It was another cold and blustery day in the downtown canyon. Snow showers overnight deposited about an inch of snow on the verandas and the roof of the box. Snow showers continued sporadically throughout the day and the winds became steadier and more intense. At 5:50 AM Astrid let out two volleys of long screech calls from the nest. We thought perhaps a herd of Water Buffaloes were repelling down the side of the nest building from the roof. What else could elicit such exited calls! Nope, she only wanted Ares to come and relieve her. Well, it worked; he came right over, and she darted off into the canyon. Seriously, we believe she was hungry and wanted her breakfast. We had no idea when she had last eaten. Her calls began as soon as Ares showed up on the north face of the State Building. Directly after leaving the box she flew around the building checking the pantry ledges. After that she went to the hotel. She was up and checking the pantry again only minutes later. By 6:50, she had food on the hotel. It appeared to be something that Ares had caught earlier. At 7:05, she was flying around the canyon. They did a quick changeover at 7:34 and then she was back on the eggs. At 9:40 Ares was spotted on the east face of the State Building. The sun had come out for a brief moment and in that location he was sheltered from the relentless wind.
By 10:07 AM, there were blizzard conditions in downtown. Our PTZ cams were effectively blotted out by snow and ice. The snow hurricane began to abate as the falcons did their next switch at 10:37. Astrid spent her time off on a ledge on the north face of the State Building. There she felt the full force of the increasing wind, but she also could monitor the box. She came back over to the nest at 11:23 and the pair switched places again. At 1:00 PM Astrid called from the nest for Ares to relieve her. She called off and on for about a half hour before he came to take over incubation. She again watched the nest during her off time. She was back to take another turn at 2:50. It was another smooth and quick transition. We didn’t know it at the time, but that would be the last changeover for the day. She called to be relieved at 5:56 and a few other times, but Ares didn’t come over. He was spotted a few times during that period. He was on the State Building for a while and, at one point, soaring on the wind over by the hotel. Perhaps he was spending the afternoon and early evening hunting and trying to restock his pantry ledges. It is possible that the wind knocked down some of his food caches. He landed on the State Building at 6:33 and Astrid called to him, but by then she was determined to remain in the nest. It would be another marathon incubation session for her. Goodnight falcons.
