Category: Uncategorized

The overnight was cool and rainy and that rain continued through the morning. The temperature managed to get into the low 60’s by noon. Rain was intermittent in the afternoon and finally stopped by 4:00 PM. The wind remained brisk, and the temperature barely moved all day. Astrid spent most (if not all) of the night in the vicinity of the box. Before 5:00 AM both parents were in guard positions on either veranda – Astrid on the east veranda and Ares on the west. Percy and Kara started waking up and getting active at 5:20. Soon Percy started doing some serious wing flapping. He got up on the lip of the nestbox and did some more flapping there. At 5:49 Ares came to the nest with prey. Astrid took it and brought it into the box. Percy hopped back inside. Kara was first in line to be fed. Percy got served a few minutes in. By 6:01 Percy decided that he had enough food and returned to perching on the lip of the nestbox. Kara continued to be served by Astrid. By 6:11 Percy and Kara were sticking their heads way out of the box. At one point Kara grabbed her brother with an oversized foot. She also forced him to do some beaking. At 6:20 Percy was balancing on the box lip. He had his wings out. He also did some head nodding which made us nervous since that’s what falcons often do right before they fly. By 6:48 Astrid was on the west veranda and Ares was on his favorite pillar. The nestlings had calmed down by that point. By 7:45 Percy had hopped up onto the box lip once more. At 8:08 Astrid stopped at the nest for a chick check. Ares did another one at 8:13. At 9:19 Astrid was on the roof of the nestbox obsessing about what was happening inside the office. She was on the steeple at 10:16 and giving cackle-type alarm calls. We didn’t know what was upsetting her. At 10:26 Ares was on the hotel plucking prey. At 10:40 he brought it to the east veranda. Astrid took it, flew away with it, came back to the nest, and lost it to Kara. Kara took the meal into the corner of the box and started feeding on it. Astrid thought about recovering it but ultimately decided not to intervene. She went to the box roof instead. Meanwhile, in the nest Percy was trying to get some bites of the meal his sister had stolen. He eventually did, once Kara had her fill. This was really the first time they seemed competent at self-feeding. By 11:38 both nestlings were settled and were preening their feathers.

At 11:47 AM Percy was back to his box lip perch. At 12:12 PM we heard double cackle calls from the parents. There were people on the roof of the Adirondack Bank building and Astrid and Ares were swooping, doing hazing runs, and she was cackling almost non-stop. The stiff wind was making the falcon’s hazing flights even more dramatic. Astrid was flying at tremendous speeds, turning sideways, banking, diving, climbing, all without barely a flap of her wings. At 12:33 Ares was perched on the State Building but Astrid was still upset and doing hazing runs. Percy moved to the lip of the box and did some calling of his own. Of course, the main reason for Astrid’s over-the-top response to people on the roof is associated with the stage of development her nestlings are at. Astrid’s defensiveness is commensurate with the age and stage of development of the nestlings. The more of an investment they represent the greater her urge to defend them. Percy did some more flapping while on the box lip. At one point he was perched with tail out and he did a minor jump/hop flight from the nestbox – flapping the whole time. By 12:55 Astrid had calmed down and was over on the State Building with Ares. Easy come, Easy go; and then at 1:10 Astrid was upset again. Men were back up on her roof. Percy moved to the lip of the box and watched his mother zipping around the canyon. It appeared to be high class entertainment for him. At 1:21 Percy moved out onto the crossperch. This was unexpected and something that concerned us. The wind was strong, and it was putting him off balance. The possibility of an accidental fledge was there. After ten minutes he managed to go back into the box and we all breathed a sigh of relief.

At 1:41 PM we heard Ares giving long calls from somewhere. Fifteen minutes later he was on the steeple and Astrid was upset again. She was on the State Building cackling about something. At 1:56 Percy was feeding on scraps in the box. At 2:15 Kara was half on the lip of the box flapping her wings. Astrid came to check on the nestlings five minutes later. Percy soon joined her.  At 3:15 Ares brought prey into the box. He started tearing off tiny pieces and feeding them to Percy. Astrid stopped at the crossperch – surveyed the scene and decided not to intervene. Kara joined in at one point and Ares fed both of them. Astrid checked in on the session again but left after only a few seconds. And then, inexplicably, about six minutes into the meal, Ares took the leftovers and flew out of the box.  At 3:34 Percy was up on the box lip again. Kara did the same thing a few minutes later. Both were up and down from the lip several times. When Astrid came to check on them at 3:55 one of the nestlings chased her right out again. Astrid was heard cackling after that. Was she mad at the nestlings? A few minutes later she came to the nest with food. Percy sat on the box lip while Astrid fed his sister. A minutes later he got in line, but soon gave up and went back to his box lip perch. At 6:15 Astrid was doing some kiting in front of the box. The wind was still strong and flying for the adults seemed effortless. The nestlings watched her as she kited, hovered, hovered, and darted between the box and the State Building several times. A Turkey Vulture flying over the canyon at 6:20 caused one of the nestlings to give a cackle alarm call. That brought Astrid right over to the box. Three more Turkey Vultures flew through which made one of the chicks cackle again. At 7:13 PM Ares reappeared after a somewhat lengthy absence. He was plucking prey on the hotel. Five minutes later he brought it to the east veranda. Astrid flew over to take it. She then flew around the bank before coming into the nest. She immediately lost the food to Kara who grabbed it and took it into the corner. Astrid tried to recover it a couple of times before giving up. She flew around the canyon before settling on the State Building on a ledge adjacent to the one where Ares was perched. Meanwhile, in the nest, Percy put his food on the food and managed to steal a few bites. At 8:21 PM Astrid brought food to the box. This time it was a classic style feeding – with her serving it to both chicks. She fed both until they were full and started doing other things in the box. Astrid stayed and continued to feed herself. When she was done, she moved over to the east veranda. Most likely the falcons were settled for the night. Goodnight all.

Little Falls Falcon Update:

One of the two Little Falls falcon nestlings became a fledgling this afternoon. At 1:19 PM he left the nest ledge, flew out of view, and then returned to land on the roof of the host building. It appeared to be a good solid first flight. While on the roof he was seen taking a bath in a puddle.

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

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IuFJQ44XOcg

The overnight was cool with temperatures in the 50’s. some rain fell overnight the thunderstorms predicted never materialized. The morning was cool with highs in the low sixties. The afternoon was sunny with a high of 75 degrees. Astrid spent part of the night on the long perch at the nest. There were no overnight feedings. At 5:00 AM Astrid was perched on a windowsill on the State Building and Ares was on a high ledge on the same building. By 5:10 Ares was up and the nestlings were becoming active. They were doing lots of wing flapping. At 5:36 Astrid came to the box for a chick check and got Percy and Kara very excited. At a minute before 6:00 Astrid made another visit to the nest. The effect on the chicks was even more dramatic since they were more eager for their breakfast. At 6:16 Ares came to the nest with food. Astrid took it and then Kara stole it from her as soon as her mother breached the threshold of the box. Kara absconded with it to the back corner. Astrid went to the crossperch and seemed to be considering her options. Kara was picking at her ill-gotten meal and Percy was begging to his mother. After one failed food-recovery attempt, Astrid went around the back wall, skirting Percy and plucking the meal away from Kara. She then proceeded to feed Kara. After three minutes Percy got in line and started getting some servings. The next meal came at 7:18. Ares brought it and Astrid handled the feeding. When it was over Astrid flew to the steeple. Five minutes later she was on the roof of the nest box glaring through the window blinds at people in the office. At 8:15 Percy had gotten up on the lip of the nestbox and was looking out into the canyon. He stayed perched there for close to ten minutes. At 8:28 he hopped up on the lip once more – this time staying for another ten minutes. At 8:52 Ares brought more prey to the nest. Astrid flew in and grabbed it and then began a feeding session. She fed Kara first and then Percy joined in after about four minutes. At 9:14 Astrid was back up on the roof of the nestbox. Percy was back on the lip of the box at 9:46 but this time he was only there for a minute. At a few minutes before 11:00 Astrid got on the roof of the nestbox while the nestlings had a naptime. Thirty minutes later they were up and excited again. Percy found a food scrap on the floor and started picking at it. A minute later he hopped up on the lip of the box one more time. That time he was perched for two minutes before getting down. At 11:52 Ares was on the east veranda and the chicks were going crazy. Percy hopped onto the box lip and was looking around the corner at his father. He also bit at the side of the box. For a moment it looked like he might try to get onto the veranda, but luckily, he didn’t. It’s way too early for that! Astrid came to the crossperch just after he jumped down and she vocalized at him. Was she chastising him? After Astrid left, Ares danced across the crossperch to the west veranda and then came back onto the crossperch and looked at the nestlings. He seemed to be showing them how to navigate the verandas. It’s too early for that, Ares!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IWPHaE6IRa4

At 12:14 PM both nestlings were giving loud cackle calls. We weren’t sure what brought that on. It was probably just practice. At 12:22 Astrid took off from her steeple perch and after something – likely prey. She then came right back. The nestlings squealed as they watched her. Five minutes later Astrid did a hazing run at the 15^th floor office windows. She must have seen someone near a window. At 12:45 she stationed herself on the roof of the box. We were not sure how long she was there. At 2:50 Astrid was back on the box roof. Predictably, that got the nestlings squealing again. Half of the box interior was in the sun at that point. At 3:15 Percy was up on the lip of the box again. He held out his wings a few times, but thankfully, he didn’t go anywhere except back into the nestbox. One of the parents did a quick chick check at 3:35. At 3:42 we could hear Ares giving long calls from somewhere in the canyon. Five minutes later, Astrid stopped back at the box for another chick check. At 4:21 Kara got up onto the lip of the box! that was more of a surprise since female nestlings are usually not so adventurous. With that move she was keeping parity with her brother. She was down and back in the box less than a minute later. At 4:30 both were on the box lip. It was a brief but nerve racking moment for those of us watching. At 4:47 Ares brought prey to the nest. Astrid darted off the steeple perch to get it. She took it into the box and Percy tried to steal it. Astrid hung on to it and then began a feeding. Percy got most of the meal served to him this time. At 5:30 the parents were out of view for a while. At 5:51 Ares came to the nest with more prey. Astrid conducted the feeding which lasted almost ten minutes. Ares brought in another meal at 6:26 Astrid grabbed it and started feeding Kara. Percy wasn’t interested this time. He looked out into the canyon while his sister fed. As it happened Kara wasn’t all that keen on having a third course either; Astrid noticed; she cut the meal off and removed the leftovers. Perhaps she stored them. After she left, we noticed that Ares had moved onto the east veranda. At 6:47 Percy was up on the box lip once more. He then went half on and half off the lip with wings flapping. At 8:20 PM Kara had the stage and was doing most of the wing exercising. At just before 9:00 the nestlings had mostly settled down, but then Kara tried to beak with Percy. He seemed less than enthused about it. By this point Astrid was on the west veranda and Ares was on the State Building. Goodnight all.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wBHB6kn9OPk

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DGUgorc9ekY

The overnight was mild with temperatures in the low 60’s. During the day the skies were overcast, and the temperature was in the 70’s. Rain came in the afternoon and along with it a slight cool down. Astrid was near the box for part of the night, which is typical these days. At 3:25 AM Ares brought prey to the nest. Astrid seemingly came out of nowhere, took the food, and handled the feeding. The nestlings became active at around 5:40; that’s when they started stretching and rummaging. At 5:45 Astrid came to the long perch and got them excited. We noticed how much darker the chicks looked this morning – especially Percy who lost lots of white down overnight. At 5:50 Ares made a short visit to the long perch – just for a chick check. Astrid was on the west veranda but when Ares left the perch, she hopped onto it. At 6:12 Astrid was on the steeple. Twenty minutes later she was back to the west veranda. At 6:44 Ares brought a small hunk of food to the nest. Astrid took it and then immediately lost it to one of the nestlings. It took her a few tries, but she got it back and then proceeded with a feeding. Percy was first in line to be fed this time. Despite how small the food item was Astrid took out leftovers when she left only a minute later. At 7:50 she was back to the crossperch for a chick check. It was quick. At 8:15 both parents were out of camera view. Astrid was back to check on the nestlings at 9:34. Afterwards she hopped up onto the roof of the box to monitor office activities. At 10:40 we heard one of the nestlings cackling inside the nest. Astrid was still on the roof of the box at that time, so the young birds were well defended. At 11:28 the nestlings were squealing up a storm. They were probably getting hungry by that point. At 11:42 we could hear cackle alarm calls from one of the parents coming from somewhere in the canyon. A few minutes later both were on their guard posts on pillars above the box. At 11:53 Ares left and then Astrid buzzed by the box. This elicited an excited reaction from the chicks. They were calling and soon they were both flapping their wings. It was very windy, and the inside of the box seemed like a wind tunnel with cast off down and prey feathers blowing around and billowing out into the canyon.   

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9016-7cjZC4

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OXoRHWS2PZU

At 12:10 PM Ares came to the crossperch. The hungry nestlings went mad with excitement. He brought food and Percy grabbed it away. Kara and Percy then had a tug-o-war over it, but Ares plunged between them and recovered it. He then went about doing a competent feeding. He fed both chicks and, despite their hunger, they were well behaved. Interestingly, the chicks weren’t losing patients with him even as he ripped off and offering up the tiniest pieces of food. At 12:20 Astrid arrived on the State Building. For a little while it looked like she was going to let him finish, but two minutes later, she barged in and took what was left of the meal away from him.  She then served it out, mostly to Kara. By 12:30 both adults were on the State Building. At 2:39 Astrid was back to the roof of the box and ready for trouble. Light rain started falling in downtown and the nestlings got some snooze time. They were up and calling again by 3:30. Percy backed up onto the lip of the box and spread his wings. He hopped back into the nest. Ares came to the crossperch a minute later for a chick check. At 4:05 Astrid arrived at the box with food. She started out by feeding Kara while Percy hung back. Five minutes later he moved up to get a share. He then backed off and let his sister pig out. At 4:41 Ares had prey on the hotel. He brought it to the east veranda where Astrid took it from him. She then flew off and didn’t come back to the box. We think she stored it. By 5:15 it was raining a little harder. Ares was on his pillar perch and Astrid was on the west veranda – both in guarding positions. At 6:07 PM Ares flew over to the State Building, Astrid tucked in on the veranda and the nestlings did some squealing. At 6:50 the nestlings were doing a lot of wing flapping. Kara then found some food scrap on the floor and spent some time picking at it. Astrid came to check on the chicks at 8:00 PM. As expected, the nestlings got excited. She remained on the long perch after that. Goodnight falcons.  

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

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Bpw17O6gyig

The overnight was relatively mild with temperatures in the 50’s. The day was overcast with temperatures rising into the low 70’s by early afternoon. Later in the day, it was close to 80 degrees. Astrid was on the long perch for part of the night but then flew off at 12:49 AM. Ares arrived at the box with a cuckoo at 2:48. Percy and Kara got highly excited and since Astrid wasn’t intervening, Ares started to do a feeding from the lip of the box. The chicks were very intense and snapping at Ares’ bill faster than he could rip off portions of meat. Ares also seemed aware that Astrid could show up at any second and take over the feeding session. He continued with the raucous session for only a couple of minutes and then ceded the food to the nestlings. He went out onto the crossperch. He spent some time on the west veranda after that. Interestingly, during the meal, Astrid was perched on the State Building. Obviously, she knew that he had brought food, but she chose not to interfere. Was this because the prey was a cuckoo? A few minutes after 5:00 the chicks became active in the nestbox and began flapping their wings. At 5:10 Kara found some leftovers on the floor of the box and she began picking at them. Five minutes later Astrid showed up at the nest, hopped in, picked up the cuckoo, and began feeding it to Kara. At 5:24 while the feeding was still going on, Ares showed up at the box with a hunk of something. Astrid was still busy serving out the cuckoo and so Ares just handed it to Kara and jumped out again. The meal was done, and Astrid was out of the box before 5:29. During the meal Percy refrained from feeding. It seemed like he was patiently waiting for his turn while his sister fed. The problem being that the meal ended before he had his turn. At 5:34 Ares was seen doing some flying around the canyon and around the State Building. He screeched to the box, got the kids worked up, and then flew up to his lookout post on the roof of the State Building. Astrid was on the State Building by that point as well. At 5:56 Ares landed on the east veranda with prey. Astrid met him there, took the food, flew off into the canyon, doubled back, and started a feeding. Again, Kara was first in line. Percy stepped up and began getting a share a few minutes in.

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

At 6:15 AM Ares brought food inside the box. The nestlings were not so intense by this point since they had eaten several times already. Ares concentrated on feeding Kara (again!), accept he was tearing off tiny pieces of meat for her as if she were a hatchling. After a couple of minutes, Ares picked up the food and left the box. We think its because Astrid had just arrived on the west veranda. Ares is having consistently poor luck feeding the young this year. At 7:33 Astrid was on the roof of the nestbox. Obviously, she was waiting for someone in the office behind the window and the blind to make a wrong move. At 10:25 we heard Ares calling from somewhere in the canyon. The chicks took notice and began squealing back. Astrid arrived at the crossperch apparently expecting Ares to have something. He didn’t disappoint; a minute later he landed on the east veranda with prey. Astrid took it and began a feeding. This time both nestlings were fed fairly equally. By 10:34 the meal was done, and Astrid was out of the box. At 11:35 we noticed that Ares was on the upper ledge of the hotel with prey. He was plucking and then feeding. At around 11:40 he brought it to the nest. Astrid grabbed it and conducted the last feeding for the morning. After the meal the chicks had a major wing flapping session. At 12:05 PM Astrid got back on the roof of the nestbox. Ares was on the State Building. At 1:14 one of the parents did a brief chick check at the nest. Ares did another one fifteen minutes later, and another twenty minutes after that. It was close to 80 degrees by midafternoon. It was getting warm in the box, but the parents no longer have the strong compulsion to provide shade. Ares came into the box a couple times in short order. The last time he was chased out by Kara. At 2:18 we heard some long calls and some cackle calls coming from the adults, somewhere in the canyon. Probably a non-falcon raptor or vulture was passing through. Ten minutes later, A&A were watching their domain from adjacent window ledges on the State Building. At 3:31 Astrid was on the west veranda. A minute later Ares came to the long perch. He tried to come in, but Percy was squealing in his face and effectively blocked his entrance. At 4:50 PM Ares again tried to come into the nest box – perhaps he did want to provide shade. However, the chicks were too intense, and he didn’t stay. At 5:40, and then again eight minutes later, Astrid did chick checks at the box. Both times the nestlings squealed but didn’t get up from their reclined positions. At 6:11 Ares brought prey to the east veranda. Astrid took it into the box and immediately began feeding Percy. This time it was Kara waiting patiently (more or less) in the background. Soon they were both being served. After Astrid left, Percy did some impressive wing flapping. His flight feathers are remarkably well developed. Five minutes later, Kara and Percy were peering into the canyon with rapt attention as they watched Pigeons and other birds flying. At 6:42 Percy backed up onto the lip of the box and then flap-hopped into the box. He then got more rambunctious and grabbed his sister with his foot. Astrid had been on the steeple, and when she took off, one of the nestlings let out a loud cackle call. At 6:50 Ares had fresh prey on the hotel. Astrid was perched nearby on the same ledge.  He took off and came to the east veranda and Astrid followed, landing on the west veranda. She took off again, came back to the west veranda, scrambled over the crossperch, took the prey from him, and dashed back into the canyon. She came right back to the box and started a feeding. Again, she started feeding Percy first, and while she did Kara bit and footed her tail. Soon they were both being served by Astrid. By 7:02 PM the meal was done and she had left the box. Ares was still guarding the nest from the west veranda and that point. By 7:30 he was up and she was guarding the box from the west veranda. We don’t expect there to be much more action tonight, but we never really know. Goodnight all.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OgZQq7pk6MI

The overnight was cool with temperatures in the low forties. The day was sunny and breezy with high temperatures in the low 70’s. Astrid was on the long perch for part of the overnight and then she was out of view for quite a while. At 1:36 AM Ares came to the nest with a small item. He started tearing into it while on the lip of the box. When Astrid didn’t show up, he hopped into the nest and tried to interest the chicks in taking it from him. The whole time he seemed overly conscious of the fact that Astrid might come in at any second and take over. He ripped off a piece and fed it to one of the chicks and then he dropped the food and left. At 5:01 Ares brought more prey to the nest. Astrid took it and did a feeding. Initially Kara was the only one eating. Percy held back and waited patiently for his turn. Several minutes into the meal he finally started vying and was able to get a few bites. At 5:23, after the meal was over, the chicks did some wing flapping and lots of moving around in the box. They were flapping so much at one point that their cast-off white down feathers were billowing out of the box. At 7:07 Ares brought a small prey item to the nest. Astrid commandeered it and handled the feeding. This time she started out by only feeding Percy. By 7:14 Astrid was done with the feeding. At 8:08 she was up on the roof of the nestbox. It being Sunday, there shouldn’t be anyone in that office, so we weren’t sure what she was getting upset about. Ares stopped at the nest to do a chick-check at 8:42 – it was a quick in and out. At 10:20 the parent falcons were on their guard positions – Ares on the east veranda and Astrid on the roof of the nest box.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KTJKnNRL52c

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MPx8SkH3Cjs

At 12:25 PM Astrid stopped at the nest to do a chick check. A few minutes later both parents were on the State Office Building. She did another quick check on the chicks just before 1:00 PM. At 1:32 Astrid and Ares had been out of view for a while. When one of them flew through and landed back on the State Building, Kara and Percy saw them and began squealing. Astrid then came over to the box to do a chick check and that got the two nestling even more excitedly calling. At 2:51 Astrid arrived at the box with prey. The chicks were very eager to feed. Both were vying and crowding Astrid as she tried to rip off pieces for them. The meal was done in about eight minutes. The next chick check took place at 4:12. We are not sure which parent came over. At 4:44 we heard Ares giving long calls from somewhere in the canyon. Kara and Percy enthusiastically squealed back. At 5:13 PM Astrid had a freshly caught Pigeon on the hotel ledge. She went about plucking it and then took a share off the top. Ares then arrived on the steeple and both nestlings started calling. The kids knew something was up. At 5:25 Astrid arrived at the nest with a chunk of the Pigeon, and she proceeded to conduct a feeding. Kara was first in line to be fed and while she ate, her brother patiently waited his turn in the corner of the box. About five minutes into the feeding Percy came up to have his share. Astrid noticed and began serving him. Interestingly, she started feeding him in fast motion. Honestly, it looked like someone sped up the video! That bird has a startling amount of energy. Once the feeding was done at 5:52 Astrid moved to the long perch and Kara started doing some wing exercising. At 6:11 Ares landed on a west window ledge with prey. He plucked it for a while. Meanwhile Astrid was on the crossperch, occasionally giving low donkey calls. Of course, Ares noticed that she wasn’t coming over to collect his offering. She seemed to be indicating to him that he should store it and perhaps that’s what he did. A little later he was on the lower steeple perch, and Astrid was out of view. At about 7:10 PM Ares arrived at the east veranda with fresh prey. Astrid came out of nowhere to take it. She flew off with it – possibly to store it? She went to the steeple after that, and Ares remained on the veranda. Were the falcons done for the night? Maybe not; Percy was doing some serious wing flapping after 8:00 PM. Goodnight all.