Utica Peregrine Falcon Update for April 20, 2018 –
It was yet another wintery day in the falcon’s canyon with temperatures remaining firmly in the 30’s. Light snow fell overnight and occasionally during the day. The wind was cold and it picked up by afternoon. Last night, Astrid had returned to the nest box at 7:48 to relieve Ares, which was on the late side. She stayed on the eggs throughout the night. At 5:40 AM, Astrid began calling for Ares to relieve her and she seemed to be getting increasingly impatient. We couldn’t locate him with our PTZ cameras. He finally came to the nest at 5:53, and she gave a loud complaining screech as she bolted out of the box. She went right to a perch on the State Building. A few minutes later she was flying around the State Building and, as she has in recent mornings, she flew back and forth in front of the north and west faces of the building. We think she’s checking for stored food when she does this. At 6:50, she was perched on a high ledge on the building’s north face. At 7:27, she came back to the box and the pair switched. Astrid settled on the eggs and Ares disappeared into the canyon. At 7:50, Astrid began vocalizing in the box and had become very agitated. Ares left the State Building and headed east. Two falcons (Ares and an intruder) then flew in from the northeast and sparred over the State Building. He had given chase and was diving at the intruder. He may have struck the other bird once or twice, but we couldn’t be sure. The intruder was larger than Ares and was an obvious female. She didn’t seem too put out by Ares’ efforts and appeared to be flying with the confidence of an experienced adult. Have we seen this intruder before? At 7:55, Astrid left the nest and joined the fray. The two females then disappeared over the Adirondack Bank Building and Ares came back to the nest. The eggs were only uncovered for two minutes.
At 8:45, the falcons switched again and Astrid took her place on the eggs. Ares wasn’t seen again until nearly 10:30, when Theresa White noticed him feeding on the Hotel ledge. Fifteen minutes later, when he left we expected him to bring something to Astrid, but he didn’t. At 11:15, Ares came to the box and they switched out. Astrid went right over to the State Building and to one of her favorite lookout ledges. The falcons switched places again at 1:50 PM. Ares was out of view and all was quiet until 3:52, when Astrid gave an alarm call and shot out of the box – leaving the eggs. She initially flew north over the Adirondack Bank. A minute later, one falcon (Ares?) was on the roof of the State Building and then gone. Following that there was one on an upper ledge of the same building (Astrid). Astrid returned to the box and to the eggs only three minutes after she had left. At 3:59, Ares checked in at the box for a few seconds and then flew off again. He went to the State Building and for a few moments, Astrid conversed with him from across the canyon. We weren’t clear if this incident represented the return of the earlier falcon intruder or was something else going on. At 4:54, Ares headed north. Was he off hunting?
The falcons’ switched out at 5:47. Ares took over on the eggs and Astrid spent about ten minutes soaring around the State Building. She ended up on the building’s south face. Deb saw her preening when she left downtown. Astrid didn’t relieve Ares until 8:23, which is pretty late, but she has been trending later over the last couple weeks.
