The overnight period was cold and wet with temperatures in the high thirties. Light rain continued a little past dawn. The day was overcast with rain threatening and temperatures struggled to get into the mid-forties. Once again, it was windy. Ares was in the box at 4:00 AM. We don’t know when he arrived. Astrid was on the east veranda at 5:00 and we’re not sure when she arrived either. At 5:30 she was asking to mate, and he was preening in the box. They mated on the east veranda at 5:39. He went to his pillar perch afterwards. At 6:30 the pair were conversing loudly. He returned to the box and then dove out again. They mated at 7:04. A food exchange occurred at 7:15 AM. Ares brought the food to the east veranda. She accepted it but we couldn’t find where she went with it. At 7:24 Ares screeched back to the nestbox. She was still on the east veranda, and he was getting very excited. They mated five minutes later. At 8:00 Astrid was vocalizing, and Ares was on his pillar. Ares was back in the box at 8:20. For a little while he was snoozing with his beak tucked into his shoulder. A few minutes later he was giving long calls and she was out of view. She returned to the east veranda at 8:46. She soon hopped over to the box and the pair shared a ledge display. The dance lasted over five minutes and was characterized by lots of beaking. After he left, she stayed inside the box and made a scrape. She also did some digging in the corner.
At 9:00 AM Ares was back on his favorite pillar perch. Astrid had moved over to the west veranda and tucked in on the platform. She was gone at 9:25 and Ares was back to the box and calling. Five minutes later she was on the east veranda. They mated there at 10:48. At 10:54 Ares was back to the nestbox. They mated on the east veranda at 11:25 and he was back to the box directly afterwards. At 11:36 she was asking to mate again, but Ares seemed to be more interested in resting. At 12:04 PM he brought a hunk of prey to Astrid on the east veranda. When she didn’t seem interested, he began ripping off little bits and feeding it to her like she was a nestling. We’ve seen this behavior a few times before, but it is not common. At one point he moved back over to the box, trying to get her to follow him. She didn’t, so he hopped back onto her platform and fed her some more. When she still didn’t want to take it, he went to the opposite corner of the veranda and started eating it himself. At 12:20 the pair shared a ledge display. The dance featured lots of beaking. Ten minutes later Ares was on his pillar, and she was on the west veranda.
At 1:10 PM Ares was at the box and Astrid was tucked in on the west veranda. A little later they were in nest guarding positions – him on east veranda perch and her on the west veranda perch. She was up at 2:20 and he was calling to her from the box. Five minutes later she was on an east ledge. They came together at the box for a ledge display at 3:07. After the dance she did some digging in the gravel. At 3:50 Astrid was on the roof of the nestbox. It was the first time this season that she had gone up there. Possible activity in the adjacent office could have been the reason. She stayed there until about 5:22 when she hopped down onto the long perch. Ares had been on his pillar perch but had moved to the east veranda. At 5:25 he left and came back to the veranda with a Woodcock. Of course, it was clear that she didn’t want it, and he soon moved over to a west ledge. And that, much to our surprise, she went over to him to take it. She didn’t bring it to the hotel and its possible she stored it or otherwise disposed of it. She reappeared on the east veranda at 5:37. He had screeched to the nest shortly before that. The pair mated on the east veranda at 5:40 and then at 5:48. She was asking to mate again at 5:54 but he remained on his pillar perch and preened his feathers. An hour later he brought prey to the nest. Astrid took it and flew to the hotel. Ten minutes later when she was done eating, she came to the west veranda. He was at the box and calling excitedly. They mated at 7:08. She left at 7:30 only to return to the long perch at 8:07. By 9:10 she was off to her night perch. Goodnight falcons.