Utica Peregrine Falcons Update for Friday, May 12th, 2023
It was cool last night with a low temperature of around 50 degrees. A substantial warm up occurred during the day. The high temperature in the afternoon was 82 degrees. Astrid was in the nest all night long. Ares brought a large prey item to the nest at 2:03 AM. Astrid took it from him on the crossperch and then proceeded to puck it right there inside the box. The nestling got rained on by dark feathers for a while before the feeding commenced. At 4:16 AM the third hatch for the season took place. We were alerted to it by Astrid moving a broken eggshell out from under herself. At 4:35 Ares came to the nest with something small. Astrid wasn’t interested in taking it at first, but Ares stayed out on the crossperch and she finally did take it. She then proceeded to feed the two nestlings. This was the new hatchling’s first meal and he seemed to be vying well. Indeed, we were surprised by the hatch since we never did identify any pips in either of the remaining eggs. At about 6:20 Ares came to the nest with more prey. Astrid took it and started a feeding. Both nestlings ate well. The smaller one toppled over a few times but also was able to compete. Astrid went back to brooding after the meal was over. At 6:50 Ares was on the steeple. Astrid left the nest at 8:00 and Ares came right over. However, he was slow getting off the crossperch and Astrid came back and took over before he got to even think about having a turn brooding. He did get to see the new hatchling though. At 8:17 Ares was heard giving long calls from the steeple. Ten minutes later he made another food delivery to the box. She took it from him and started a feeding. By 8:37 she was back to brooding. At 9:01 Astrid blasted out of the box cackling. Something upset her – whether a non-falcon intruder or person in an adjacent office window, we didn’t know. She was back in the nest in less than two minutes. At 9:30 Ares was once again giving long calls from the steeple. Probably his proclamation was meant for would-be usurpers, informing them that the downtown canyon in occupied and defended. At 10:45 Astrid called from the box. Ares showed up at the nest with more food at 11:12 AM. Astrid accepted it on the crossperch and did a feeding.
At 1:04 PM The falcons did a switch. Astrid left and Ares tried to grapple with brooding. He got close to doing it when Astrid piled back into the box and took over. He gave no argument and left pretty quickly. At 2:24 Ares made another delivery of food to the nest. Astrid scrambled over the crossperch to take it and then conducted a feeding. At 2:50 Ares was on chick duty, We don’t know when the switch occurred. Astrid was on the State Building at the time. At 5:01 Astrid was on the nestlings and egg. She was primarily shading the brood. Ares stopped over at the nest for a short visit. Astrid was shading the chicks at the time. She took a minute but left the nest to him. Once again Ares contemplated the pile of chicks and egg and seemed uncertain about what to do. He finally got closer and managed to get on chick and the eggs beneath him. The smaller chick was left lying on its own in the sun. By 5:34 Ares had moved the chick a bit closer. He was shading and finally casting some on the whole brood. At one point during Ares’ tenure, Astrid swooped by the box. We think that was a reaction to someone getting too close to a window but we weren’t sure. At 6:05 Astrid came back to the box and Ares vacated. At 7:00 PM Ares returned to the box with prey. Astrid grabbed it from him and proceeded to feed the chicks. At 7:44 Astrid was digging in the corner of the nestbox. She moved out onto the crossperch a few minutes later. It seemed like something was agitating her, but we couldn’t figure out what. In the subsequent half hour, she was in and out of the box a couple of times. At 8:03 she was back on the chicks and jostling them and the egg. She did the same thing again a few minutes later – leaving and then coming right back to the nest. Eventually she began to settle down but she was keeping a falcon eye on everything in the canyon. Goodnight all.