Update for Tuesday, May 14, 2024
There were three overnight feedings. There would have been a fourth, but that one would have been a cuckoo. Ares landed on his pillar perch and partially plucked it, but then couldn’t quite bring himself to bring it to Astrid. He knew she would reject it. At least that’s what it seemed like he was thinking. She does famously dislike cuckoos. The meals kept coming during the day with a little lull during the hottest part of the afternoon. At one point during the afternoon Ares brought prey into the box (not a cuckoo). Astrid didn’t rush over to take it from him and so he proceeded to do a feeding on his own. He looked to be doing a competent job. Later on, Astrid brought most of a Pigeon to the box. While she was conducting the feeding, Ares showed up at the nest with still more prey. He tried to get the chicks interested in what he had, but Astrid’s feeding style is difficult to compete with – she’s intense, captivating and impossible to ignore for any chick. I’m afraid Ares was no competition. They didn’t even seem to notice he was there with food, only concentrating on their mother. Ares didn’t stay long and opted to store his food on one of his pantry ledges. Interestingly, despite today’s heat, the falcons didn’t feel the need to shade the chicks in the box. They seem to understand that the nestlings are now capable of making their own way to the shade in the back of the box. After that meal, we heard chirping type alarm calls from Ares in the canyon somewhere. There was an active Peregrine intruder in the territory and he seemed to be dealing with it. Astrid left the nestbox, stored the leftovers and perched on the steeple – ready to be called into action if needed. Apparently, Ares successfully drove off the intruder and was back on the State Office Building before too long.
