The overnight period was chilly with temperatures dropping to the freezing point or slightly below. Conditions improved rapidly through the morning – the mercury approached 60 degrees. A cool wind developed in the afternoon, but it wasn’t uncomfortable. Astrid spent the entire night on the eggs and without interruption as far as we know. She left the box at 6:04 AM, but then was back and on the eggs only a minute later. Perhaps she went to see if Ares was available to switch. At 6:06, she called out from the nest. Was it because she saw him fly through the canyon or was she calling him to bring food or to relieve her on the eggs? Ten minutes later he arrived but without food for her. He just wanted to take over on the eggs. They switched quickly; she was out and he was incubating. Only a few minutes later, he was off the eggs and calling into the canyon. He dashed out after that. Astrid was back in a flash and resumed sitting. At 6:33, Ares landed on the hotel ledge with prey. After processing it slightly he brought it to Astrid at the nest. She accepted it quickly and took it to the hotel where she proceeded to have it as breakfast. At 6:50, Astrid flew to her steeple perch. Ares gave a squeak call to announce her arrival.
At around 7:40 AM, the falcons switched again, and Astrid was on egg duty. He returned to the nest at 9:40. He was very assertive and pretty much heaved her off the eggs. She didn’t resist much and seemed ready to leave. At 10:34, she was on the crossperch. She wasn’t asking to mate (we may have seen the last of that until next year); instead, she was keen to take another turn incubating the eggs. This time she was pushy. She got up behind him and gave him the heave. He wasn’t pleased about it but he left. At 11:33, Ares was giving chirping alarm calls from the State Building. Both he and Astrid stayed put for a long moment. Finally, he flew out from his perch, but it was more of a causal cruise flight than an interception flight. He soared around the State Building and then veered to the north. At 11:47, she chirped to announce his return to the State Building. At 12:04, she gave a light cackle call. Likely some migrant raptor was passing through the canyon’s airspace. Ares scrambled, swooped to the north and then right back to the State Building. At 12:26, Ares arrived at the box to have his turn. Astrid didn’t want to leave and this time he couldn’t persuade her. She stayed and he flew back into the canyon. At 1:19, she was ready to go. Ares came to the box and she left. No sooner had she taken a perch on the State Building than he began chirping. He seemed to be looking up at something. We saw nothing on the cams. Astrid made a couple of forays out and back from her perch on the State Building.
Astrid came to the long perch at 2:47 PM. She hopped into the box and asked to take over on the eggs. She beaked with Ares and persuaded him to get up without much effort. He floated off into the windy canyon and she got comfortable on the eggs. Indeed, the wind picked up in the afternoon and conditions became ideal for falcon flying. At 4:02, Ares came to the crossperch. He was checking in to see if Astrid wanted a break and her answer was a resounding – NO! He sailed off into the canyon again. He repeated the scenario only a half hour later and the answer was the same. Astrid wanted more time at the nest. This time when Ares left, he flew off cackling. Obviously, some raptor was in the canyon again. It probably wasn’t a big deal – maybe it was a Turkey Vulture passing through. At 5:06, Ares came to the box again and that time was more adamant about taking over on the eggs. Astrid was reluctant to leave at first but relented without Ares having to use more intrusive coercion methods. Ares stayed on the eggs fairly late. Astrid was on a high perch on the State Building, enjoying her free time and not in any hurry to take the night shift. She finally came to the box at 7:30 PM. She was ready for the night shift and he was ready to do whatever it is Ares does at night. Goodnight falcons.
