Astrid was Full of Surprises Today

It was quite cold in the early morning with temperatures hovering around the freezing point. Astrid began calling for Ares to take over incubation at 5:40 AM. He showed up in the canyon at 6:30, but didn’t come over to the box until 7:50, which was pretty late for the first switch of the day. If these birds have taught us anything in four years, it’s that they are not entirely predictable. Ares remained on the nest until Astrid relieved him at 10:35. At noon Astrid began giving interactive calls and then abruptly left the nest. It seemed like she was giving chase, but we couldn’t confirm the presence of an intruder. Before two minutes had elapsed, Ares was back in the box and tending the eggs. At 12:35, Astrid zoomed back into the canyon and with a dramatic flourish landed on a high perch on the State Building. She sometimes does this right after she escorts an intruder out of the territory. A half hour later she was seen sunbathing on the ledge of the hotel. Although I have seen other raptors engage in this type of behavior, we’ve never before seen it with the Utica falcons.  She was lying flat on her stomach with wing and tail feathers completely spread out. This exposes parasites like feather mites to the sun’s rays and if it doesn’t kill them outright, it makes them more obvious and more able to be picked off during preening. She did this for about 15 minutes before returning to the box and brashly ejecting Ares off the eggs. She loomed over him and then tread on his tail while giving an unusual rattling call. He was out in a few seconds and she resumed incubating for what would be the hottest part of the afternoon. The pair switched again at 5:00 PM after which Astrid was seen on several different perches including on the church steeple. From there she watched pigeons and occasionally launched herself after them. As far as we know she never caught one. She really seemed to revel in staying out late, all the while alternately hunting and preening. Astrid was back on the nest by 7:30 PM.