZxI

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=M5QizRnvTH8

The overnight was chilly and wet with temperatures in the high 30’s. Conditions altered little through the morning, with rain continuing into the afternoon. Astrid was tight on the eggs all night. Ares arrived to relieve her at 5:22 AM which was earlier than he had been coming in recent days. At 6:25 we located Astrid on the State Building. She was back to the box for her next turn at 7:00. It was a quick switch. He flew over to the State Building and was there until about 8:12. In the subsequent ninety minutes he was up and down from the State Building a few times and then back to the nest for another changing of the guard. It was Astrid’s turn to sit on the State Building. The next switch occurred at 11:14 and Astrid was back on the eggs. At 12:20 PM Ares had prey on the hotel. It may have been leftovers – it was hard to tell. When he was finished at 12:30 he went back to the hotel.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_wEQddyG-GA

At 1:23 PM Ares flew to the box and asked for a turn on the eggs. When Astrid didn’t get up right away, he walked behind her and started threatening to oust her. She got up after only a minute and ceded the nest to him. Once out of the nest she seemed to be engaging in the same task he was earlier – hunting from the State Building. It seemed each time we checked on her she was on a different perch – meaning that she was making forays. By 2:50 we hadn’t seen her in a while. It turned out she was on the south facing perch on the steeple. At 3:22 she moved to a different steeple perch. At 3:37 Astrid came to the nest, and they did a fast switch. Ares was on the hotel at 4:04. He appeared to be in hunting mode. At 5:05 (ish) Astrid called from the box. She probably saw Ares flying through the canyon. We heard his screech call at 5:12. Shortly after that he was on the hotel plucking prey. It may have been a flicker. He fed on it for a while before bringing it to Astrid at the box. At 5:39 she took it (what was left of it) and flew over to the hotel. She stayed on the hotel (on three different perches) until 6:26 when she darted off after something. She was back on the State Building a minute later – Ares gave a squeak call when she landed. The rain had stopped by 4:00 and the sun broke out at around 6:30 PM. Still, the temperature barely exceeded 40 degrees. At 6:50 Astrid landed on the crossperch. Ares got off the eggs with little prompting and she took over incubation. He was on the State Building for a little while after leaving the box, but then was out of camera view. We think the pair had settled for the night. Goodnight falcons.