Utica Peregrine Falcons Update for Tuesday, March 21st, 2023
The overnight was cool with some light precipitation. The temperature was close to the freezing mark once again. There was a significant warm up during the day and the afternoon high was 50 degrees. Ares came to the nest box with prey at 2:18 AM, his earliest arrival time yet this season. He flew off a couple of times in quick succession, probably to flyby Astrid’s night perch. The prey looked like it may have been a Woodcock, but we weren’t positive. Astrid came to the nest at 2:44 and actually accepted the prey inside the nest box (which meant it probably wasn’t a Woodcock). She flew off with it that we couldn’t find where she flew to. Ares did not stay long after Astrid’s departure. He screeched back to the box at 5:13 AM. Astrid came to an east ledge about an hour later. Ares began excitingly calling inside the nest. The pair mated 5 minutes later. At 7:02 they mated once again; and then again at 7:41 – that time on the steeple. At 7:43 Aries brought food to the nest box. When Astrid didn’t come right over for it, he brought it to her on the steeple. He tried to give it to her for several minutes, but she wasn’t interested in taking it. He finally gave up and flew away. At 7:56 the pair had an aborted mating attempt. Ares returned to the box right afterwards. At 8:03 he worked on his mega scrape inside the box. It was looking pretty good. At 9:36 Astrid was on the east veranda tucked in close to the window and Ares was on the steeple. He moved to the box at 10:00. At around 10:40 the pair converged at the nest box for a ledge display. After Ares left, Astrid stayed to do housework. Mostly she was digging in the stones and inspecting the wall behind Ares’ scrape. This time of year Ares keeps very close track of everything that Astrid does. If she flies out of view for a minute, he goes with her. He just doesn’t let her out of his sight.
At 12:13 PM Ares was on the crossperch wiping off his bill. That usually means that he handed off food to Astrid and, sure enough, she was up on a ledge of the State Building feeding on something. At 2 21 Astrid was on the crossperch and Ares was inside the box. He wanted her to come in for a dance and she wanted to mate – their age-old dilemma. For the balance of the afternoon the falcons were up and down from the State Building and Ares was in and out of the box. At 5:52 Astrid was on Deb’s perch. A few minutes later Ares landed on the ledge just east of her with food. He was trying to give it to her but she wasn’t taking it. He flew over to the box and ate a little bit of it before attempting to give it to her again. This time he tried to do it from the windowsill behind her and from the ledge just to the west of her perch. She still wouldn’t take it. He flew back to the box and ate a little bit more of it. He then tried one more time to give it to his mate but she still refused it. Instead, she wanted to mate and began bowing behavior. Ares flew back to the box at eight AM with the rest of the gift. Perhaps it was leftover Woodcock. The pair mated again at about 6:35. Astrid left for the night a little while after that. Ares remained at the box until close to 8:00 PM. Goodnight all.