It was a chilly evening in the canyon with temps hanging around the freezing mark. Rain and light snow began falling after daybreak and conditions never really improved. Astrid was on the eggs all night. Ares showed up at the box at 5:58 AM to relieve her. She was eager to get out and stretch her wings. After perching on the State Building for a little while she flew around and checked the pantry ledges for stored food. At 7:40, Astrid returned to the box and the pair did a quick switch on the eggs. He came to his pillar perch at 8:37. Astrid called as he flew in and landed. He moved to the State Building ten minutes later. She was occasionally calling to him as if she wanted him to bring food to her. At 9:16, she was giving her donkey calls. He took off shortly after that. At 9:24, he was busy with a female intruder in the heart of the territory. Ares repeatedly dove at the stranger as they flew in circles above and to the west of the State Building. The intruder landed near the lookout at least twice. A couple of times, Ares and the unknown bird flew over the State Building and quickly moved too high for us to see them with the PTZ. By this point, Astrid was highly irritated, but she was staying on the nest. One falcon landed on the State Building roof again – we think it was the intruder. Ares dove at it again and both flew to the north and out of view. Astrid then bolted off the nest and gave chase. Ares came to the nest and was on the eggs less than a minute after she left.
At 9:35 AM, Astrid returned to the State Building. We assumed that she chased the intruder out of the territory. She came to the box at 10:19 and requested a turn on the eggs, but Ares didn’t want to leave. She didn’t press him and headed out again. She flew around the State Building and then spent a little time on the hotel. At 10:36, she was at the nest – again requesting to take over. She stood alongside him and they conversed for a few minutes but once again, he didn’t want to leave and she didn’t force the issue. At 11:26, she was back. This time she asked him to leave and he did it without complaint. At 12:44, there was a falcon on the roof of the State Building at the northeast lookout and we didn’t know who it was. It seemed clear that Astrid wasn’t happy, but she wasn’t completely freaking out either. Was it the intruder? She gave some of her donkey calls after that which probably meant she wasn’t concerned about an intruder, but was more interested in compelling Ares to bring her prey. The lookout bird was gone five minutes later. Snow showers were getting to be an issue and so was the increasing wind speed.
At 3:14 PM, Astrid was calling at the nest. This time it seemed like she was calling for Ares to relieve her, but he was nowhere to be seen. Ten minutes later, she was extremely upset. There was an intruder in the canyon and Ares was unaccounted for. A falcon again landed on the northeast lookout. We hoped it was Ares but it wasn’t. Astrid blasted out of the box and chased after it. Both disappeared into the west. She was back to the nest and on the eggs only two minutes later, but she was not a happy camper. At 4:39, she was calling again. We heard some chirping alarm calls coming from somewhere in the canyon – was it Ares? There was a falcon on the lookout again briefly but again, weren’t sure who that was. At 4:40, She gave a few donkey calls, got off the eggs, and sailed off into the canyon. Ares came in to take over on the eggs only a few seconds after she left. Astrid returned from her unknown adventure at 4:59 PM and landed on the State Building. They did a quick switch at 5:49, and then Astrid was back on the eggs – probably for the night. At 6:10, she began calling periodically again. Was the intruder back for a 3rd or 4th time? Ares was in view on a skinny window ledge on the State Building. He made a foray out but came right back. Astrid was moderately upset for a little while and I thought I may have seen a third falcons for a few seconds, but A&A didn’t seem all that upset so it was probably nothing. At 6:28, Ares was up from his perch and Astrid had quieted down. Hopefully, there will be no more excitement for a while. Goodnight falcons.
