Utica Peregrine Falcon Update for May 12, 2018 –
Overnight was very chilly. Temperatures were in the mid-forties and they hardly budged all day. Skies were overcast and there were periods of light rain. By evening on Saturday, the clouds broke and the sun brightened the falcons’ downtown canyon.
Astrid’s last break from the box had been at 3:30 on Friday afternoon – and that was only for a couple of minutes. At this stage of the nesting, when there are still unhatched eggs, she often loathes to leave. There were two overnight feedings last night – the first was at 1:40 and the second at 4:00. Ares brought the prey to the box each time and Astrid did the feeding. The next feeding took place at 5:56, and that’s when we saw the 3rd hatchling for the first time. This one likely hatched some time after 4 AM, but not we think not as late as 5:00. This chick seemed strong and was able to lift its head up and vie for food during the meal. At 7:00, Ares landed on the perch for a minute, but it was just a check in. An hour later he came back to the box. This time Astrid left, but didn’t leave the clutch with him for long. Two minutes later she was back with food and was conducting a feeding. At 7:57 Ares screeched up to the box. He and Astrid conversed for about four minutes and the she flew out. As far as we knew, this was his first view of the three chicks. He stood alongside the heap of chicks and just looked at them. Astrid came back to the box with food at 8:03. Astrid fed the nestlings and at the same time had a healthy share herself. Ares watched about a minute of the feeding from the cross perch and then left.
Ares brought more food to the box at 9:09. He came into the box to hand it off to her – a habit he’s adopted just recently. Astrid took the meal and doled it out to the nestlings. The falcons switched at 10:35. Seven minutes later, Astrid was back brooding the clutch. At 11:24, we noticed that Ares was on the Adirondack Bank building just east of the box’s east veranda. Astrid was moving the clutch around the box quite a bit. She was jostling the egg in a manner that made us think it may still be viable; or at least she thought it was. At 12:27, Ares called and then landed on the east veranda. Astrid began vocalizing to send him off, but he remained in place. After a while he stepped into the box, came right up to his mate and requested a changeover. She didn’t want to leave. He beaked with her and then crowded in on her in an attempt to influence her decision. Finally, after a few minutes, she did leave. Ares then got to be alone with a writhing heap of babies. “What do I do now”, was what his expression and stance seemed to convey. The three chicks had become stirred up when Astrid left and now they were asking to be fed. Of course Ares didn’t have anything. He just stood alongside them and waited for them to calm down. They ultimately did and he kind-of gathered them up and began brooding. Astrid returned with a large hunk of food at 12:51. Ares left and she proceeded to feed the chicks. Ten minutes later she flew off with the leftovers, stored it on the State Building and came back to the nest.
At 2:30, the falcons switched and Ares took over on the nest, but it was only for one minute! Astrid was right back and Ares was out again. At 4:00 Ares came back to the box. He crowded right up behind and finally compelled her to leave. Once she left it was just Ares and the nestlings again – always awkward. They all turned toward him and were in full begging mode. Yikes – poor Ares! Astrid returned at 4:18, and she had a hunk of leftovers with her. Ares left the box and she proceeded with a feeding. Ares went over to the steeple at Grace Church and after the meal Astrid went back to brooding. At 5:47, Ares did a quick check-in at the box and left. He came back at 6 o’clock and this time he was aiming to have a turn with the nestlings. Astrid’s calls warned him off and so he hopped over to the east veranda and then back to the window ledge just east of there. Soon he was up again. Ares was out of view for an hour but then was seen racing back to the State Building. Ten minutes later he was at the box and Astrid didn’t need a lot of convincing to do the switch this time. As usual, Ares just stood beside the chick mountain and was not sure exactly what to do. Incubating eggs is much more straight forward. Meanwhile, Astrid was hunting. She tore after something to the north of the canyon and then came back to the State Building. After a minute she was up again. This time she ended up on Hotel Utica. Ares managed to half-brood the wiggling chick pile and the egg. For the first time he was being allowed a prolonged stay with them. Astrid’s adventures continued until 7:45, when she brought a scrap of leftovers back to the box. Ares gladly gave up his watch and she proceeded to feed the hungry chicks. All three chicks (including the youngest one) vied well during the feeding, and all had their fill before toppling over. After the meal, Astrid settled down to brooding. Ares was on the State Building until 8:15 or so. Will that last egg hatch tonight – or at all? We don’t know. We haven’t been able to confirm a pip on it, so we will have to see.
Has Ares fed chicks himself in previous years?
Astrid has allowed Ares to feed on occasion in the past. He will tend to pull larger portions for the tiny beaks though and is better at feeding when the eyases are a bit larger. The two seem to know that Ares’ strength is in hunting and protecting. His specialty is after fledging in teaching them how to fly, chase, spar in the air, do food transfer mid-air and hunt.