Utica Peregrine Falcons Update for Monday, March 13th, 2023
It was chilly overnight With temperatures down around the freezing point. Intermittent snow flurries and rain fell throughout the day – a little sample of what’s in store for us tonight through Wednesday. Today’s high temperature was close to 40°. Ares came to the box and Astrid to the east ledge at 6:38 AM. They had a very lively conversation. Five minutes later they were both up again. Astrid returned to an east ledge at 6: 51. At 7:38 Ares brought a partially processed Common Grackle to the nest area. After a half-minutes long tug-o-war, Ares let Astrid have it. She brought it over to the hotel. The snow flurries had gotten a little more intense as Astrid ate her breakfast. At 8:04 Ares was inside the box and Astrid was out on the crossperch. She had obviously eaten well and was showing a large crop. The pair mated two minutes later. After which, Ares went to his favorite pillar perch. At 8:37 Ares returned to the nest box. The couple then had another lively conversation. They mated once more on the east veranda at 8:55. At 9 o’clock Ares was back on his pillar. At 10:50 Ares was in the nest box and Astrid was on the east veranda. Five minutes later – you guessed it, another mating. At 12:15 PM Astrid was asking to mate again, but Ares was busy preening up on his pillar. At 12:18 both Falcons were up and out of view. Two minutes later he was back in the box calling and she was on the west veranda. We were starting to see a pattern here. At 12:27 they mated on the west veranda. Ares then bounced back to his pillar.
At 12:56 PM both Falcons were at the box, perhaps on the verge of having a dance, or mating, but then Astrid saw someone in a nearby office window and she flew off. Ares became very excited as he watched her fly and he started calling to her. Astrid returned to the crossperch at 1:13. At 1:47 Ares brought food to the east veranda. Astrid took it and flew over to the hotel. At 1:55 she had finished her meal and flew back through the canyon. That got Ares calling again. At 2:12 Astrid was on the west veranda. A few minutes later she was asking to mate. If they did mate again, we missed it. Following that, he was stationed on the east veranda, and she was on the west. They were guarding the box. At 3 o’clock he was inside the box and she was on the east veranda. The pair then mated on the east veranda. At 3:36 Ares was back on his pillar. At 4:33 the Falcons mated again. We thought Astrid had flown away after that but then we saw she was tucked in next to the window on the west veranda. Meanwhile Ares was back on his pillar perch. At 5:31 they mated on the west veranda. Ares came right back to the box afterwards and Astrid was immediately asking to mate again. He dove out like he was going to come back to her, but instead diverted and went back to his pillar. He left at 5:50 and she left five minutes later. We thought that would be it for the night, but then she returned to the west veranda at 6:00 and he came to the box at the same time. They mated on the west veranda at 6:09 PM. At 6:28 Astrid took off and we again thought she was retiring, but she retuned to the long perch at the box. Ares was on a west ledge plucking prey. He gave it to her on the east veranda at 6:36 PM. At 6:50 Astrid was back to the west veranda and Ares was in the box again asking for a dance. Maybe they are not going to bed tonight! They mated again (for the ninth time that we know of) at 6:57 PM. She flew at 7:16, but then was right back to an east ledge. She only stayed there for a few minutes and then she was up. Goodnight falcons?