With the return of warmer weather, activity in the downtown canyon picked up significantly over the past couple of days. All the expected breeding behaviors were on display: ledge displays, food giftings, and multiple matings. At times, Ares could be seen using food quite deliberately to lure Vera into the nestbox—a time-honored tactic. Ares clearly wants eggs, and since he can’t produce them himself, he’s doing everything he can to convince Vera to handle the task.
On Saturday afternoon, Vera appeared to inch closer to that possibility. She settled into a sitting posture inside the box and remained there for about twenty minutes. It looked very much like brooding behavior. A few days earlier, she had done something similar, so this wasn’t entirely new—but it was encouraging to see it happen again, and for a longer stretch. Perhaps she is indeed preparing to lay eggs, even if she’s taking her time getting there. We are now ten days beyond what would have been the egg laying window for Astrid’s first egg. Having said that, Astrid had laid an egg on Easter Sunday at least once before, perhaps Vera will take on that tradition.
