Chilly temperatures and windy conditions once again kept the falcons tight on their eggs. As a matter of fact their incubation switch-overs were lightning fast and so the exposure of the eggs to the cold was greatly minimized. There was one observed food exchange that took place at the nest box – Ares delivered a unrecognizable hunk of prey. A bit earlier Astrid was on the hotel and partaking of leftovers from yesterday’s pigeon meal. By the end of the morning the pair were heard giving alarm calls, but were not seen going after anything. We thought that perhaps some unseen migrant raptors were flying over the canyon. However, two hours later, the drill turned real and Astrid was seen trying to drive off another Peregrine. Ares stayed on the eggs during the incident, but he became quite anxious and issued lots of squeaking calls. No one got a close look at the stranger so we have no details on its age or identity. Soon enough the intruder was gone and Astrid was back in the canyon. By late afternoon Astrid was again on the eggs. Ares either went on a hunting trip or was only perching out of our PTZ camera range. At any rate we didn’t see him after 4:20 PM.
Thank you Matt.
We enjoy your falcon updates and photos.
Have a good Easter weekend!
Ann
PS: Frost this am in Steuben