It was cold, rainy, and quite windy overnight, with temperatures getting down into the low thirties. Snow fell in the region’s higher elevations and some ice obscured our PTZ camera. The sun finally started peeking out by noontime, but temperatures only slightly moderated and the winds remained steady and strong. Astrid spent the entire night in the nest and on the egg. Ares came to the box at 5:30 AM and they did a quick switch. Astrid got off the egg and Ares got onto it. This is still the pre-continuous incubation period, so leaving the egg uncovered is something that will continue to occur. Ares left the nest at 6:30 but was back with Astrid only two minutes later. She left again, flew around for a while on the wind currents and then landed on a high ledge on the State Building. They switched again at just before 7:00 and then Ares was in the nest. At 7:35, Ares brought Astrid food at the nest area. She flew it over to the Hotel and proceeded to have it as a late breakfast. The wind shudder on the PTZ cam was intense. Ares stayed on the State Building for most of the time she was feeding. He hates to lose sight of her at this time of year. When she finished eating, he flew to the nest as she took a perch on the State Building.
At 9:00, Astrid came to the nest. They switched again at 10:46 AM, and Ares had a turn on the egg. We weren’t sure where Astrid went, and neither was Ares. He flew out to find her. She came to the nest at 11:30 and settled onto the egg. At 12:08 PM, A Turkey Vulture flew over. Astrid got off the egg to monitor it. Once she was satisfied the vulture was leaving the canyon, she got back to her egg. At 12:28, Ares floated into a landing on the long perch and then the pair switched. He chirped from the nest as he watched her dash around the canyon. He left the nest at 12:33, and she came back to brood. The next switch was at 1:10, and then it was Ares’ time to be with the egg. At 1:19, he was off the egg and preening himself on the lip of the box. He gave a few long calls and then was airborne. He darted around the canyon and then flew directly up the State Building’s façade to mate with Astrid. He returned right away to the box with an unidentifiable chunk of meat. When she failed to come for the food, Ares decided to fly it up to her high ledge and pass it to her. She refused to take it, so he took it over to the hotel and ate it himself. A moment later Astrid was there too, drinking from a nearby ledge puddle. At 1:34, he returned to the nest just as she darted past him heading east. She circled back and landed on the crossperch for a few seconds and then she was up again. She flew to a high perch on the State Building. At 2:04, Ares was dealing with an interloper. The unknown Peregrine appeared to be a male and it was flying just west of the State Building. Ares was engaging it by repeatedly climbing above it and diving down on it. At one point Astrid became involved and he chased it off to the west. She returned to her perch on the State Building a couple minutes later. At 2:10, she was up again – heading north. Ares came back to the box at 2:18 PM. He was there for less than five minutes and then he was up. Astrid made a close pass of the nest before landing on the crossperch. Shortly after that she was flying. She went back to the lower hotel ledge and to the puddle where she gets her water. We presume she had a drink.
At 3:40 PM, Astrid came back to the nestbox. She sat on the egg for quite a while before deciding to putter around and get some digging done in the corner. At 4:24, the falcons switched again at the nest. At 5:00, the pair mated on the crossperch. Afterwards she hopped into the box and climbed onto the egg. Less than ten minutes later, Ares arrived with a hunk of food. He came right into the box and passed it over to Astrid who eagerly accepted it. She took her meal (which was more of an appetizer) over to the hotel. At 5:32, both falcons were together at the nest. She blasted off only a couple minutes later. She went back to the hotel and to her favorite ledge puddle. After her drink she spent some time on the ledge out of the wind. At 6:21, she went to the State Building and to a high ledge. She was back at the nest at 6:34, but then the falcons did another switch, and he had a turn guarding the egg. She was on the steeple for a while after that. At 7:26, she came to the crossperch. Ares was already in the box. She wanted to mate and he complied. At 7:30, she settled onto the egg – probably for the night. Goodnight falcons
