Utica Peregrine Falcon Update for May 18, 2018 –
It was a chilly night. Astrid spent the overnight hours at the nest brooding. There were three overnight feedings – one around midnight; one at 2:18 and one at 3:49 AM. At 5:27, Ares brought food to the box. He jumped right into the nest and passed to over to Astrid that time, which is the best way to insure delivery (recall yesterday’s dropped food). She took it and began a feeding. The falcons switched at 7:14, and Ares took over at the nest. Astrid came back to relieve him at 7:52. At 8:30, Ares left his perch on the State Building and five minutes later he brought food to the box. Astrid noisily took it and handled the feeding. When she finished, she did some brooding and some then standing out on the perch. As for Ares, he was spending some time on the State Building. He came to the box at 10:26, alternating between brooding and guarding. Astrid went over to Hotel Utica at 10:40, but wasn’t there long. Her next stop was the nest box. She was there brooding and guarding until 11:53, when she went to the steeple. At 12:04, Ares brought prey to the nest. Astrid took it from him and conducted a feeding. After the meal, the pair briefly perched on adjoining ledges on the State Building. It looked like Ares had prey and perhaps was feeding. A few minutes later they both were on the steeple.
At 12:23, Ares came over to the nest box. While he was on guard at the nest, she did some amazing flying around the State Building. The winds were strong and the skies clear – in other words, perfect conditions for Peregrines. She flew mostly in front of the building’s west face, but she also orbited the entire structure a few times. At one point, she darted off towards the north. Ares stayed at the box and surprisingly, he wasn’t vocalizing as she swooped about. Usually whenever she makes a move, he punctuates it with a chirp or two. At 12:48, Ares leaped over to the eat veranda. He explored there for a short time and then flew off. At 12:53, both falcons flew in together from the north. Ares came to the box and Astrid disappeared around the back of the State Building. She then barreled into the box with prey in her talons. Ares departed as she began to pluck the food and then feed the chicks. And then, only a few minutes into the feeding she abruptly took off with food in hand. She went over to the State Building for a few minutes and then disappeared from our camera view. Ares came back to the box, but was in and out for the next half-hour. At 1:00 PM, Astrid had flown off somewhere. Ares had been on the steeple, but came over to do a shift at the box. At 1:38, he gave a screech call, and a minute after that he gave a cackle alarm call, but he really didn’t seem all that disturbed. He was probably letting a passing raptor or Turkey Vulture know that the territory was defended. At 1:54, Astrid blasted back into the canyon. She had prey in her talons. It was a whole pigeon and she must have freshly caught it. For the next twelve minutes the three chicks got stuffed with food and then Astrid took the leftovers out and stored them on the west side of the State Building.
At 2:11, Ares was back at the box with the chicks and Astrid was on the steeple. By this point it was starting to get hot and uncomfortable in the box. Ares was doing a lot of shading by 3:00. Ten minutes later, the chicks were wandering around and not cooperating with their father. He began calling. Astrid came in a few minutes later at took over the shading job. The unruly chicks were all against the back wall. One was sleeping and one was preening. Incidentally, this was the first time one of this clutch has been seen preening. At 4:30, we noticed that the single unhatched egg may be broken. If the parents notice this they will probably shove it aside and not continue to brood it along with the chicks. Astrid left the box at 5 PM, and Ares left the State Building at the same time. He came over to the nest and she went over to the hotel ledge for a drink. When she was finished hanging around the puddle she flew over to the west face of the State Building, retrieved the Pigeon leftovers, and brought them to the box. Ares left and she began plucking the half-feast. All three chicks were crashed out in the back of the box. None of them even lifted their heads when she bounded in. As soon as she gave a loud chirp call, all three heads went up and beaks gaped. Two of them lumbered over to Astrid who was ripping pieces off the carcass, while the third chick stood in the shade in the far corner of the box. Five minutes into the feeding, the-left out chick made its way over to the chow-line and joined in. By all accounts it was a good feeding. Astrid took the diminished remains (all but one wing) away and stored it somewhere. Ares came over to the box, picked up the remaining wing and flew off with it. He probably stored that as well. At 5:25, Astrid returned to the box and began shading the nestlings.
At 6:43 Ares brought food to the box. Astrid grabbed it and then went directly over to the nestling in the far corner. She was feeding that one chick first. The other chick eventually made their way over – looking like a lumbering procession of mini-snowmen. All got some food and ended up with bulging crops. These guys did eat well today. Astird remained in the box – eventually moving out onto the long perch as night fell. Ares was last seen on the State Building at around 8:15.