The overnight period was seasonably cool with temperatures lingering near the freezing point. Post sunrise the sky was mostly cloudy and it warmed into the mid-forties by early afternoon. Ares came to the box at 1:30 AM. He left and then returned at 2:30; Astrid followed close behind. They seemed to be starting a ledge display when she abruptly stopped and leaped out of the box again. Ares remained in the box for hours after that. Perhaps Astrid came to the box thinking he had a gift for her, but he disappointed her. At 5:20 Ares was giving long calls from the box. He flew out and perched on a high ledge on the State Building. At 6:51 AM we noticed that he had moved to the northwest lookout on the State Building roof. Most likely he was hunting. At 7:12 he came to the nestbox, and Astrid joined him at 7:16. She was out on the crossperch and the two were conversing. At 7:19 they mated on the steeple. Ares returned to the box afterwards. They mated again at 7:46. She left the steeple at 8:26 and he started exuberantly calling in the box. At 8:47 both falcons were there but not for long. While they were together, they had a remarkably loud conversation. Astrid was out after only a minute and flew to a perch on the steeple. They mated on the steeple at 8:55 AM.
At 9:35 AM Ares was giving long calls from the crossperch. She flew to the box for a ledge display a half-hour later. Ares bailed after five minutes and then Astrid set to puttering in the nest. She concentrated on biting the wooden lip of the box. Meanwhile it was Ares’ turn to perch on the steeple. At 10:25 Astrid moved out to the west veranda. They mated there moments later; and then again at 10:40; and again at 11:19. Ares was at the box after that. Five minutes later Astrid was asking to mate again. Ares jumped out like he was going to oblige but then didn’t boomerang back. Perhaps he became distracted by something. At 11:48 Astrid did some wing stretches and then flew over to the steeple. Ares was at the box a few minutes later. At 11:52 Astrid flew and then Ares flew. He had become super determined not to let her out of his sight. Both were out of view until he came back to the box at 12:30 PM. She landed on the State Building seconds later and he called to her very excitedly. She came right over to the crossperch, and the pair had another spirited discussion. She then flew to the steeple. Ares tried to mate with her there, but his trajectory was off, and he had to abort the mission. He was back to the box a minute later. Once again, when she took off, he took off. She then headed back to the box. She hopped onto the west veranda just as he went inside. While in the box Ares did an up and down motion with his body that resembled brooding – was he practice brooding? It doesn’t seem so farfetched given that they do practice incubation changeovers and egg shading, why not brooding too? At 1:17 the pair mated on the west veranda. Astrid then moved to the long perch at the box. From there she flew to the steeple and then back to the box at 1:45. It was then Ares’ turn to perch on the steeple for a while.
At 2:18 PM Ares came to the nest. Astrid then left the nest and went to the steeple. She was doing a lot of going back and forth between the steeple and the box! At 2:34 they mated on the steeple. He came to the box directly after but was not there for long. At 2:44 we heard Ares calling from somewhere in the canyon. A moment later he was at the nest. At just before 3:00 PM Astrid left the steeple and went to the office perch located west of the nest. Ares’ squeaking calls alerted us to her move. A half hour later there was an aborted mating attempt. She left the office perch shortly after that and Ares yoyoed back to the box. At 4:05 Astrid came to the crossperch. He jumped into the box and was tremendously excited. The mated on the crossperch five minutes later. At 4:35 Ares screeched over to the box. He had prey in his talons. Astrid accepted it on the east veranda and then brought it over to the hotel. A few minutes later Ares was again doing some practice brooding in the box. At 4:48 the falcons mated on the east veranda. He went to the hotel after that but wasn’t there for long. At 5:37 Ares was back to the nestbox. Astrid was asking to mate and that’s what they did a few moments later. She then departed and he came back into the box. At 6:18 he was calling like he saw her. Ten minutes later he flew off towards the hotel. Sure enough, Astrid was there, and he flew over her head. In a moment she took off and he darted back to the box to watch for her return. As she flew around the State Building his excitement grew. She then flew to the crossperch and hopped to the east veranda. He was making quite a fuzz as if he hadn’t seen her for a year. They mated on the east veranda on 6:39 PM. She was up a few minutes later. We thought the show was over at that point, but then Ares returned to the box at 6:52. That falcon puts in very long days (his day started at 1:30 AM)! He left the box at just before 7:00 PM. Goodnight falcons.
