Utica Peregrine Falcon Update for May 1, 2018 –
It was cool overnight with temperature in the 40’s. A low and dense fog passed through the downtown area at dawn. Interestingly, the fog was only about five or six stories high and so our cameras could see above it. Under mostly clear skies, the air warmed up quickly and temperatures reached into the 60’s by midday. The skies became mostly cloudy by mid-afternoon, but the temperature continued to climb into the low seventies.
Astrid returned to the nest box at 7:52 PM, Monday night and she stayed on the eggs right through to morning. Ares came to relieve her at 5:12 AM. For a while after she left, Ares chirped at her as he sat on the eggs. He could probably see her flying around, but we saw nothing on the cams. At 5:53, She flew into view from behind the State Building and perched on the steeple. She had probably just eaten. She was opening and closing her bill a lot as well as wiping it and scratching at it with her talons. Perhaps she had something stuck on it, but if so, it was invisible to us. At 7:00, she stretched her wings and then flew over to the box. The falcons switched places and Astrid was back on the eggs. Area went over to the State Building, but wasn’t in place for long.
At 7:40, Ares was seen flying around the State Building repeatedly. He was calling and obviously agitated, but no intruder was seen. At 8:11, he was spotted on the steeple by Theresa White. From there he went over to Hotel Utica and spent some time on the ledge there. A reckless and perhaps nearsighted Pigeon landed close to him at one point, but understandably, it didn’t stay long. Ares was back on the steeple by 9:30, and at just before 10:00, he came to the box and relieved Astrid. Only five minutes later, Astrid saw another Peregrine flying high over the canyon and she launched from her State Building perch. Deb then saw two falcons flying high over the State Building. Ares saw the, too, and possibly heard them as well. At 10:08, Ares came off the eggs and joined the fray and all three falcons disappeared north over the Adirondack Bank building. Astrid came back only two minutes later to tend the eggs, but Ares wasn’t seen again until he screeched back into the canyon at 11:00. He landed on the steeple and stayed there until the pair switched again at 11:15. She was on the State Building on and off until around 12:40. After that she was out of our camera view. She showed up again on the State Building at 1:40. The next switch took place at 2:13. Ares ended up on the State Building at 2:55. Ten minutes later he flew off to the north and we didn’t see him again until the next switch at 5:23. Astrid seemed like she was super ready to go. As Ares settled onto the eggs, she flew over to the State Building and got into some serious preening. She stayed in place until 6:45 and then she was out of camera view. She returned to the north face of the State Building at 7:48, but was in no hurry to take over incubation. By 8 o’clock, Ares was asking to be relieved and began giving his version of Astrid’s Donkey calls. He didn’t have it quite right, but it was a good effort. Astrid came to the box at 8:20. She took over on the eggs and Ares flew off – possibly to his night perch.
