The typical dynamic at the nest box has been for Ares to bring in prey and for Astrid to take it and proceed to feed the nestlings. There are variations on that theme. For instance, sometimes Astrid comes back with her own prey and doesn’t need to grab it away from Ares at all. The rare thing has been for Ares to get a chance to feed the chicks himself. Usually when he tries, Astrid appears out of nowhere, swipes the food and gets on with the feeding. Ares is then sent on his way with a stern look and a loud screech in his ear. Yesterday something new happened – Astrid came back with a pigeon that she presumably caught, and after a long plucking process (which the chicks impatiently witnessed), Ares came into the box with his own contribution. Both parents then went on to simultaneously feed the nestlings – something we can’t recall happening before. We have the video for it. It’s 32 minutes long, but it’s really pretty good. Please check it out, and do note how aggressive the chicks are getting now.
Loved that video!! When Ares brought his kill it looked like he didn’t know whether or not he should enter!!! Then he proceeded to start eating himself first!!! The youngsters are getting very aggressive. And impatient…when one parent was plucking they immediately went to the other parent. I was very entertained by this video!! Thank you Matt.
Hi Matt,
Thank you for the update and the excellent video!
Love it!
Ann