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Utica Peregrine Falcons Update for Thursday, May 18^th, 2023

It was cold last night with a low temperature of 28 degrees. It warmed up quick during the day and by noon the temperature was approaching 60 degrees. By late afternoon it was 65 degrees. Astrid spent the night brooding her chicks. Ares came to the nest with a small prey item at 1:50 AM. Astrid scrambled along the crossperch to get it from him and then proceeded to do a feeding. Ares brought more prey, another small item, at 3:48. Once again, Astrid took it from the crossperch and handled the feeding. At 5:29 Ares screeched to the box with more prey. This time he hopped inside the box and handed it to Astrid. While she settled in to do the feeding he hopped over to the West veranda. At around 7:15 Astrid left the nest but was back within a minute. At 8:14 Ares brought a Black-billed Cuckoo to the east veranda. Cuckoos had only just migrated back from the South and this was the first one we had seen. Astrid took the cuckoo from him and did a feeding. After 10 minutes she flew out with the leftovers. She came right back and resumed brooding. At 10:02 Ares again screeched to the box with prey. Astrid took it from him on the crossperch and conducted a feeding. Ten minutes later she was out with the leftovers. She came right back after stowing it. At 10:34 Astrid began calling from the box. We think she was probably watching Ares chasing prey or doing something else of particular interest. At 11:46 Astrid left the box and flew over to perch on the State Building. A minute later Ares arrived to babysit. As it happened, she was only gone for a couple of minutes. She came back, Ares left, she resumed brooding. At 12:32 PM Astrid left the box once more. She flew over to the State Building and to a relatively low perch. It was 57 degrees in the canyon, so the nestlings were in no danger. At 12:41 Astrid returned to the crossperch and from there hopped into the box and started brooding again.

At 1:09 PM Astrid was out of the nest again. She took a perch on the State Building. About 15 minutes later Ares was in the nest babysitting. He was gone again at 1:39, only to be back with them five minutes later. The interaction between Ares and the chicks is always interesting to watch. He looks at them with a curious expression like he’s trying to figure out what exactly they are. At 1:46 Astrid came barreling into the box. She was in and he was out. At 2:55 we heard Ares give a screech from somewhere in the canyon. He landed on the long perch and had a male Scarlet Tanager in his talons. I was reasonably sure that I’ve never seen him with one of those before. He has caught at least one female tanager over the years, but this was the first male that we ever confirmed. Astrid took it from him on the crossperch and did a feeding. Astrid left after the meal was over and Ares came back into the box. At 3:58 Ares was busy shading the egg while the two chicks sought shade in the back of the nestbox. Astrid then arrived with a plucked pigeon. Ares headed out and Astrid set about feeding the brood. Ten minutes later she left with the leftovers. At 4:58 the pair did a quick switch and then Ares was in the box with the nestlings. At 5:16 Astrid was preening on the lower steeple perch. She came to the box and relieved Ares at 5:37 PM. At 6:09 one of the chicks walked across the floor to the east side of the box. That was different. Up to date we haven’t seen the chicks doing any walking. Regardless, when Astrid arrived at the box 6:09 she wasted no time picking up the chick with her bill and putting it back with its sibling where she could shade them both with ease. At 6:24 Ares brought prey to the nest. Astrid danced across the crossperch to get it from him, took it inside and began a feeding. At 6:55 Astrid was on the State Building on a relatively low perch – the one she likes these days. Five minutes later she was back in with the chicks. At 7:42 she was digging and doing some housework chores inside the nest. She was back out on the crossperch afterwards. At 8:09 PM Astrid was back inside and brooding the chicks. Ares had been on the north face of the State Building but took off to go to his night perch. Goodnight all.

Utica Peregrine Falcons Update for Wednesday, May 17^th, 2023

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BIHMlfe1YXU

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9q0iLokQsng

The overnight was cold with temperatures down in the mid 30s. The day was breezy and cool with temperatures barely getting into the 50s. Astrid spent the night brooding. There were no overnight feedings for the first time in a while. At around 5:15 AM we could just make out that Ares was on the west face of the State Building. At 5:21 Astrid left the nest. She briefly landed on the north face of the state building but soon returned to the nest and to brooding. At 5:34 we heard some distant screeching calls from Ares. Moments later he landed on the long perch with prey in his talons. Astrid took it from him on the crossperch and proceeded to do a feeding. Five minutes later she flew out with the leftovers. We think it had been already picked over before it came to the nest and she decided to discard it. She was right back to the nest in less than a minute. At 7:00 AM the pair did a quick switch. Ares came in to brood and Astrid flew out. Three minutes later Astrid returned with prey and conducted another feeding. At 7:54 Ares brought prey to the nest. Astrid took it from him, flew off, came back, and began plucking it. She then fed the nestlings. At 8:19 Ares arrived with more food. It was something small this time and, with a few sharp calls, Astrid sent him away. At 10:15 we heard Ares give a long call from somewhere in the Canyon. It likely meant that he caught something, but if he did, he did not bring it to the box. Perhaps he stored it.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kPYQdaTt7-Y

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3vU_NvM6uZc

At 11:20 AM Ares came to the nest, hopped inside, and requested a turn with the chicks. After a few minutes of conversation Astrid left. The nestlings were very vocal with Ares. He went about brooding but he was only really half brooding. Astrid returned with food at 11:28. She then presided over another feeding. At about 12:20 Ares withdrew some food off of one of his pantry ledges on the east face of the State Building and brought it to the nest. Astrid took it and started a feeding. At 1:30 PM Ares flew by the nest giving screeching calls. He landed on the State Building briefly and then took off again. He appeared to be on a hunt. At 2:23 he was at the nest and asking for a turn with the nestlings. Astrid did not want to leave, and he gave up. At 3:32 we heard Ares giving screeching calls in the distance. He then showed up on the east veranda with prey. Astrid came over and took it from him and then flew over to the hotel. The nestlings were alone while she was on the hotel and he was on the east veranda. Ares came into the box at 3:33. He had a small morsel of food in his bill, but he did not offer it to the begging chicks. In fact, he ate it himself. At 3:38 Astrid arrived with plucked and processed food. She then went about feeding the nestlings. At 5:26 Astrid left the box. We weren’t really sure why. Ares was on the east veranda at the time and there did not seem to be any emergency. It was only 51 degrees but the sun was flooding into the box so we were sure that the nestlings were warm enough. At 5:35 Ares came into the nest. Astrid returned to the box ten minutes later and Ares flew out. Astrid left the box again at 5:49. When she came back a couple of minutes later, she stayed on the crossperch for a little while before coming inside. She did not seem upset and was not hazing the building or even giving dirty looks to the office windows. She came back in to brood at 6:03. At 6:12 Astrid left the nest but came right back with food and conducted a feeding.

We’ve gone beyond the likely hatch window for the 4th egg and do not expect it to hatch. We have 2 nestlings in the box – possibly one a male and the other, a female, but it’s really too early to tell for sure. Next week we should be able to make that determination. Goodnight all.

Utica Peregrine Falcons Update for Tuesday, May 16^th, 2023

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iPXWI2UKapA

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

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=v8IyVXxeY94

It was chilly overnight with temperatures in the mid 40s. The sky was hazy during the day, it was windy, and the high temperature was in the mid 70s. Astrid was on nest duty all night. Ares came to the box at 1:14 AM with prey in his talons. He actually hopped into the box to give it to Astrid which was nice so she didn’t have to make her usual perilous scramble across the crossperch to get it from him. Astrid then carried out a feeding. At 3:40 Ares screeched to the nest with another small prey item. Once again, he brought it into the box and handed it off to Astrid. She conducted the feeding. At 5:34 Ares brought yet another meal to the nest. This time Astrid had to do her crossperch scramble to get it. The nestlings were quite full already so this feeding didn’t last very long. Astrid flew out with the leftovers only 5 minutes later. At 5:47 Ares was on the steeple. Astrid hopped out onto the crossperch at 7:35, but it was just for a moment and then she was back in and brooding. At 8:00 Ares screeched over to the box with more food. He hopped into the box with it and handed it to Astrid. She did the feeding. At 9:41 Astrid left the box. We could hear Ares giving long calls from somewhere in the canyon. A minute later he came to the box and he was giving chirping calls. Perhaps there was a falcon intruder? He stood over the nestlings and they were begging to him with bills agape. A few minutes later we noticed that Astrid was on the east veranda perch. At 9:52 she came into the box, Ares left, and she began brooding. At 10:42 AM Ares brought a fully feathered Blue Jay to the nest. Astrid accepted it on the crossperch and then brought it into the box. She did some plucking and then some feeding. At 11:06 Astrid was doing another feeding. We think it may have just been leftovers in the box from the last meal. After that feeding Astrid did some housework. She dug around in the stones for a little bit. When she came back to brood she tucked the egg beneath her and then walked forwards to tuck in the chicks as well. However, in doing so she left the egg behind her and uncovered.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XnQwFhGAJL0

At 1:48 PM we heard Aries screech from somewhere in the Canyon. Astrid took that as a cue to leave the nest. A minute later Aries arrived at the box with prey. Astrid wasn’t there so he hopped in and began feeding the nestlings. He was doing a good job but only three minutes into it, Astrid was back and she took over the feeding. At 2:44 the nestlings were alone in the nest. We weren’t sure why Astrid left. She was back only two minutes later. The Falcons switched at 3:25 PM. Ares enjoyed a very short brooding session. Astrid returned and the Falcons switched again at 3:29. At 4:50 the Peregrines did yet another quick switch. Ares was was on duty. Astrid arrived at 4:55 and Ares was out again. Astrid had brought food with her, and she started feeding the two nestlings. At 5:17 Ares had left his perch on a State Building and Astrid was feeding the chicks. Ares came to the box with another meal at 5:48. Astrid took it and handled the feeding. After the meal she went back to brooding. Ares was on the State Building and remained there until just before dark. Goodnight falcons.

Utica Peregrine Falcons Update for Monday, May 15^th, 2023

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2UIh30jYBO4

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HjpjI-fM0a0

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3ffoys4QVXA

It was cold overnight. The low temperature was in the mid 30s. The first half of the morning was on the cool side but then the temperature rose to near 70 by noon. Astrid spent most of the night on the nest. Ares came to the box with a small prey item at one minute before midnight. Astrid took it on the crossperch and did a feeding. For some reason Astrid abruptly left the nest at 3:44 AM. We are not sure what prompted that. She was gone until 3:47, so it wasn’t a prolonged absence. Certainly not long enough for the chicks or the egg to get too cold. At 5:10 Astrid left the box and Ares came in. She came right back and took over and he went to the steeple for a little while. At 6:36 Ares had prey on the hotel which he was plucking. It seemed to be something fairly large. At least it had a lot of feathers. At 6:48 he brought it to the nest box. Astrid took it on the crossperch and conducted a feeding. When the feeding was done at 7:02, Astrid went back to brooding. An hour later, Ares arrived on the east veranda with more prey. Astrid stayed brooding but the two adults were conversing. A couple of minutes later he brought his prize to the crossperch. Astrid took it and started a feeding. At 8:09 Astrid left with the leftovers. Ares came in to babysit but Astrid blasted in right behind him and took over. He went back to the steeple. At 10:32 Ares was giving chirping alarm calls from somewhere in the canyon. It sounded like he was dealing with a Peregrine intruder, but we could not confirm that. Two minutes later Astrid got up off the nest at hopped to the crossperch. She flew out into the Canyon. She was back to the nest only a minute later and resumed brooding.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=omq7han2SMM

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hdEOK5tAWY4

At 11:11 AM Ares was on the steeple and from there he came to the box. He had prey. It was an adult male goldfinch. Astrid took it from him and proceeded to feed it to the nestlings. At 1:20 PM Astrid left the nest. Moments later Ares flew over and hopped into the box, but he didn’t get a chance to brood. Astrid quickly returned with prey. She began a feeding and he left. Twelve minutes later the meal was over and Astrid flew off with the leftovers. She came right back and resumed brooding. At 3:35 PM the pair switched, and Ares got a turn with the clutch. His turn only lasted 10 minutes, but then again that’s not bad for someone with a control freak as a partner. Astrid came right back and took over. At 4:30 Ares brought prey to the nest. Astrid came out and took it on the crossperch. She then proceeded to do another feeding. Interestingly this time she began feeding the smaller chick first. The larger one was vying but not very insistently. The pair did a very fast switch at 5:18. It had gotten quite warm inside the box with the sun hitting it at full strength and it seemed like she wanted a break. She went over to the State Building whilst Ares went about shading the nestlings and the egg. Astrid was back at 6:08. Ares left and she took over on the clutch. At 6:18 Ares was processing prey on the hotel. Two minutes later he brought it to the long perch. Astrid scrambled over the crossperch to take it and then conducted a feeding. She fed them until they were satiated, and then she polished off the leftovers. At 6:46 Astrid left the nest. We’re not sure where she went but the nestlings called very loudly while she was gone. She came back almost ten minutes later and resumed brooding.

Today marks day 35 of incubation for the 4th egg. If it does not hatch in the next day or two, it is unlikely to hatch at all. Astrid had been jostling it occasionally, which made us think that it was viable, but she seems to be doing that less frequently now. Still, we shall see what happens. Goodnight all.

Utica Peregrine Falcons Update for Sunday, May 14^th, 2023

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=loPWY8KWYqw

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ooUXKdLsGv8

It was chilly last night with a low temperature in the high 30s. It took a while to warm up after sunrise. By noon it wasn’t quite 60 degrees. The high for the day was in the mid-60’s. Astrid spent the night on the nest as expected. Ares brought food to the box at 3:15 AM. Astrid took it and conducted a feeding. The two nestlings were doing a lot of squealing and were quite hungry. Ares was back with more food at 4:00 AM. Astrid accepted it on the crossperch and doled out another feeding. At 5:28, Ares returned with another prey item. Astrid took it and started trying to feed the chicks. Obviously, they were still full from their previous meals. After a few minutes though, they began to rally, and vie for food. At 5:59 we noticed that Ares was on the State Building. Astrid abruptly left the box at 6:23. We weren’t sure why, but the temperature was only 41 degrees which can be dangerous for unprotected nestlings and/or eggs. Apparently not overly concerned – both Falcons were perched on the State Building. Astrid was back to the nest at 6:24. At 7:12 we heard Ares giving long calls from somewhere in the canyon. Astrid called back from the nest. He then came to the box and did a food drop. Astrid handled the feeding. When the feeding was over about six minutes later, Astrid left the nest and Ares came in. He didn’t even have time to get comfortable. Astrid was back only two minutes later. Ares flew over to the State Building. At 8:39 Ares was back in the box and babysitting. Astrid relieved him less than a minute later. At 10:34 Astrid left the box. We weren’t sure why. Was it an intruder? Moments later both adults piled into the box at the same time. The nestlings had been calling, were they both responding? Astrid stayed on to brood while Ares headed out. At 11:22 the pair switched and Ares was on nest duty. Once again, it was a short turn for him. A minute later Astrid came back and he left. At 11:49 Ares brought prey to the box. Astrid took it from him on the crossperch and did a feeding.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2-x2av26f7A

At 1:01 PM Ares and then Astrid began giving cackle type alarm calls. Astrid soon blasted out of the box. She did not seem at all happy. Most likely this was due to a non-falcon intruder. Ares came in to watch the chicks five minutes later. Astrid then came in and relieved him. At 2:15 Astrid left and Ares seamlessly came in to take over. Astrid was back two minutes later and Ares was out again. At 3:14 we heard Ares giving long calls from somewhere. Astrid called back from the nest. At 3:26 he came to the nest. Astrid left and he came in. He was squeaking while the chicks were squealing. Three minutes later Astrid came into the box with food. Ares left and she started a feeding. At around 4:30 Ares was on duty again in the box. We were not sure how long he had been there. At that point he was sitting next to the chicks and the egg and not throwing shade on them. The nestlings wanted to be fed and they were biting at Aries bill. At 4:40 Astrid was back to the nest and Ares was out. She immediately said about brooding the clutch. At 447 Astrid was out of the nest once more and we heard Aries screeching. Two minutes later Astrid came back to the nest with food. Most likely Ares had caught something and they transferred it off site. At 5:35 Astrid was feeding the nestlings again. Ares came to the crossperch at 5:49. Astrid was out 10 minutes later. Ares came in but stood on the lip of the box for a little while. At 6:14 Astrid was back to the nest and Ares was up. Astrid went over and stood on the cross perch at 6:29. She remained there for quite some time. Ares came over and asked for a turn brooding at 7:05 but Astrid didn’t take him up on it. She was in the nest and brooding again a few minutes later. At 7:55 PM Ares was on the east veranda. He was gone before 8:00. Goodnight all.