Peregrine Breeding Log for March 21 – 22, 2019:
Thursday, March 21st, was relatively mild with temps in the 30’s. They rose into the high 40’s by mid-afternoon. A light rain began in the afternoon and became steadier by evening. Migrant Canada Geese and flocks of blackbirds continue to push into the region, and some are occasionally heard on the falcon box’s microphone. Early (very early) this morning Astrid gave us a preview of what’s to come. She arrived at the box at just after Midnight. She did some vocalizing before settling down inside the nestbox. There she spent the balance of the night – initially in the box and then out on the cross perch. Ares arrived at 5 AM. He landed on a window ledge just to the east of the box, but didn’t stay, opting instead to screech off into the darkness. Just before 6:00, Astrid flew back and forth in front of the west face of the State Building. It was still dark, but bright lights from a nearby building fully illuminating her wings and light underside. Most likely, she was searching the ledges where Ares stores prey – AKA, his pantry. She came back to the box when she didn’t find anything. The pair then shared a lively exchange of vocalizations – him from inside the box and her from a window ledge just east of the box. At 6:30, they mated. By 7 AM, Ares was plucking prey on the hotel. He brought it to Astrid and she carried it back to the hotel. We weren’t sure what the prey was, but she seemed to be getting a good meal out of it. She came back to the box at 7:30. After arriving and landing on the cross perch she appeared to trip and fall. She was right back on the west veranda’s perch immediately after, so she was fine, it was just an awkward move. Minutes later, they mated again. At 7:45, Ares was back on the hotel plucking prey again. He brought it over to Astrid on the west veranda and tried to interest her in taking it. It was a bat and for a few minutes it looked as if he was ripping off bits of it and feeding them to her, but we think he was only eating himself and then touching beaks with her. Regardless, after it was clear to him that she had no interest in it (she hates bats) he started eating it himself right there in front of her. Finally, her interest was peaked, and she tried to reach in to grab some. He then flew away with it! What a guy!
Astrid was on the steeple by 7:50 and that’s where they mated a few minutes later. They mated there again at 8:15. Following that the pair came to the box and performed a ledge display. It was short but was intense. It ended with Ares doing his trademark cowabunga dive out of the nest. Astrid did some housework after he left. She was out on the long perch by 8:30 and that’s were the pair mated yet again. At 9 AM, Ares had food on the hotel ledge again. He brought it over to the box and to Astrid a few minutes later. It had been plucked and partially eaten by the time we saw it, but it was an Eastern Meadowlark – possibly the first of that species we had seen Ares procure. Astrid had no interest in the prey and so he put it in his pantry. He was back before long, and ten minutes later they mated on the west veranda. Afterwards, he spent some time in the box, digging at his scrape and doing some other necessary chores. For the next hour the pair seemed to be guarding the box from either side. Occasionally Astrid requested a mating, but Ares was more into preening and, at one point, trying to bring up a pellet. At 10:40, Astrid did some flying. She went to a steeple perch and then returned to the west veranda. There the pair mated once more. After bouncing a few more times between the box and the hotel. Ares brought back to the nest a small chunk of something. We thought he was going to offer it to Astrid and I think she thought so too. Instead, he just ate it in front of her. Oh well, there wasn’t much left anyway.
At noon, Astrid left her perch. Soon we heard lots of vocalizing and we thought they had an intruder issue. At 12:30, they both barged into the box and did a quick ledge display (they sometimes do this directly following an encounter with an intruder). After he bailed out, Astrid did some work around the box. There was what sounded like a failed mating attempt at 1 PM. That was followed by a successful attempt only ten minutes later. Ares came up with food and brought it to the hotel. After he took his share off the top, he brought it to the box and Astrid grabbed it. We didn’t know where she took it to. At 2:00, both were together at the box. Another mating occurred. For the next hour and ½, Ares was in and out of the box a few times. Some people on the roof of the ADK bank, suppressed their activity levels. They were together at the box at 3:45, and Astrid seemed to be doing a lot of vocalizing. She was on the west veranda when they mated at 4:15. Directly after that, Ares came back with a food tribute. It was most of a Meadowlark we saw him with earlier. He tried to interest her in taking it and when she wouldn’t, he left with it. He then tired again, this time holding a piece right out to her, but no, she wasn’t biting. At 4:30, the pair mated and then another food exchange happened at 5:30. They had a bit of a conversation before she flew off to the hotel with her gift. Ten minutes later, they mated at the box once more, but it was short and probably not a successful one. After spending some time on the hotel, Ares screeched to the box. After an hour, he was up and we assume they went to their night perches.
Friday, March 22nd, Persistent rainfall turned to snow showers by 5 AM and the weather didn’t improve during the day. In fact, the winds became stronger. Ares screeched to the box at 5:30. She arrived on the long perch less than five minutes later. She was out by 5:40 and Ares gave long calls from the box. It would be a frustrating day for him. At 6:40, She was back at the nest and the pair preformed a ledge display. It was a relatively lively dance featuring lots of beak swiping. Before diving out, Ares stood on his scrape. The first known mating of the day took place at 7:30.
The falcon action was definitely subdued today. Astrid has never been a fan of inclement weather. She spent most of her day on just a couple of perches. Ares had a hard time getting her interested in anything including food tributes. They did get a few matings in that we know about. There was one at 9 AM. He tried to give her food at about 9:30, but she wouldn’t accept it. Just before 11:30, Ares was on the hotel with prey. It was difficult to tell what happened next (the cameras were being obscured by precipitation); we think Ares brought something right to her perch on the State Building and she took it to the building’s west face. After the handoff he dove for the box. At noon he brought something fairly large to the box. It looked like a sandpiper, but we didn’t get a great look at it. Besides Woodcocks, there aren’t many sandpiper species in Central New York at this time of year. It wasn’t a Killdeer either. He ended up storing it and screeching back to the box. He was in and out a few more times and then at 12:30, he came to the box with a Starling. He began plucking it right in the box. He buzzed by Astrid with it and then brought it back to the nest again. She was up on her high perch and obviously wasn’t interested in coming for it. Fifteen minutes later he took it up to the very ledge she was on and dangled it right in front of her. He remained on the ledge with her for about ten minutes – giving her plenty of time to decide if she wanted it or not. She didn’t. After that, the pair spent a couple of hours perched near each other on the State Building. The weather had deteriorated even more by then and they were both tucked in.
At 3:30, suddenly both falcons were at the box doing a ledge display. It was pretty short. Ares left first but then came right back with a gift for his mate. They both went to the hotel after that. Astrid had the food but didn’t eat much. Soon she was right back on the State Building. Ares went to the box before joining her on an adjacent ledge. He may have tried to give her something again at 5:30, but we were not positive. If she did take something, she either stored it or dropped it because she was at the box only minutes later. While she was there, she made a scrape. When it was time to leave, she went out onto the perch, spread out her wings and just let the wind lift her on her way. One of the falcons remained visible on the State building until about 7:15, after which we think they both retired for the day.