It was cold again overnight, but not as brutally cold as the previous nights. The temperatures were in the 30’s and rose to the low 50’s by midday. The sky remained overcast all day. It threatened snow, but snow never came. Astrid came to the nestbox shortly after 1:00 AM and she remained on the crossperch for several hours. At 6:07, Ares arrived on the west veranda with a Woodcock. Astrid was on the long perch at that point; she showed no interest in taking the prey from him. He kept edging closer to her, tempting her to take it, but it was not happening. Just the same, he kept at it for an hour. “Would you like it on a house? Would you like it with a mouse?” Astrid doesn’t like green eggs and Woodcock – not on a house, not with a mouse. At 7:15, Ares went off to store the Woodcock and Astrid moved to the steeple. The pair had a failed mating attempt there about a minute later. They were back to the nest box by 8:00. Astrid was on the crossperch asking to mate and Ares was in the box requesting a dance – same old story with these two. They mated at 8:07, reconvened about 45 minutes later and then did a ledge display; so both got their wish! At 9:00, Astrid was circling the State Building, checking Ares’ pantry for a non-Woodcock meal. She apparently found one. She took it to the hotel and had breakfast. She was back to her west ledge at 9:35, and Ares was conversing with her from the box. They mated again at 10:27.
Another mating on the west ledge occurred at noon and that was followed by a failed attempt fifteen minutes later. At 12:27 he screeched through the canyon and landed on Astrid’s ledge with food. It was the same Woodcock he tried to give her earlier. He loped over to her, dangled it in front of her bill and tried to sell it to her. She wasn’t buying. He flew off with it but came back immediately and tried to pawn it off on her again. He did this twice more in rapid succession. The last time he flew away with it I thought he may have dropped it, but I didn’t see it in the street below, so probably not. Regardless, she would not eat one in a box, She would not eat one with a Fox. She just doesn’t like Green Eggs and Woodcocks! At 12:34, both falcons were at the nest again – her on the crossperch and him inside the box. She was bowing with her tail pointed out and asking to mate. The pair mated on the crossperch at 12:51. I noticed that Ares did very little wing flapping during the last two matings. He apparently was perched firmly enough on his mate’s back not to need the stability afforded by flapping. He went back to his pillar perch and she remained on the box’s crossperch. He returned to the nest at 1:36 PM. For a while he was busy trying to bring up a pellet. While he was opening up his beak, Deb got a look inside his mouth with the Whitewash camera. All looked good and healthy. Thanks for saying “Ahhhh”, Ares, and for permitting an impromptu exam. At 1:46, the pair performed another ledge display at the box.
Ares went to his pillar perch following the dance. At 2:50, both falcons gave major cackle-type alarm calls. Shortly after the pair headed south to intercept whatever they saw – we assume a non-falcon raptor. They were both back in the canyon only moments later – Ares to the box and Astrid to the State Building. At 3:34, both started emitting chirping-type alarm calls. Ares was looking upwards, but we couldn’t see anything on the cams and neither falcon was quick to enter into pursuit of anything. However, five minutes later, A&A were out of view and perhaps they were dealing with a falcon intruder. Ares was the first to return. He gave a long screech call as he landed on the northwest lookout. Only a minute later, Astrid was on a west ledge. They had a failed mating attempt there at 4:03 PM. A half hour later, Ares tried gifting a chunk of Woodcock to Astrid. He brought it right to her ledge. At first she refused it and then, unexpectedly, she took it from him, flew over to the hotel and began feeding on it. And so, apparently, She would eat it on a boat. She would eat it with a Goat. She does so like green eggs and Woodcock! No, not really. She still hates Woodcocks, she only ate a little bit and then returned to the box. At 4:43, both falcons were at the nest. They mated on the long perch at 4:50 and then again at 5:15. Movement inside the office adjacent to the box upset Astrid and she swooped at the building a few times. Her action got Ares involved, but he didn’t dive more than a couple of times. She took a perch on the State Building after that. After 6:00 PM, Ares was in the box giving occasional long-calls. She came to the crossperch ten minutes later and the pair mated again. At 7:16, both falcons performed a ledge display at the nest. It was active but very quick. She left the box for her night perch at around 7:30 PM. Presumably Ares was already off to bed. Good night falcons.