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Utica Peregrine Falcons Update for Saturday, May 13^th, 2023

It was relatively warm overnight with temperatures in the 50s. The daytime high was in the low 70s and the skies were mostly sunny. The wind kicked up early and continued through the day. Astrid spent the night on the nest. Ares brought fair-sized prey to the nest at 2:48 AM. Astrid took it and did a feeding. Ten minutes later when the meal was over, she took out the leftovers which still looked like an entire bird. Astrid was back on the nest in less than a minute. Ares appeared to be on the west face of the State Building at 5:00. At 5:17 we heard Ares giving screeching calls from somewhere in the canyon. That was likely an indication he had caught something. A few minutes later he brought food to the nest. Astrid took it and conducted another feeding. When it was over, she flew off with the leftovers. She was back to brooding at 5:39. Ares was on the steeple at that point. At 5:44 Astrid had left the box. We are not sure why. The temperature was 55 degrees, so there was little jeopardy for chicks or eggs as long as the interlude wasn’t too long. We saw that she was on a relatively low ledge on the State Building and Ares was still on the steeple. At 5:51 Ares came to the nest. He wasted little time in tucking the chicks and the egg beneath them. Indeed, he was doing a great job. At 6:14 Astrid was on the hotel feeding on something. A couple of minutes later she was up. At around 6:30 she was back on the nest. At 7:43 we heard Ares giving long calls. Astrid left the box and then both parents were on the State Building. At 7:47 Astrid was back in the nest. With the egg uncovered, we visually inspected the egg for pips but saw none. At 8:27 Ares brought more prey to the box. Astrid left instead of taking it and Ares stepped in to do the feeding. He was doing a very competent job, at least feeding the larger chick. Astrid came back to the nest at 8:31 and Ares’ feeding experiment was over. At 9:41 Ares was on the hotel. A minute later he had gone to the steeple. Ares delivered food to the box at 10:28. Astrid took it and did a feeding. At 10:36 Astrid was back to brooding but we noticed the egg wasn’t completely covered. Obviously, we don’t know if it is still viable, but it probably is for another day or two. At 11:46 Ares was on the hotel plucking and then feeding on prey. We thought he might bring it to the box but he didn’t. Perhaps he stored what he didn’t eat.

The next switch occurred at 12:32 PM. Once again Ares was doing an outstanding job brooding the nestlings and the egg. As a matter of fact, I thought it was Astrid. Astrid was giving him a nice long turn. At 1:18 Astrid was back and they did a quick changeover. At 2:09 Ares brought food to the box. It looked to be a Blue Jay. With some awkwardness, Astrid took it on the crossperch and flew away with it. We expected her to come back to do a feeding, but she did not. Ares then came into the box and began contemplating brooding. At 2:29 Astrid was back on the nest. Five minutes later she was jostling the egg and the nestlings, which made us think that perhaps there is hope for the last egg. At 2:50 Ares was on the steeple giving long calls. He took off a minute later. It was getting quite warm in the box with the sun flooding in. Astrid started shading the chicks and the egg. At 3:42 Ares screeched over to the east veranda. We think he wanted a turn with the brood but Astrid was not ready to leave and so he flew off. Ten minutes later he screeched back to the box again. This time he came inside and asked for a turn. It looked like Astrid wasn’t going to leave and then suddenly she changed her mind, stood up and flew out. Ares spent some time looking at the chicks, and deciding how best to proceed. The larger nestling began begging to him. Ares then started to provide shade. At 4:05 Astrid was back and Ares was out. Astrid was very hot on the nest with back intercepting the sun. She started panting. At around 5:25 the Falcons switched and Ares was back on duty. Astrid was on the steeple. Once again Ares was doing an excellent job shading. Astrid returned at 5:28 and took over. At 6:06 Ares was plucking prey on the hotel. He brought it to the box ten minutes later. Astrid took it and conducted a feeding. We could see that both chicks were getting fed. At one point the larger nestling toppled over and the little one got more attention. By 6:28 mealtime was over, Ares came into the box and Astrid left. At 6:50 Astrid was back to the nest and Ares was out. She immediately resumed shading. That was probably all the action we were going to see for the night. Goodnight all.

Utica Peregrine Falcons Update for Friday, May 12^th, 2023

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

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1c-pdjTrjG4

It was cool last night with a low temperature of around 50 degrees. A substantial warm up occurred during the day. The high temperature in the afternoon was 82 degrees. Astrid was in the nest all night long. Ares brought a large prey item to the nest at 2:03 AM. Astrid took it from him on the crossperch and then proceeded to puck it right there inside the box. The nestling got rained on by dark feathers for a while before the feeding commenced. At 4:16 AM the third hatch for the season took place. We were alerted to it by Astrid moving a broken eggshell out from under herself. At 4:35 Ares came to the nest with something small. Astrid wasn’t interested in taking it at first, but Ares stayed out on the crossperch and she finally did take it. She then proceeded to feed the two nestlings. This was the new hatchling’s first meal and he seemed to be vying well. Indeed, we were surprised by the hatch since we never did identify any pips in either of the remaining eggs. At about 6:20 Ares came to the nest with more prey. Astrid took it and started a feeding. Both nestlings ate well. The smaller one toppled over a few times but also was able to compete. Astrid went back to brooding after the meal was over. At 6:50 Ares was on the steeple. Astrid left the nest at 8:00 and Ares came right over. However, he was slow getting off the crossperch and Astrid came back and took over before he got to even think about having a turn brooding. He did get to see the new hatchling though. At 8:17 Ares was heard giving long calls from the steeple. Ten minutes later he made another food delivery to the box. She took it from him and started a feeding. By 8:37 she was back to brooding. At 9:01 Astrid blasted out of the box cackling. Something upset her – whether a non-falcon intruder or person in an adjacent office window, we didn’t know. She was back in the nest in less than two minutes. At 9:30 Ares was once again giving long calls from the steeple. Probably his proclamation was meant for would-be usurpers, informing them that the downtown canyon in occupied and defended. At 10:45 Astrid called from the box. Ares showed up at the nest with more food at 11:12 AM. Astrid accepted it on the crossperch and did a feeding.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=P9vEaBiEMeo

At 1:04 PM The falcons did a switch. Astrid left and Ares tried to grapple with brooding. He got close to doing it when Astrid piled back into the box and took over. He gave no argument and left pretty quickly. At 2:24 Ares made another delivery of food to the nest. Astrid scrambled over the crossperch to take it and then conducted a feeding. At 2:50 Ares was on chick duty, We don’t know when the switch occurred. Astrid was on the State Building at the time. At 5:01 Astrid was on the nestlings and egg. She was primarily shading the brood. Ares stopped over at the nest for a short visit. Astrid was shading the chicks at the time. She took a minute but left the nest to him. Once again Ares contemplated the pile of chicks and egg and seemed uncertain about what to do. He finally got closer and managed to get on chick and the eggs beneath him. The smaller chick was left lying on its own in the sun. By 5:34 Ares had moved the chick a bit closer. He was shading and finally casting some on the whole brood. At one point during Ares’ tenure, Astrid swooped by the box. We think that was a reaction to someone getting too close to a window but we weren’t sure. At 6:05 Astrid came back to the box and Ares vacated. At 7:00 PM Ares returned to the box with prey. Astrid grabbed it from him and proceeded to feed the chicks. At 7:44 Astrid was digging in the corner of the nestbox. She moved out onto the crossperch a few minutes later. It seemed like something was agitating her, but we couldn’t figure out what. In the subsequent half hour, she was in and out of the box a couple of times. At 8:03 she was back on the chicks and jostling them and the egg. She did the same thing again a few minutes later – leaving and then coming right back to the nest. Eventually she began to settle down but she was keeping a falcon eye on everything in the canyon. Goodnight all.

Utica Peregrine Falcons Update for Thursday, May 11^th, 2023

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zmkinp57Eak

The overnight period was chilly with low temperatures in the mid-thirties. Daytime highs were in the high 60’s. Astrid was on the nest all night long. Ares brought a small food item to the nest at 2:10 AM. Astrid took the food on the crossperch and conducted a feeding. The feeding lasted for about five minutes when the chick had its fill. At 5:27 Ares brought more food to the box. This time the prey was dropped during transfer and Astrid shot down after it. Apparently, she recovered it because minutes later she had it on the hotel. Ares had come to the box but left as soon as Astrid arrived to do the feeding. At 5:32 she flew out with the leftovers. At 10:00 AM Astrid was calling from the nest. She then did some egg jostling which made us wonder if one of the eggs was pipped. If so, we couldn’t confirm it. By 11:00 AM the nestling was squealing. Astrid was watching for Ares to appear with another meal. Where was that guy! A minute later Astrid left the box and then came right back with food. Did she get it from Ares or from the pantry? We think it was from him. Only a few minutes later he was on the steeple perch. She did the feeding and was finished by 11:12.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CnzcXXqM9C0

At 12:23 PM Ares screeched to the long perch with food. Astrid took it on the crossperch and conducted the feeding of the chick. During the feeding we scanned the two eggs for pips but only saw blemishes and spots of whitewash – certainly nothing conclusive. Astrid took out the leftovers at the end of the meal and Ares came to the box in the interim. Astrid was back in less than a minute and Ares was out again. At 1:32 Astrid was out of the box again. We don’t know if Ares had given her food or why she had left. Once again, Ares came right over to babysit. Astrid was back in five minutes and took over. At 3:12 Ares came to the box and asked for a turn brooding. It was getting warm in the box but Astrid declined to let him take over. At 3:48 he was in the box and doing shading duty. We weren’t sure when Astrid left. At 5:10 Astrid was doing another feeding. It was over in a few minutes, and she was back to brooding. Astrid was pout of the nest again at 6:50. Ares came in and did some brooding and some digging around in the stones. Astrid was back at 7:09 PM and Ares left with no argument. Astrid did some jostling of the eggs which made us think that she was hearing or feeling activity in one of the eggs. Maybe there will be a hatch soon. We shall see. Goodnight falcons.

Utica Peregrine Falcons Update for Wednesday, May 10^th, 2023

It was cold last night with low temperature in the mid 30s. The high during the day was close to 70 degrees. Astrid began the night in the box with the two nestlings and the two eggs. At 2:25 AM Astrid abruptly left the nest and when she did one of the two chicks somehow got flung out of the box. Perhaps the chick had gotten up under her wing or attached to her underside in some way. Regardless, the chick went down 15 stories to the sidewalk and apparently died on impact. I arrived at the scene about 25 minutes later and found the lifeless chick on the sidewalk beneath the box. It was a mystery why Astrid left the box so abruptly, but she had come back only a minute later with a large prey item, possibly a woodcock. So, was it just a food run? She then proceeded to feed the one remaining nestling. At 3:10 AM Ares came to the box with more prey. Astrid took it and tried to do another feeding. After about 10 minutes she was brooding the chick and eggs. It’s hard to think that Astrid and Ares wouldn’t notice the loss of one of two nestlings, but they acted like nothing unusual happened. No alarm calls, no swooping, no irritation manifested, nothing like that. Perhaps a chick that is less than a day old, and that doesn’t represent a large investment of their time and energy, is not as likely to be missed. All of the repercussions of the loss are unknown at this point. However, if the remaining two eggs fail to hatch, that would leave the single offspring with no siblings to practice flying with or to hone its skills with. In that scenario, the loss of the chick this morning could result in a juvenile bird that is less prepared for independence. If at least one other egg hatches, then this morning’s loss would likely not be felt so keenly.

At 7:10 AM Astrid left the nest and came back with prey. She then conducted another feeding. The one chick was unable to eat very much having been fed not long before. Astrid went ahead and finished the leftovers. She was brooding the chick and the eggs again by 7:16. At 9:19 Ares brought food to the long perch. Astrid came out onto the crossperch to take it. She then did another feeding. After the meal she was out, and Ares came in to babysit. His turn lasted less than a minute. Astrid was back and immediately took over on the clutch. Ares went over to the steeple for a little while. At around 10:50 we heard Ares giving long calls from somewhere in the canyon. Astrid called back from the nest. At 11:34 Ares did a check-in at the nest. He looked in and then was out again. He was back up on the State Building for a little while before flying off and perhaps hunting. At 12:10 PM Astrid began giving a loud cackle alarm call. We did not see any non-falcon intruders in the canyon but her eyes are better even than our optics, so who knows. At 12:28 Ares came to the long perch with food. Astrid took it on the crossperch and started a new feeding. It was at this time we thought it possible that one of the remaining eggs had a pip in it, although we could not be sure. At 12:35 Astrid left the box with the leftovers from the meal. Ares came to the nest in the interim. Astrid was on the State Building for about two minutes and then came back to the nest. Ares knows the drill now and left without argument. At 2:01 Ares was back to the nest asking for a turn with the clutch. To our surprise, Astrid allowed it. After she left Ares didn’t do a very efficient job brooding. She was back at 2:08 to take over again. Ares again, seemed OK with leaving.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ICzc5kyuLyw

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7sFpYM8zQpc

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=V5ajN4WDuAk

At 3:44 Astrid was jostling the brood which made us wonder if one of the eggs had a pip in it, but on subsequent checks we couldn’t confirm it. At 3:59 we heard Ares give a screech call. He was then seen flying around the State Building. He then came to the nestbox, hopped inside and peered really closely into the new camera. He then lobbied Astrid for a turn on the clutch. She didn’t budge and he gave up and left. He came back just before 5:00 PM. They conversed for a little while and then Astrid consented to leave. Ares stood over the chick and the eggs for only a couple of minutes and then Astrid returned with food. Ares hopped out onto the crossperch and Astrid proceeded to do a feeding. The chick didn’t take too much before toppling over and falling asleep. Astrid finished the leftovers right there in the box. When she was done she went back to brooding. At 6:05 Ares came to the box once more. Astrid made it clear she wasn’t going anywhere, and he left. He went to the east veranda for a while before flying off and out of view. The falcons did a late switch at around 7:00. Ares brooded the chick and eggs for about five minutes before Astrid returned and took over. Goodnight Falcons.  

Utica Peregrine Falcons Update for Tuesday, May 9^th, 2023

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=trwNTL-N36I&t=240s

It was a powerfully exciting day for both Utica and Little Falls. For a while we weren’t sure if the pipped eggs in Utica were ever going to hatch and I think Astrid was starting to have her doubts as well. Last night was chilly with the low temperature in the high 30s. During the day the high temperature was 63 degrees. Astrid was on the eggs all night. Occasionally we heard the chicks inside the two pipped eggs calling out, and we were also heard Astrid jostling the eggs and trying to induce hatching. Ares screeched to the box with a small food item at 3:57 AM. Astrid was very vocal and sent him away. At 5:08 he was back with another small offering. Once again Astrid sent him away. Five minutes later we were hearing one of the chicks inside an egg calling. It was as if it knew it had missed mealtime. Astrid was vocalizing as well. At 5:15 Ares was heard giving long calls from the State Building. At the risk of anthropomorphizing, Astrid was acting like she was extremely frustrated. She started calling incessantly and jostling the eggs like mad. It seemed like she really wanted those pipped eggs to finally hatch. Ares returned to the nest at 5:30. They had a lively cconversation,but it was clear that Astrid was not going to leave. Ares initially went to the east veranda before flying off. As for Astrid, she went back to semi-manic calling and jostling the eggs. Finally, at 5:40 AM we suddenly saw a broken eggshell appear in front of Astrid. The first chick had hatched! We only caught a short glimpse of the new chick and then it went immediately underneath Astrid. Once she had a hatch she calmed down and did not seem to be so frustrated. By 8:17 it was clear that a second hatch had occurred. More eggshell pieces appeared in front of Astrid. A small, wet, pinkish chick was glimpsed beneath her when she moved. Indeed, there were two nestlings on the scrape.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oGXGw_12Kgk&t=2s

At 8:42 AM suddenly Astrid started giving cackle-type alarm calls and she left the nest. We are not sure what brought that on. Most likely a non-falcon intruder came through the canyon and that was unacceptable to mother. Ares came right over and got to see the two new chicks for the first time. His visit with them was very brief indeed as Astrid returned right away and took over brooding. Ares left the box and Astrid went about brooding the two eggs and the two chicks together. We were wondering when feeding time was going to come. It seemed like Astrid was watching out for Ares that he wasn’t showing up. And then at 11:45 we saw him over on the hotel plucking fresh prey. After having some bites off the top he flew over to the nest and delivered the food to the crossperch where Astrid received it. Astrid then proceeded to conduct the first feeding of the new chicks. She tore minute pieces of meat from the carcass and fed it to both chicks. The nestling that was second to hatch fell over backwards a few times but it did end up getting some of the food. Just before noon, feeding time was over and Astrid took the leftovers out and presumably stored them. After she left, Ares came into the box with a mind to start brooding. He was only there for a few seconds before Astrid piled back into the box and took over.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5wz0BdtS1ms

At 1:53 PM Ares came to the crossperch with prey. Astrid took it from him and started another feeding. The mealtime only went on for a few minutes and then she resumed brooding. At 3:13 Astrid was calling on the nest and doing some jostling of the eggs and chicks. We wondered if another egg was pipped, but could see no evidence of it. At 3:54 Ares came to the box. Astrid took the opportunity to leave for a while. After she was gone Ares seemed at a loss about what to do. There were two chicks and two eggs. He opted to shade one of the eggs while eating one of the broken eggshells. After a few minutes he settled on brooding the eggs and leaving the chicks on their own. They were lying down in the sun and seemed fine. It was 63 degrees and breezy. At 4:14 Astrid was back. She immediately came over to the chicks and began brooding them while Ares continued sitting with the eggs. She then decided that she wasn’t needed and left again. After she left, the chicks were woke up and began begging. Ares did some squeaking in response but remained in place on the eggs. At 4:28 Astrid came in and Ares left. Astrid brooded the chicks for about four minutes before she realized that the eggs were alone. In a moment she pulled them over and then was back to brooding both the nestlings and the eggs.

At 6:14 PM Ares came to the crossperch and then hopped into the box. He asked for a turn, but Astrid didn’t seem to be in the mood to go anywhere. However, after a minute, by her own volition, she left the box and flew over to a low perch on the State Building. In the box Ares sat several inches away from the chicks and the eggs, apparently contemplating his next move. After a few minutes he came closer and pulled one of the eggs underneath them. There he stayed for a couple of minutes until suddenly he began giving chirping-type alarm calls. That usually means there is a falcon intruder in the canyon. Ares hopped up onto the lip of the box and continued to chirp. The two chicks responded by sitting up and begging in a similar manner to how they behave when Astrid is feeding them and giving motivational chirps. At 6:23 Ares left the nest. He flew over to the State Building, perching just above Astrid. They conferred for a moment and then he took off towards the north, presumably in pursuit of the intruder. After a moment Astrid came over to the box and resumed brooding the chicks and the eggs. At 7:04 Ares brought prey to the long perch. Astrid took it from him on the crossperch and flew over to the hotel. She then proceeded to have it for dinner. Ares stood behind the brood while she was gone. At 7:18 PM Astrid was back at the nest and Ares took his leave. He was on the State Building for a little while and then he flew out of view – probably to a night perch. Astrid was on nest duty for the night. Goodnight all.

Little Falls Falcon Update: The fourth egg hatched on Monday evening at 10:29. Anna and Erie now have a full house – four chicks to raise and fledge!!