Over night was cold again with temperatures in the low 20’s. By morning the sky was clear, but the bright sun did little to moderate the cold. The wind kicked in by afternoon and temperatures struggled to reach the high 30’s. No falcons were at the box overnight. Astrid arrived at the nest at 6:30 AM. Ares showed up 15 minutes later and the pair shared a ledge display. It was a short dance and at its conclusion, Astrid bailed out of the box first. She came right back after he left. Five minutes later he landed on a west ledge and began plucking prey. Did he just catch it or was it drawn from his pantry? She waited on the long perch as he prepared her gift. At 7:18, he brought her breakfast to the box. She accepted it and went over to the hotel. Ares flew over to check on her and then he returned to the box. He then decided to go back and watch her while she ate. By 8:00, both falcons were out of view of the cameras.
At 9:13 AM, Ares came screeching to the nest. Once there he did a few long calls. Astrid was near him on the west veranda. She signaled to him that she wanted to mate and that’s what they did. At 9:27, they both were in the box together. It was another short dance, and she was the first one to leave again. After that they both spent time on the hotel’s east facing ledge where they were in the sun and out of the wind. At 9:53, they were at the nest again. She was out on the crossperch singling her desire to mate. The pair mated there at close to 10:00 AM. Both flew to the hotel afterwards. They were back and forth between the box and the hotel a few times in the subsequent hour. At 11:34, the falcons performed yet another short ledge display at the box. Once again, at the end of the dance she was the first one out of the nest. A few minutes before noon, they converged at the nest again and this time they were giving manic chirping calls. That usually means there is a falcon intruder in the canyon, but they didn’t go after it right away. A couple of minutes later, they were both up and probably giving chase. At 12:11 PM, Astrid returned and perched on a State Building ledge. Ares came back to the box at 12:28 and was still very upset. He gave a few volleys of warning calls and then darted off. Astrid launched from her perch and flew northwest with purpose. At 12:40, Ares was back. He flew in a circle around the State Building before landing at the nest. She appeared on the crossperch directly after he arrived. Five minutes later they did a ledge display. It was yet another short dance. At its conclusion, Ares left first, which is the traditional way to end dances. At 1:48, Ares brought a scrap of food into the box. It was a gift for his mate, but he had to chase her around to get her to take it. Once she had it, she flew over to the hotel and picked at it.
At 4:30 PM, A&A performed another dance. This one actually lasted a few minutes – unlike all the others that took place today. Following the display, Astrid bit the lip of the box for a while and did some others housekeeping chores. He screeched to the box at 4:47. He had prey. The pair did a food transfer and she took the meal to her favorite dining destination – the hotel. Ares joined her there for a little while as she ate. At 5:18, both falcons were at the nest – her on the crossperch. They mated at 5:20. Soon after, he returned to the box and she went over to the west veranda. Twenty minutes later they mated on the west veranda. Ares was back to the box afterward. At 6:00 PM, Astrid was asking to mate again. Ares did a cowabunga dive out of the box, but then did not boomerang back to mate. Ares screeched back into the canyon at 6:33. He had prey in his talons. He landed on a west ledge and began plucking it. Although the prey itself was concealed behind bricks, the cloud of feathers billowing from the ledge where he was working was obvious. At 6:51, Ares was in the box and without his prey. If he transferred it to Astrid, we didn’t see it happen and we were unable to locate where she was feeding. At 7:11 PM, Astrid visited the nestbox. Ares soon met her there and the pair shared a very short dance. He left first and then she flew as well. The light was fading and we assume they went to their night perches. Goodnight falcons.
Saturday, March 20th, 2021
First Day of Spring and the Action Ramps Up in Falcontown
The overnight period was very chilly with temps in the low 20’s. However, fortunes changed as the sun rose and temperatures surged into the 50’s by midday. The wind picked up, but it wasn’t as biting as it had been in recent days. Astrid made a fast visit to the nest at 11:13 PM Friday night, but that was the only overnight visit. Both Astrid and Ares piled into the box at 6:15 AM. They performed a rapid ledge display and then Ares flew out. A half hour later he landed on a west ledge. We didn’t know if he had brought prey or if it had previously been stored there. Ares brought it to the nest and to his mate. She accepted it and took it to the hotel. By 7:16, Astrid had finished her meal and was on her steeple perch. The mated on there at 7:20 and then both flew. She boomeranged back the steeple and he went to the box. They mated again 15 minutes later and one more time at 8:07. At 8:13, both were at the nest site – one gave a cackle alarm call. It wasn’t clear what that was all about – probably a passing raptor. Ares’ mating chatter was heard twice between 8:30 and 9:00 AM. At 9:30, both falcons were at the nestbox.
At 10:23, the pair was on the hotel, but not for long. Five minutes later they mated on the west veranda. Ares brought prey to a west ledge at 11:05. Astrid waited in the box patiently as he plucked it. When he brought it to the crossperch, she didn’t reach out to take it. He flew off with it instead and perhaps stored it. At 11:33, the pair shared a short dance, after which Ares abruptly left. Astrid stayed at the box after the dance and did housework. She made a nice scrape in the pea gravel. At 11:51, she was looking up towards the sky at something. An intruder? She began giving chirping alarm calls. She was up a minute later and then both falcons were out of view for a while. At 12:15 PM, both showed up at the box together, but they were up again almost immediately. Were they after a falcon intruder? At 12:34, Ares landed back at the box. Astrid sailed in from the north and took a high perch on the State Building. They mated there at 12:51. At 1:12, they were darting off again – first him, and then her. At 1:49, another mating occurred on the State Building.
A&A were at the box at 3:30, engaged in a ledge display. This one was not like a proper dance – more like a 9-minute standoff. Astrid left first. They mated on the steeple at 3:43. The falcons were out of view for a while after that. Ares came back to the box at 4:15. A half hour later he began calling like he saw her. At 5:08, she came to the box. She had a brief conversation with Ares and then was gone again. She was being fairly elusive in the late afternoon. At 6:34, Ares was giving chirping-type alarm calls, which probably meant there was a falcon intruder in the canyon. He zoomed off towards the northwest. Astrid was on the State Building at that point; he turned around, flew back and attempted a mating with her. He returned to the box, but then made a quick dash to the northwest again. Only a minute later he was up on his lookout post on the roof of the State Building. Suddenly both falcons were up and apparently after something. At 6:52 PM, Ares was back to the box and chirping again. At 7:09, both were at the box for a ledge display. It was only a minute before Ares left. She was gone a few minutes later – off to her night perch most probably. Goodnight falcons.