Utica Peregrine Falcons Update for Wednesday, March 22nd, 2023
It was chilly again last night with a low of 32 degrees. The temperature rose quite quickly through the morning and surpassed 50 degrees by midafternoon. The day was mostly sunny but clouds rolled in later in the day. Astrid and then Ares – first him and then her, piled into the nestbox at 2:26 AM. They had a very short ledge display and then Ares jumped out of the box. At 3:26 he returned to the nest with a Woodcock in his talons. Astrid was not interested in taking it. Instead, she continued to sit in the box, sometimes snoozing. At 5:14 Ares was back with the Woodcock once more. This time Astrid surprised everyone by taking it. Indeed, she flew off with it, but we couldn’t find where she went. At 6:15 Ares made a few forays out from the box. We think he was buzzing by Astrid, wherever she was. At 6:22 Astrid was on an east window ledge of the bank. The pair mated there at 6:25 and again at 6:51. Astrid moved to the east veranda at 6:58. And then, only minutes later, she had hopped over to the west veranda. There was a mating there at 7:21. At around 8:00 the pair was having their second ledge display for the day. Afterwards Ares brought prey (looked to be another Woodcock) to the east veranda. Astrid vocalized to him and then flew off into the Canyon. She landed on a lower window ledge on the State Building. At 9:04 she walked over to the west veranda. They mated there a few minutes later. At 9:27 Ares was out on the crossperch. Both falcons sat preening and guarding their nestbox. The pair mated five times between 9:30 and 11:30.
At 12:48 PM Ares had left the box and then Astrid came into it. At 1:41 she had moved to the lower steeple perch. Ares was back to the box a few minutes later. At 2:48 Astrid was on Deb’s office perch. Both falcons stayed in place, we think, until about 5:00. It is possible that we missed some mating attempts during that period. At 5:00 PM Astrid was on the east veranda. Ares returned to the box a few minutes later and she started bowing and asking to mate. He wasn’t responding and seemed to be holding out for a ledge display. At 6:20 she was asking to mate again. That time it seemed like he was going to comply. He flew out of the box but did not boomerang back. Astrid left the box at 6:25 and Ares returned a minute later. At 7:09 Astrid joined Ares in the box for a third ledge display. After a few minutes he dove out and she remained. We wondered if she was going to remain in the box for the evening, but just before 7:30 she dove out and flew into the night. Tomorrow will begin the egg laying window for Astrid. March 23rd, historically, was the earliest date she had ever laid her first egg. We think it’s unlikely she will beat or match that record but what do we know? Goodnight Falcons.