Peregrine Breeding Log for March 17 – 18, 2019:
Friday, March 17th: It was another cold and windy day with intermittent snow squalls, although not as many as the day before. I guess it was an improvement? Astrid was first spotted on the State Building at 4 AM. Ares showed up at the box at 5:45 ish. He didn’t have any food tribute this time, he just sat in the nest and occasionally chirped. An hour later he was still there, but his chirps had become long calls. A few minutes later both falcons were up. I saw two soaring with the PTZ camera and thought one was perusing the other, which meant there may have been an intruder in the canyon, but we never could confirm that. At 7:00, he was chirping as if he saw her flying, but we couldn’t see her. She appeared on the State Building right after that. Five minutes later, they were both flying again. Deb thought she saw three in the air for a moment, but again we couldn’t confirm it. Soon they were back to the box for a lively ledge display. Lively, but short! Ares was out after less than two minutes. She stayed and made a couple of scrapes in the gravel. One was in Ares’ crater.
At 7:35, Ares was spotted on the hotel ledge with fresh prey. It was probably a Starling. Twelve minutes later he brought a hunk of it to the box for Astrid. She accepted it and took it over to the hotel to eat. She landed in almost the same spot Ares had been in only moments before. By 8 AM she finished her meal but remained in place for a little while. Twenty minutes later they mated on the State Building. Astrid stayed on her State Building perch for quite a while, but Ares was out of sight. He finally showed up at the box at 10 AM. He alternated between giving long calls and taking naps. He left the box at 11:26 and landed on a ledge right above her on the State Building. He only stayed there for a minute and then flew over to the hotel to have a snack. After that, he was up again and right back to the State Building. His next stop was the box. At 12:30, he screeched a few times and then zoomed across the canyon and perched on the window ledge just adjacent to the tiny ledge she was on. A close look revealed that he had food. He dashed over to the box with it and then, just as fast, blew out again – this time putting down on a tiny ledge directly beneath her. Five minutes later, she was in a different position, but we don’t know what happened or if there was an interaction.
Both falcons piled into the nestbox for a food exchange at 12:45. Astrid took the small gift over to the hotel. Ares came with her and perched nearby while she fed. At 1 PM, Ares stopped at the box for a few seconds and then dove out calling like a mad man. Was there an intruder? If so, we didn’t see it. Astrid left the hotel about ten minutes later. Moments later they were both at the box sharing a ledge display. As has been the case in recent dances, Ares stays pretty much in one spot – on his mega scrape, while she stands on the other side of the box, facing him. This time, she stood closer to him than usual, and that led to more beak swiping at the beginning and the end of the 8-minute dance. After he left, she made a scrape right next to his super scrape. At 1:32, Ares buzzed right by the nest box. Perhaps that was a flight display for his mate who was standing on the nestbox perch.
Over the next couple of hours, we lost track of exactly what was going on in the canyon, but one or the other falcons was manning the box nearly that entire time. Often the other one would be on the State Building. At 5 PM, Ares brought a small food item to the box. Astrid came over and accepted it. She brought it over to the hotel. When she was finished, she returned to the nestbox. She went out on the long perch and soon Ares came by and the pair mated right there. By 5:40, both were back on the State Bulding. He came to the box after that and with the cams we could see that his crop was quite large. At 6 there was an aborted mating attempt up on the State Building. He went up to the lookout spot after that. By 7:15, we thought the falcons had retired early (relative to their recent bedtimes), but then suddenly, both were at the nest having a ledge display. It was a lively if short dance – lasting only a couple of minutes. Ares left first and then she was right behind him. Both off to night perches, we surmised.
Monday March 18th, weather wise, was marginally nicer than the day before. Not as windy in the morning, sunnier, and with fewer snow squalls. Temps didn’t make it out of the 30’s. One falcon appeared on the north face of the State Building at about 3:15 AM. Astrid and Ares flew to the box at 4:55 AM. Only Astrid landed. Ares flew up and out of view, but his screeching call was heard loud and clear. Ares brought food at 6:30. It appeared to be part of a Woodcock, but we couldn’t be sure. She took it over to hotel and dug in. Meanwhile Ares remained at the box for a while. He was showing a large crop, so obviously he had eaten a good portion of the prey already. Between screeching sessions Ares got some work in on his scrape project. It is quite the excavation now. Just before 7:00, Astrid flew over to the west veranda. It was just a quick stop – she was right back on the hotel a minute later. If she did that to peak Ares’ interest, then mission accomplished. Less than ten minutes later, she was back to the box area and the pair mated. Afterwards Ares perched on the church steeple. The falcons mated again at 7:30.
By 8 AM Ares was on a ledge west of the nest and plucking a starling. Astrid was observing his activities from a high perch on the State Building. A few minutes later he was on a ledge right next to hers and he had the food in his talons. He soon took it to the nestbox and his vocalizations echoed through the canyon. Astrid didn’t seem interested in another food tribute and she took a perch on the far side of the steeple, out of view. He left the box at 12:40 PM but wasn’t gone for long. He was soon back at the box and anxious. He was giving long calls. Soon Astrid was in the air. She soared to the north and then made a run in front of the bank’s fifteenth story windows. She was back on the State Building by 1:30. As for Ares he was up and down – mostly between the box and the State Building. This went on for much of the afternoon. He brought food to the box at 2:30. It appeared to be a bat. She took it from him and went over to the hotel. Just before 3 PM, both falcons were at the box sharing a ledge display. As soon as they were finished, the pair mated right on the east veranda. They mated again at 3:20 and in the same place. Precisely the same thing again occurred at 4:18. He was in the box after that and wanted another ledge display, or something. The next mating took place on the State Building at 4:45.
At 6:20 Ares gave a big screech and blasted off into the canyon. He was after something. Minutes later he was back with fresh prey. Astrid joined him and wasted no time accepting the food gift. She took it to the hotel. While she was eating leftovers, Ares was manning the lookout. Next, he was at the box again and she was on a steeple perch. At 6:45, Astrid was still in the same place and was posturing like she wanted to mate. Ares was in the next box. At one point she began calling. We thought she may have been asking Ares to come and mate, but she may have also been reacting to an intruder. Soon she was up, and we lost track of her. Ares was on the lookout post until 7:24, then we reckon he went to his night perch. Goodnight falcons!