Utica Peregrine Falcons Update for Monday, April 17th, 2023
Overnight the temperature dropped from the 70s to the 40s. Overcast skies, rain, and wind returned. The high temperature for the day was 50 degrees. Astrid spent the whole night on the nest. At 6:00 AM Ares gave a few long calls – we think from the State Building. Astrid called back to him. Two minutes later Ares was at the box asking for a turn on the eggs. She didn’t want to leave, and sent him out. At 6:46 Ares came back and by that time Astrid was ready to go. It was a very quick changing of the guard. Astrid flew over to the State Building. At 8:01 Astrid became upset when she saw someone in an office window near the nestbox. She hazed the 15th floor of the building a few times before settling on the crossperch. She requested a mating and Ares complied. It is now eight days after the last egg was laid and yet they are still occasionally mating. Astrid came onto the eggs at 8:02 and Ares went to the State Building.
At 10:03 the Falcons switched again. Ares was having some difficulty getting all the eggs tucked beneath him, but finally managed it. At 10:37 the Falcons switched again. This time Astrid was coming onto the eggs. At 1:27 PM Ares was on his pillar perch. They switched five minutes later and then Ares took a turn on the eggs. Astrid had been on the hotel before that. The next changing of the guard was at 3:07, and the next was 4:33 PM. They were all fast changeovers today. At 6:30 Astrid was on the hotel and their was a Pigeon sitting on the same ledge – about 15 feet away. At 6:32 PM she flew to the nest. She asked to take over and Ares complied. It was likely that she was in place for the night, Ares went to the State Building for a little while but then he was off to his night perch. It began raining again by 8:30 PM. Goodnight all.