It was chilly overnight with temperatures dipping below the freezing mark. By late morning milder conditions prevailed and temperatures rose into the mid-forties. By late afternoon the mercury hit 50 degrees. Ares arrived at the nest at 5:00 AM. He was ardently calling and urging his unseen mate to come over to the box. At 5:47 he darted off into the canyon screeching. He was back in less than a minute. Most likely he had buzzed by his mate to get her to come to the box. At 6:10 he made another lap around the canyon and landed once more in the box. This time it worked, she flew in and landed on the long perch. She was up again less than two minutes later, and she landed on the steeple. The pair mated there a few minutes later but it was short. At 6:16 Ares brought prey to the box and tried to call Astrid over to take it. He squeaked while plucking at it, but she seemed uninterested in coming to take it. Meanwhile, he kept picking at it and calling. Finally, he dove out and buzzed by her on her perch. He came directly back to the box and then jumped onto the veranda. He gave some squeaking calls before buzzing by her again and then yoyoing back to the box. That time she relented; she flew to the box and took the gift. She brought it to the hotel, but she really didn’t seem interested in eating it. She just let it lie on the ledge next to her. At 6:34 she was back to the steeple, and he was vocalizing in the box.
At 6:45 AM the pair mated on the steeple. After which, both flew over to the nest – her to the west veranda and him to the box. As if often the case, he was asking to dance, and she was asking to mate. They mated on the west veranda at 6:50. At 7:00 we could hear a flock of Canada Geese flying over downtown. It was migration season, and we were started to hear them more frequently. Of course, the falcons were unconcerned with the geese. Ares came to the box at 7:15 and she greeted him a few abrupt, loud screeches that bent back his feathers. What was that all about! They mated on the crossperch at 7:23 and then again at 7:38. By 7:56 he was over on the State Building, and she remained at the box. At 8:21 she moved to the west veranda, and he came to the nest. They mated on the crossperch at 8:26. Five minutes later there was a food exchange at the box. The prey was something small and she took it over to the hotel. She was back on the steeple at 8:50. At 10:00 AM Astrid was at the nest and was vocalizing. Based on her excited reactions, we think he was doing a flight display for her. At 10:08 both were in the box, engaged in a ledge display. It was short and Ares dove out after only two minutes of dancing. She stayed in and did some chores, including making a few scrapes. The last one she made was on the west side of the box. For the most part, A&A have been concentrating their scrape efforts in the center/east part of the floor. In past years they haven’t always been of one mind regarding where to make the scrape.
At 11:00 AM Ares came into the box and the pair did some conversing. She flew out afterwards and did a few laps around the State Building. She then came back to the Adirondack Bank Building and perched on an east ledge. They mated there at 11:04. Ares then flew around the hotel and the State Building. It seemed to be the thing to do that day. At 11:19 Astrid was calling on the crossperch and he called back to her from the nestbox. At 11:27 the pair mated again, but it sounded short. He was on his pillar perch after that but returned to the box at 12:02 PM. Then it was her time to fly – but she didn’t go far, only to the west office perch. She was there until about 12:17 when she decided to buzz by the box. As it happened, someone got too close to an office window and that’s what made Astrid fly and briefly haze the 15th floor windows. She flew to the steeple after that. He left at 12:53 and she left less than a minute later. They mated at 12:56. She then moved to the east veranda, and he moved to the west. At 1:13 she was asking to mate again. By that time, he was inside the box doing chores. He halted his work, dove out of the box, and they mated on the east veranda. At 1:21 Ares started giving chirp-type alarm calls – it was an intruder alert. She began calling like mad and then she hopped onto the crossperch. Ares flew up to the bank roof and onto the lamp post above the box,. He was looking up and was obviously very upset. He launched from the light pole with purpose and presumably in hot pursuit of a male Peregrine intruder. Astrid flew over to the hotel. By 1:26 she was back to the nest. He returned to the fold and to the box at 1:41 and pair mated several minutes later. He went to his pillar perch directly after that.
At 2:23 PM A&A mated. They then had an aborted mating attempt at 2:47. A few minutes later, both falcons were on the hotel and Astrid was plucking a Woodcock! At 2:57 Ares was back at the box. She had slightly plucked the Woodcock, but she stayed true to form and didn’t eat any of it. Instead she left it on the ledge. By 3:06 the falcons were both out of view. Ares returned to the box at 3:10 and there was another aborted mating attempt at 4:10. Fifteen minutes later A&A shared a quick ledge display at the box. After he left Astrid did some housekeeping chores including biting the lip of the box and digging in the gravel. As for Ares, he spent some time on the steeple. At 4:45 Astrid left the box and was out of view for a while. He came to the box five minutes later and was calling like he saw her, but we couldn’t locate her with the cams. At just before 5:00 PM Ares was giving major warning calls. He left the box and was seen up on the lookout post a few minutes later. It’s likely that Astrid was dealing with a female Peregrine intruder. Ares came back to the box at 5:18 and was still highly agitated. He flew in and out of the box a few times in rapid succession. It was probably his reaction to Astrid’s ordeal with the interloper. A few minutes later he was back and acting normally. He started giving squeaking calls like he saw his mate. She then flew in and landed on the west veranda. They mated a few minutes later. At 5:45 Astrid flew to the west office perch. He flew off into the canyon at 5:48. She then hazed the fifteenth-floor windows and then landed on a far west ledge. There she tucked in and may have been feeding on something – something that was already on that ledge. He was back to the box by that point. He left the box for his night perch at around 6:05. We don’t know exactly when she left her ledge. We assume she did at some point before 6:00 PM. Goodnight falcons.
My heart always sinks when I hear that an intruder has come to town. I’m so glad spunky Ares drives them out without too much trouble 👍🏼