The overnight period was cool, but temps came up quicky once the sun was up. Temperatures were in the 70’s by midday. Astrid was on the longperch for quite a while last night. We are not sure what time she came into the box to brood but at some point she did. Ares brought foot to the nest at 3:20 AM. Astrid handled the feeding. Ares was back with more food only five minutes later. He hopped into the box and passed it off to her even while she was still busy doling out the previous catch. At 4:55 Ares was back to the box with a small prey item. Astrid took it and fed the chicks. At 6:10 Astrid had moved over to the west veranda. We noticed that the parents are now increasingly using the verandas for guarding and for food transfers. At 6:41 the chicks were getting more rambunctious in the nest. They are more mobile and more vocal. Ares brought food at close to 7:40. Astrid took it and did the feeding. All three chicks were huddled in the west corner of the nest. That meant that we couldn’t see them very well with our box cameras. At 8:30 Ares screeched to the nestbox. At 8:50, Astrid was feeding the nestlings again. We missed the food coming in so we weren’t sure which falcon procured it.
At 9:47 AM Astrid plunked down onto the roof of the nestbox. She only does that when she’s upset about activities taking place in the offices adjacent to the nest. By 10:15 She had moved to the crossperch and was obviously guarding the nest very closely. At 10:22 Ares brought prey to the nest. Astrid took it from him and handled the feeding (Ares has not even tried to feed the chicks yet this season). When the meal was finished, Astrid stayed out on the crossperch for a while – still on guard. A half hour later Ares was back with a Blue Jay. Astrid took it, plucked it in the box, and served it to the nestlings. After the meal she went to the crossperch, and from there to the east veranda. Ares came in with more food at 11:27. Astrid grabbed it and this time flew off with it. Did she store it somewhere? She showed up on her steeple perch shortly after and she didn’t have food with her. Minutes later Ares screeched to the nest. He had a large crop and obviously had recently eaten something. He was gong and then screeched to the box again at 12:09. At 12:15 one of the three chicks ambled across the box to the east corner. After a minute he trundled back to join the other two. At 12:30 Astrid was back on the top of the nestbox giving a dirty look to the wall. Twenty minutes later she went to the west veranda and then to the long perch. From there, back to the roof of the box.
At 1:34 PM a chick made its way back over to the opposite side of the box. It soon returned to the others, only to travel back along the back of the box once more. Astrid spent some time watching the nest from the steeple, but then was back on the roof of the box by 1:54. Office movement had set her off. At 2:49 Astrid was feeding the chicks again. We don’t know if she got the food from Ares or not. At 3:08 she was on the steeple and Ares was on the State Building. At 3:48 Ares came to the box to do a chick check. Meanwhile the nestlings were spreading out in the diminishing shade at the back of the box. At 4:00 PM Astrid was back on the roof of the nestbox – obviously irritated by something happening in the building. At 4:58 Astrid was feeding the nestlings. Again, we didn’t know where the food came from – probably Ares brought it. The chick that was on the far side of the box walked over to join the two that were feeding. At 5:56 Ares landed on a west ledge with prey. Astrid thought he was going to the box with it and tired to meet him there. When she found out he had other plans, she went to his ledge, took the prey, and flew over to the hotel to pluck it. Three minutes later she came to the box and served supper to the chicks. By 6:17 she was done with the feeding and left the box. At 8:30 she landed on the long perch – her guard post for the night. Goodnight falcons.
Thanks for these updates, I enjoy reading them 😊