The overnight period was somewhat warmer than usual with the temperature dipping down into the low forties and then climbing into the low fifties by noon. In the morning the skies were mostly cloudy with breaks of sun. It was sunnier in the afternoon and the temperature hit 60 degrees. Ares came to the west veranda with a Woodcock at 1:38 AM. Astrid made no move to come and take it. Instead, she flew into the canyon, and he followed her. She was back again and on the eggs five minutes later. Ares was back for a quick switch at 5:00. Astrid flew over to perch on the State Building. At 5:53 Ares came off the eggs and moved to the lip of the box thereby creating a gap in incubation. Considering it was only 43 degrees, long gaps can be problematic. He was doing some calling and we thought they would be mating soon. Sure enough, Astrid flew to the west veranda and the pair mated right after she arrived. Afterwards she got right onto the eggs. At 6:25 Ares came to a west ledge. He had prey in his talons. She called to him, and he flew off. He then landed on the east veranda platform. She called but made no move to come out for the food, so he took flight again. This time he came right to the box. She tried to take it from him but couldn’t get hold and she flew off without it. She boomeranged back and tried again. This time Ares didn’t let go when she did grab it and he came off the perch with it. They both dropped the prey and plunged down after it – both quickly moved off camera. We don’t know which one recovered the prey, but both Astrid and Ares were next seen on the hotel. She was feeding. Ares flew back to the nest and was incubating at 6:43.
At 6:55 AM Astrid was done with her meal and back on the State Building. At 7:03 she had moved to the west veranda. He left at some point, and she was climbing onto the eggs at 7:15. Perhaps we missed a mating. Ares was back to the nest at 7:22 and asking to have a turn on the eggs. When she didn’t get up, he moved around behind her and started trying to lever her off. Instead of leaving, she got up and turned around to face him. He knew she was serious, and he decided to leave instead. She then settled back onto the eggs. At 8:38 Ares was back and keen to incubate. This time he was successful prying Astrid off the nest and getting his turn on the eggs. One of them gave the “tut tut tut” call, which Peregrines give when they are impatient or irritated. We usually associate that call with Astrid. Regardless, she relented this time and ceded the nest to Ares. At 9:02 Ares left the box, and the pair mated a couple minutes later. Astrid got onto the eggs directly after mating. At 10:54 Ares was back again for another turn. She refused to leave, and he relented this time. He went to his pillar perch instead. At 11:58 AM it was clear that Astrid was having contractions. She was about to lay her fourth egg. We didn’t expect her to do this until at least 2:00 PM, but she had other plans. She laid her egg at 12:01 PM. It was 58 hours after she laid the third egg which is the smallest interval between two eggs so far this season. The interval between the 2nd and 3rd egg was 64 hours, which was easily the longest one. Obviously, she surprised us. Ares left his pillar perch and came into the nest only a minute after the fresh egg appeared. He spent a few minutes in the box conversing with his mate but not lobbying hard to take over incubation. He left and went back to his pillar.
At 12:47 PM Ares gave a cackle-type alarm call from his pillar perch, but he stayed in place. Raptor migration has been ramping up the last couple of days and no doubt some of these raptors and vultures are passing through the falcons’ territory. At 1:46 Ares came to the box and took over incubation of the four eggs. He had to almost pry her out of the nest, but he prevailed. It was his first time incubating the full clutch. Astrid went to a relatively low perch on the State Building. At just before 2:00 PM the pair mated on the west veranda. Unless she’s planning on laying an unprecedented fifth egg they no longer need to mate anymore – that is, not for the sake of producing fertile eggs. Astrid went to the box and got onto the eggs following the mating. At 2:43 we heard Ares screech as he landed on his pillar perch. At 3:10 he came to the box to relieve Astrid. She didn’t want to leave so he stepped on her wingtips to oust her. She left and he got onto the eggs. At 3:28 Ares was giving alarm chirp calls from the nest. He came off the eggs but didn’t leave the box. Was it a Peregrine intruder? Probably not based on his lack of action. He was back on the eggs ten minutes later and Astrid was on the State Building. At 4:22 PM Astrid came to the crossperch. He didn’t want to leave so she took off again only to come back a minute later. At 4:38 they mated on the crossperch. Astrid went into the box after that and resumed incubating. At 5:13 Ares screeched to the long perch. He asked for a turn on the eggs, but she sent him off again. He came back less than five minutes later and didn’t want to take no for an answer. They had quite the negotiation. He went around behind her and stomped her tail and wingtips; she turned around and beaked with him; they had an involved conversation and then he relented and left the box. At 5:45 he was on his pillar again. He flew off on a foray at one point only to screech back a little while later. At 6:30 Ares brought prey to the nest. Astrid scrambled over the crossperch to take it and then darted off. She didn’t take it to the hotel or anywhere we could see with our cams. Ares took over incubation while she was gone. She showed up on the west veranda at 6:49 and then hopped over to the nest twenty minutes later. Ares didn’t want to leave. She vocalized to him for several minutes until he finally gave in and left the nest. Astrid then settled on her clutch just as Ares went off to his night perch. Goodnight falcons.
