Huge Day!!! Two Hatches and Two Feedings

Utica Peregrine Falcon Update for May 9, 2018 –

It was a nice summer day in spring, and few were complaining. The temperature got into the mid 80’s by mid-aftenoon. It was breezy and mostly clear.

Astrid had returned to the box at 7:12. One of the eggs – the first one laid in the clutch (back on April 1^st), had an obvious pip in it. Astrid stayed on the clutch all night. Ares came to the box at 2:12 AM. He had prey in his talons. Astrid took it and flew off with it. Ares took over on the eggs for a few minutes until she returned. She most likely stored the prey somewhere. At 5:05 Wednesday morning, the pair switched and Ares took over on the nest. The hole in egg # 1 was larger and we could hear a chick calling from inside. He/she wanted out! An hour later, the hole was much expanded. It looked for a few minutes that Ares was going to be on duty when the egg hatched (something that has never happened before), but it was not to be. Astrid came back to the box just before 6 AM, and Ares was out. At 7:02, the first hatch of the season took place. Astrid was seen eating part of the cast off egg shell. The hatchling was pink and wet, but within a few minutes it had whitened up quite a bit. At 8:05, it was clear that a second egg had a large pip in it. It looked like the hatchling wasn’t going to be an only child for long. Sometime before 9:25, the pair switched again and Ares got to see the new chick for the first time. Less than ten minutes later, Astrid was back and she took over the show.

At 10:37 AM, the second hatch of the day occurred. The new chick was briefly glimpsed before Astrid tucked it back under her. For those of you that have some memory of last year, you might think you’ve seen this show before. Last year we also had two hatches take place on May 9^th. At 12:19, Ares brought food to the box, but Astrid sent him away. Evidentially she didn’t want to start feeding the chicks yet. Of course, mother knows best. At 1:00, Astrid gave a cackle type alarm call, but she didn’t leave her brood, nor did Ares leave his perch on the State Building. It turned out it was just a few Turkey Vultures passing overhead. Now that the falcons have hatched young in the nest, we expect them to be much touchier about who comes through the canyon. Ares brought different prey to the box at 1:33, but Astrid again sent him away. At 2:08, Ares was back at the box, but this time he was there to take over brooding. It was awkward, folks. He doesn’t quite know what to do when chicks are looking up at him and begging. If he had food, he would be feeding them, but Astrid didn’t want them to be fed yet. So Ares could only stand there – kind of half shading and mostly just waiting for Astrid to come rescue him. She did just that at 2:30. When there are hatchlings in the nest, she’s rarely away for long even on the hottest afternoon – and this was one of those. Poor Astrid looked majorly stressed in the box. She was almost constantly shading the chicks and eggs through the balance of the afternoon. At 2:50, the first feeding took place. Astrid tore miniscule pieces of meat from the carcass and fed them mostly to the first chick. The second chick got a little bit towards the end of the meal. Astrid then took the leftovers out of the box and stored them. Ares came and sat with the brood until she came back. She wasn’t gone for long, lucky for him.

At 4:15, there may have been an intruder of some kind. Ares was up on the roof of the State Building on his old lookout spot. Astrid left the box, but was back after only a minute.  Ares came to the box at 5:35, but Astrid didn’t want to relinquish the nest. He was next seen feeding on the steeple at 5:40, but he wasn’t there for long and likely stored the food in his pantry on the State Building. Astrid left the box right before 6 PM and Ares came in shortly after. After about seven minutes of awkward dad time, Astrid was back and Ares was out. But then Astrid left the box again only two minutes later. She came right back – maybe she left to get a drink of water. That’s just what Ares was seen doing on the ledge of Hotel Utica at 6:15. The heat seemed to be affecting Astrid in the box. She kept acting like she was ready to leave. She finally did leave at 7:15 and Ares took her place after only a few minutes. Again, it was awkward. The chicks both looked up at him and started begging and he seemed at a loss about what to do. At 7:18, he left the box, but then he came right back with food. Astrid converged with him, took the food and began the chicks’ second feeding of the day. Again, it was mostly the older chick that got fed, but the other did get something. Interestingly, at one point Astrid left with the food, but then came right back with it again. She fed the second chick one little shred of meat and then she left. She came back at 7:30 and began shading and brooding alternately.  This is how it’s done, Ares! She was out of the box by 7:34, And Ares was in. Hats off to Ares; this time he was doing a much better and more competent job of brooding and shading. By George, He’s got it! The last switch took place at 7:28. Astrid was in and Ares was out. We thought for a while this afternoon that a third egg had a pip in it. However, we couldn’t see it well enough to make a call. We shall see what tomorrow brings.