Breeding activity has noticeably slowed at the Utica nest, and questions are beginning to arise about Serena’s commitment to the breeding effort. Over the past two days, ledge displays have been few and far between, and mating attempts have been scarce. Serena has been absent for long stretches of the day, leaving us to wonder where she’s going. Could she be exploring another territory or even engaging with another mate? Probably not — but the possibility lingers. More likely, Serena may simply be young and inexperienced, much like Nova, her predecessor. She could still be trying to figure out what this breeding business entails.
Meanwhile, Ares remains ever the optimist. He continues to bring food offerings to the box throughout the day, though it’s unclear whether Serena is even accepting them. Encouragingly, he did accept one gift today and ate a portion of it at the box. Early this morning, Ares was spotted perched on his old favorite pillar above the box — a place we hadn’t seen him use since Astrid’s time. We took it as a hopeful sign, perhaps a reflection of his determination or a quiet confidence. We’re now just a couple of days out from what would have been the start of Astrid’s egg laying window. Whether Serena follows a similar timeline, or her own, remains to be seen. All we can do now is watch and wait.
