The overnight was warm with temperatures staying close to 70 degrees. By noon we were in the high eighties. Astrid was around the nest area for most of the night. We happen to notice that Ares was visible on the State Building at 2:00 AM. At 4:06 Astrid left the nest to fetch some prey out of storage. She brought it back and did the first feeding of the day. When it was over, she moved out onto the long perch, and from there, the west veranda. At 5:25 Ares was in the box with the nestlings. Less than five minutes later she was in with the chicks, and he was out. At 5:37 he returned to the east veranda with a meal. Astrid came over to take it. She initially flew off with it but then was right back to the nest and starting a feeding. At 5:49 Astrid was out and one of the chicks was doing some wing flapping. As it happened both parents were on the west veranda perch. At one point it was almost like Astrid was bowing and asking to mate for a second, but that couldn’t be right – could it? Regardless, Ares was busy preening his foot. At 5:53 both parents were giving cackle-style alarm calls. She launched and he followed. At 7:12 Ares was back with food. Astrid took it and started a feeding session. As usual, the chicks were already full, but Astrid was trying to pack them anyhow. At 7:25 the session was over, and she left with a small piece. At 7:39 she returned but quickly moved to the west veranda.
At 9:04 AM Astrid was inside the box and trying to feed out some scrap on the floor – looked to be mostly feathers. She gave up quickly and was out again. Ares was in right after. He picked up a piece of something (a small hunk of mostly feathers) and handed it to one of the chicks. The chick ate it and Ares went to the crossperch, his mission completed. At 11:00 he gave some long calls and then went into the box with the squealing nestlings. By 11:30 Astrid was on the steeple and Ares was on the long perch. Astrid moved to the west veranda at 12:10 PM. Ten minutes later both parents were out of view. Ares screeched back to the nestbox at 12:33. At one point, while the chicks were alone in the box, one of them was resting with its beak against the lip of the box. It was the first time we had seen this behavior this season. At 1:04 Ares screeched in, picked up some scrap from the floor of the box and went out onto the long perch. Astrid then blasted in, took it from him, and entered the box intent on doing a feeding. It lasted about two seconds and then Astrid was up and out. At 1:53 Ares screeched to the nest once again. He came inside and did some shading until about 2:18 PM. At 2:28 Ares was gone from the nest and Astrid was on the steeple. The wind had picked up by this time and the temperature was in the high eighties. At 2:44 she came to the crossperch but wasn’t there for very long. We didn’t see her again on camera for a few hours.
At 3:35 PM Ares came to the box to shade the chicks. Since the nestlings were on opposite sides of the box, he only was able to shade one of them. Ten minutes later, Ares was out on the crossperch and the two chicks had coalesced in one corner. They were certainly becoming more proficient at getting around in the box. Their walking is less awkward and quicker. At 4:16 Ares had both chicks beneath him at the back of the box and he was able to give them shade. However, that only lasted a minute, and the two odd, animated snowmen soon waddled off to their separate corners. At 4:31 Ares had them together again and was able to shade them both in the same corner. Again, it didn’t last, and they soon wandered away and he was left shading nobody – but doing a great job of it! At 5:17 Astrid returned from her spa afternoon (we assume) and took a perch on the steeple. Moments later she was on the east veranda. While there she was peering at the office window as if someone were in there. Probably not on a Saturday, Astrid. From there she hopped onto the box roof and gave a dirty look to that window for a while. Meanwhile the chicks were squealing in the box. One of them was busily strolling around the place. At 5:50 Astrid came to the crossperch, and the nestlings were squealing up a storm. She left and then came back a minute later with prey. She then conducted a feeding. At 6:09 the meal was done and she left the nest. Only five minutes later Ares came to the east veranda with prey. He waited for a few moments to see if Astrid was going to come and take it. When she didn’t, he seized the opportunity and hopped into the box to try and do a feeding. He was off to a great start, albeit with only one chick participating. He fed out at least ten bites and then something happened. He abruptly took the food and dove out of the box. He was half screeching and half cackling as he left. There must have been an intruder issue. Astrid was on the steeple at the time and didn’t appear to be very put out. Ares was on the roof of the bank building (with the prey) for a moment and then he was up again. Astrid was in the air as well by this time. At 6:22 Ares was on the steeple. He no longer had the prey. Did he store it or give it to Astrid? Ares then came to the box. Once inside he tried to feed out some little scrap of food on the floor, but nobody was interested in it. At 6:38 Astrid came to the box and Ares left. She did some shading for a little while and then she just stood guard on the crossperch. At 6:55 one of the chicks laid face down on the floor of the box with her rudimentary wings spread and her ridiculous chicken legs also spread out. It was as if she were going to attempt to make gravel angels. At 7:08 Ares was on the steeple. At 7:42 Astrid was engaged in a feeding. We weren’t sure if she got the food out of storage or if Ares brought it. By 8:30 Astrid was on guard on the crossperch and the falcons were likely set for the night. Goodnight all.