Thursday, April 21, 2022 – Intruder in the Morning & Pip Watch Begins for Little Falls Falcons

The overnight was chilly with temperatures staying just above the freezing mark. Sun after daybreak brought temps up into the high forties with gusty winds. The high for the day was 55 degrees. The skies became overcast in the afternoon and rain started to fall – it continued until late afternoon. Astrid was on her eggs through the night. Ares came to the box with a fresh Woodcock at 4:00 AM. She scrambled over the crossperch to take it and then flew over towards the hotel. For some reason she was coming in low, just below the building’s lower ledge. For some reason she made a “U” turn before landing and flew to the west face of the State Building. We couldn’t see where she landed. Was she putting the Woodcock into storage on a pantry ledge or was she stopping to feed? However, we know how she feels about Woodcock for breakfast. At 5:27 Astrid flew to the nest and the pair did a switch on the eggs. At 6:52 Astrid began giving highly animated vocalizations. There was an intruder in the canyon. She called from the nest for about five minutes and then Ares came in and relieved her. She dashed out and presumably gave chase. We saw her flying above the State Building, flapping her wings quickly to gain altitude and then she was out of view. She was back from her adventure at 7:22 and she took a high perch on the State Building. At 7:41 the pair did another switch and Astrid was back and incubating.

At 9:05 Ares came to the box to relieve Astrid. When she didn’t get up right away he went behind her and threatened to stomp on her tail, but she still wouldn’t go. He soon gave up and hopped over to the east veranda. He was back at 10:27. This time he tried the “nice guy” approach and did some beaking with her. They also had a long conversation – like what they do when conducting a ledge display (remember those?). Ares was sporting a white down feather on the top of his head which made him look very distinguished. Perhaps it’s a new style that all the male Peregrines in Paris are wearing this season. Regardless, his nice guy approach didn’t work either. She still wouldn’t leave the eggs. He gave up and hopped back over to the east veranda. By 11:10 Ares had moved to his favorite pillar perch. He spent some time preening while also guarding the nest. At noon he moved to the State Building. At 12:39 PM he flew back to the nest and once again asked for a turn on the eggs. This time the answer was yes, and Astrid relinquished the nest. She flew across the canyon to a perch on the State Building. At 2:13 Ares was calling from the nest. We weren’t sure what he was reacting to. They did a quick changing of the guard at 2:45 and she took over incubation. By this point it was raining in Utica. The next switch happened at 4:05. Ares got onto the eggs and Astrid flew to the State Building. The last changeover of the day (presumably) happened at 6:00 PM. Astrid was on the clutch and Ares went to the State Building. Goodnight falcons.

Little Falls Peregrine Update: We estimate that it has been at least 30 days since full incubation began on the Little Falls falcon nest. This means that a hatch can happen at any time. During changeovers we’ve been examining the eggs for pips and, thus far, we haven’t been able to confirm any. Regardless, a hatch or two may be imminent. We will continue to monitor and relay new developments.