Thursday was cooler and much more comfortable than it has been lately. The morning felt like old-fashioned May back before climate change was a thing. Temperatures were only a high as the 60’s by midday. Astrid was at the nest off and on through the night. Likely she was never too far off, but only out of our camera view. After a few nights of no nocturnal feedings, last night they resumed. Ares brought a small prey item to the nest at 3:30 AM. Astrid was on hand to do the feeding. He brought another course at 4:00 and, once again, Astrid doled it out. At 5:24 one of the parents (we think Astrid) was seen flying around the State Building. After soaring past the building’s west face, she gained speed and went into a partial dive. She was likely making a play for one of the Pigeons that lives south of the building. At 5:43 Ares brought most of an American Golden Plover to somewhere west of the nest. Astrid accepted it, flew into the canyon, and then boomeranged back to the box with it. She then proceeded to do a feeding. If the prey’s ID is correct, this would be the first time that Ares caught a Golden Plover. At 6:40 Astrid stationed herself on the west veranda. She was staring at the window and waiting for the office monkeys to arrive.
At 7:30 AM Astrid was back in the box feeding out the scraps left from the previous plover meal. At 7:47 a light coming on in the office near the box was all it took to get Astrid back onto the box roof and starring at the office. At 8:12 she hopped onto the east veranda and the chicks squealed when they saw her move. Five minutes later Astrid darted around the canyon and then went right back to the box roof. At 9:40 Ares brought a staling to the east veranda. Astrid took it, flew out into the canyon, and came back into the nest. She then served it to the chicks. When the meal was over, she was back to the box roof. At 11:15, another meal was brought by Ares and an astonishingly fast exchange took place on the east veranda. Following that, Astrid did the feeding. At 11:39 both parents were flying around the canyon. Astrid came back to the roof of the box and Ares took a perch on the State Building. At 11:40 Ares was still on the State Building and Astrid was still up on the box roof. Of course, she was watching the window just in case of a zombie attack. At 1:54 Ares did a chick-check and then Astrid did one a few minutes later.
At 2:36 PM The nestlings were calling. Astrid sailed over to the crossperch to check on them. The wind was now strong and steady. The temperature was still in the mid 60’s. At 2:38 Astrid came to the box with a Black-billed Cuckoo (another one of Ares’ stored catches). She fed it out to the squealing nestlings. The chicks acted ravenous, snapping at ever piece offered to them and noisily vying with each other. At 2:46 Ares stopped at the box for a quick chick-check. There was no need to shade the nestlings today. Relatively cool temps and constant wind offset the sun’s heating powers. At 3:44 Ares brought home more food. Astrid took it and fed it to the chicks. At one point the eldest chick grabbed onto the meal even as Astrid was holding it in her talons and tearing at it. The chick tried ripping off its own piece. I’m not sure if she was successful. By 5:20 both parents had been out of view for a while. At 5:32 Astrid was on the State Building but then she was up again moments later. At 6:20 Astrid buzzed by the nest. It was a lightning-fast chick-check. A few minutes later she was on the steeple. At 6:45 Ares brought food. Astrid snatched it and took it to the hotel to feed on it herself. After a few minutes she brought the rest of the meal to the box and fed it to the nestlings. The chicks again acted ravenous at this meal. We noticed how the tan cheek patches are beginning to develop on the two older chicks. Their dark wing and tail feathers are protruding at least an inch now. At 7:40 Ares came to the box with food. When Astrid didn’t rush in to take over, he took the initiative and started a feeding. As it happened, he was able to serve out the entire thing. Astrid was busy plucking and partially eating a Pigeon, so she was too occupied to know what was happening at the nest. She brought a large hunk over to the box, but Ares was done serving by then and had left the nest. She then proceeded to feed the chicks who acted like they hadn’t just eaten. That will probably be the last feeding for the night, but one never knows for sure. Goodnight falcons.