The morning began with no sign of Serena. Ares was active, visiting the nestbox repeatedly, perching on the State Building, arriving with prey, and waiting at the box, but Serena remained absent. Then, around 10:00 AM, something unexpected happened: a first-year, unbanded female Peregrine appeared at the nest and initiated a ledge display with Ares. Over the next 90 minutes, she returned for three separate ledge displays with him, and the two spent considerable time flying together over the canyon. Throughout this activity, only two falcons were seen in the air at once — always Ares and the intruder — leaving us to wonder where Serena had gone. The conditions were extremely windy, and both birds took full advantage of the free-flying it permitted, engaging in spectacular aerial maneuvers and high speed swooping. Several times, I wasn’t sure whether they were hazing each other or performing flight displays, while one perched on the roof of the State Building and the other executed rapid dives. Finally, at 11:45 AM, Serena made her return, arriving at the box where she and Ares promptly performed a ledge display of their own. The fate of the young intruder remains unknown, though it’s likely Serena escorted her out of the territory. As for where Serena had been during those late-morning hours, that remains a mystery.
Serena returns by the end of the morning