The overnight was cool with temperatures in the high forties. Some rain fell overnight but the skies became partly cloudy before dawn and the rain stopped. The temperature was up to 60 degrees by noon and to near seventy later in the afternoon. Astrid was on the nest all night long. Ares screeched to the box at 4:33 AM but he didn’t come inside. Astrid didn’t seem like she wanted to switch anyhow. He left and perched on the State Building after that. At 5:27 he was back to the box and the pair did switch. At 5:51 we saw Astrid flying around the west side of the State Building. Ares called as he watched her. Perhaps she was checking his pantry ledges for prey. At 7:34 they switched again, and Astrid took over incubation. At 11:00 she called from the box. He was on the lookout a couple of minutes later. There may have been raptors and vultures migrating through. At 11:54 he was on his pillar perch over the box, but then he was up again at noon. Soon after we heard him giving long calls from somewhere. He moved back up to the lookout perch and then he was out of view. At 12:16 PM Astrid came off the eggs and hopped onto the long perch. A minutes later she flew over to the State Building. The eggs were alone, and the temperature was 59 degrees. She came back to the nest and was back on the eggs two minutes later. At 1:12 we heard Ares cackle calling from somewhere. With our PTZ two cam we could just make out the form of two raptors circling and possibly sparring to the southeast of the State Building. One of the birds continued flying east the other went back towards the State Building. The latter bird was Ares, and he was soon back on his lookout perch.
At 1:30 PM he was up again. He circled the State Building and then zoomed off to the northwest. Astrid called out as he flew by. Is he ever going to come and incubate? Apparently guarding the nest and territory takes precedence. At 1:33 Ares came to the east veranda. From there he hopped into the box and lobbied for a turn on the eggs. When Astrid wouldn’t get up, he stepped on her tail and wing tips. When that didn’t work, he moved alongside her and beaked with her. When that didn’t work, he hopped in front of her and ate a stone. From there he went onto the long perch and from there, out into the canyon again. A few minutes later he was back on his pillar. At 2:35 we heard him calling and she responded. At 3:50 Astrid was off the eggs and digging around in the box. The temperature was near 70 degrees. Four minutes later she was back to incubating. Ares came into the box at 3:54 and they did a relatively quick switch. By that point she had been incubating for well over eight hours (with one two-minute interruption). She went over to the State Building. She was there until around 6:10 PM. If she went to the hotel with food, we wouldn’t know it since our PTZ one camera is down. She was back on the State Building at 6:36. Astrid returned to the nest at 7:06. She stood on the crossperch and appeared to be asking to mate! She then moved to the east veranda perch. Ares was talking to her, but she just stayed out and preened. And then at 8:02 she flew off into the canyon. It was getting dark by this point and Ares seemed surprised that he was still with the eggs. At 8:24 she finally came into the box and the pair did their last quick switch of the day. Goodnight falcons.
Little Falls Falcon Update: The Little Falls nestlings were fed at least four times on Tuesday. Interestingly, when the male (Erie) brings food, he makes the female (Anna) fly off the ledge to get it. We shall see if this Accipiter-like method of transferring prey continues.