It seems Vera isn’t a fan of cold snaps and snow squalls. Up until now, she’d given the impression of being weatherproof—unlike some of Ares’ previous short-term mates. The pair had a productive Monday: ledge displays at the nestbox, matings, food exchanges, and a considerable amount of nest site guarding. But on Tuesday, with the weather turning decidedly more winter-like, most of that activity came to a halt. They did manage two brief ledge displays—one in the early morning, another just before dusk—but for much of the day, Vera was either perched on the State Building or out of sight. Ares definitely knew where she was, though. He kept making flights out, trying to coax her back with food and with his boundless enthusiasm. His restlessness is always palpable this time of year. It’s clear, he wants his mate in the box and laying eggs. That said, we still don’t know for sure whether Vera is even capable of laying eggs this season.
Like Ares, we feel that the clock is ticking. We’re nearing the end of what would’ve been Astrid’s typical egg-laying window for her first egg (tomorrow, April 10th). It’s worth remembering that Astrid’s predecessor, Maya, didn’t lay her first eggs until early June—twice. June 4 in 2008 and June 6 in 2009. So if we stretch our window to include those more unconventional dates, Vera still has plenty of time.
