Utica Peregrine Falcon Update for June 4, 2018 –
After being absent since about 5:30 PM Sunday, Ares finally showed up on camera at around 10:30 in the evening. He took a perch on a high ledge on the State Building. By contrast, Astrid was in view most of the night. Some of the time she was on the long perch at the box, but she ended up on a window ledge just east of the nest. There were no overnight feedings. When Astrid came to the box at 5:47, the nestlings all began screeching in unison. I think they wanted their grub! Astrid went and fetched something out of storage. She brought it back to the nest and satiated the brood. The nestlings all have names now, and our thanks go out to all of those that submitted names to us. The names in the order of hatching are: Milo, Angel, and Petra. I wish I could confidently tell you who was who, but half the time I can’t. Deb is better at it than me. About ten minutes after the feeding ended. Ares came to the box to do a quick chick-check.
A little later on, while the chicks were alone in the nest, two of them began giving their loud chattering alarm call sound. There was no emergency; they were only practicing. Then again, only four minutes after their “alarm” calls another feeding was underway. Perhaps they were on to something. Ares brought over the food and Astrid was dishing it out. After the meal, Astrid became slightly annoyed by people being in offices on the floor below the nest box. She hazed the row of windows a few times and then went over to her steeple perch. She’s never happy to see people inhabiting the buildings following a weekend of relative peace and quiet.
Just before 9 AM, Ares was in the nest and picked up a cast-off wing from the floor. He took it onto the cross-perch and picked at it. Astrid saw him and seemed to believe he had new prey. She came over to take it and then immediately saw her mistake. When she saw what it was she didn’t even try to take it from him. He flew away with it instead. At 9:16, Astrid came to the box with most of a Pigeon. Initially she needed to coax the chicks into feeding, but they eventually got into it. She fed them until they wouldn’t take anymore and then took the leftovers and stored them on the State Building. At 11:08, Astrid came back to the box. She first went over to the east veranda and from there she hopped onto the roof of the nest box. That’s just one of her new inexplicable fancies. Ares brought prey to the box at 11:40. Astrid flew in, grabbed the food and started feeding the nestlings. The meal didn’t last long. Ares was in for a chick-check at 11:52. Not long after that, rain began falling in the canyon – sometimes fairly heavily. Ares stayed at the nest with the chicks and Astrid remained on top a pillar just west of the box. At one point Ares came into the nest. The nestlings did a little squealing but mostly they left their dad alone. He moved back to the cross-perch when the rain let up. Ares remained on guard at the nest for the next few hours. At one point one of the chicks passed the time by pecking at their father’s toes!
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jq3vVGRu9Vw://
Ares brought prey to the nest at 4:06. Astrid took it and began feeding. Deb commented that it was a remarkably civil exchange that time. At 4:48, both parents were perched high on the State Building on adjacent ledges. Astrid moved over to the steeple at 5 PM. An hour later she launched from that perch and tore after something unseen. Whatever it was she missed it. She showed up again on the State Building only a minute later at 6:10. Ares screeched up to the box with a small meal at 6:52. Astrid took it and served it to the chicks. They were a bit more rambunctious at this feeding and it didn’t help that there wasn’t much food to go around. After the meal, Astird did some nice soaring around the State Building before coming to a landing on a high perch. Ares had already taken a perch only a few meters away. The rain started up again after 7 PM. The parents stayed on the State Building and the nestlings, for the most part, kept to their chick pile. By 8 o’clock it seemed like all were settled for the night, but I wouldn’t wager the farm on it.