Peregrine Breeding Log for April 4 – April 5, 2019:
Thursday, April 4th began chilly with temps around the freezing point. Despite the mostly unobstructed sun, the mercury topped out at only 40 degrees by mid-day. The strong winds from Wednesday carried on through Thursday. Astrid remained tight on the eggs throughout the night. At 4:08 AM, Ares came to the box with a Woodcock. Astrid showed no sign of taking it, so he flew off, presumably to store it. A half hour later he returned with smaller prey. Astrid accepted that and took it over to the hotel. Meanwhile Ares climbed onto the eggs. Astrid returned to the nest at 5:45. She wanted to switch, but he wanted to stay on the eggs. They conversed for a while and even did some friendly beak swiping. After ten minutes of gentle persuasion he finally gave up and left. Their next changing of the guard took place at 7:30, and Ares was on the eggs. After leaving, she took the very same perch on the State Building that he had just vacated. The pair mated on the State Building at 7:56. Right after the mating, Astrid came back to the nest and got onto the eggs.
At 8:07, Astrid began to get agitated and started calling. The same young female Peregrine intruder that’s been vexing A&A flew over the State Building. Ares gave chase and dove at the stranger twice before breaking off and returning to his Sate Building perch. The intruder left and Astrid didn’t even have to get off her eggs. She did, however, vocalize for a while after the intruder was no longer visible. At 9:30, Ares had prey on the hotel. He plucked it and then we expected him to bring it to Astrid. Instead, he brought it to a window ledge to the west of the box. She came off the eggs as if to take it, but for some reason she didn’t get it. She flew over to State Building with nothing in her talons. The pair mated there at 9:36. Afterwards, he returned to the nest and took over on the eggs. Astrid came to the box at 10:30. Her turn on the eggs lasted until shortly after noon when Ares took over. Less than a half hour later, the falcons were both up and vocalizing. We weren’t clear on what was going on but thought the havoc was likely intruder inspired. She was back to the box pretty quick and back to incubating, but she was still calling. Ares went over to the hotel but didn’t stay long. Today, work continued on the roof of the State Office Building and that meant workmen and their equipment were occasionally appearing over the edge of the roof. Perhaps that’s why Astrid was so upset?
At 1:30, Astrid was getting worked up again. She came off the eggs and began melting down on the crossperch – giving volleys of her loudest “chir-up” calls. Still upset and vocalizing, she then moved out onto the west veranda. This time it had to be the intruder, right? Maybe, but we couldn’t confirm it. Astrid took to the air and darted off past the State Building. It seemed like she was on a mission. Ares was quick to come to the nest and get on the eggs. They were uncovered for only two minutes this time. We had the impression that she was seeing things that he didn’t see – or things he didn’t care about. In other words, he didn’t seem very disturbed. At 1:41, Astrid returned to the canyon and took a perch on the State Building. At 2:14, Astrid came to the nest. She stood on the crossperch, tail out and requested a mating. That they did and then she took over incubating. Five minutes later, Ares screeched through the canyon. He had prey and he brought it to a ledge west of the box. There he began plucking it. It may have been the woodcock he brought to the box very early that same morning. We thought he would bring some of the food to Astrid, but he didn’t. He did return to the nest, but without the food. They did a standard changing of the guard and Ares was on the eggs.
At 4 PM, Ares came off the eggs and gave some screech calls. We don’t know why he wanted to leave, but Astrid came in and took over incubation about 9 minutes later. They switched again only a half hour later, at which point Astrid seemed to be having an afternoon on the town. She perched on the State Building and then went over to the hotel. She then found the leftovers that Ares had left on the window ledge west of the box and she fed on that for a while. Ares came off the eggs and called for her to return, but she wasn’t ready yet. She had gone back to the hotel, but then zoomed over to the nest to talk to him. The high winds made falcon flight especially fast and graceful today. No flapping necessary. After her chat with Ares, he went back onto the eggs and she went to have a drink at the puddle on the hotel ledge. During part of her stay on the hotel, a pigeon perched on the ledge only about ten feet away from her. At 6:18, Astrid came back to the nest, stood out on the crossperch and requested another mating. Ares came off the eggs and complied. After a successful mating Astrid got back up onto the eggs and settled in for a long shift. Good night falcons
Friday, April 5th was off to a chilly start with temperatures around the freezing point and they never breached the 40 degree mark. The wind was less of an issue today, but show flurries began at mid-day. There was an inch on the ground by late afternoon. Astrid stayed on the eggs all night. We first heard Ares’ screech call at 6:12 AM, and shortly after that he came in to relieve her at the box. Actually, she left a little before he arrived. She made a few stops around the canyon, including to the steeple and to the hotel ledge puddle. There she had a drink and then it was back to the steeple. Ares came off the eggs at 6:36, and the pair tried to mate on the steeple, but it was an unsuccessful attempt – they were misaligned. He came back to the nest and was on the eggs by 6:43. At 7:24, the falcons switched again, and Astrid took over incubating. After perching on the State Building for a while, Ares flew up to the west veranda. They switched again at 9:08, and she went to a window ledge west of the nestbox. Fifteen minutes later, Astrid took a tour around the canyon. While she flew Ares watched and made excited chirping calls. A long swoop at the end of her flight brought her right back to the window ledge west of the box. At 10 AM, the falcons switched again. This time Astrid walked over from the ledge via the west veranda.
At 10:30, Ares was seen perched on a window ledge on the east face of the ADK bank building. At just before 11:00, He came to the box and the pair did a quick incubation switch. He was on the eggs again. She soon showed up back on the window ledge west of the west veranda. At 11:40, she landed on the crossperch and began bowing to Ares and requesting a mating. She was having a hard time convincing him. He was comfortable and wanted to stay on the eggs. She started giving her donkey-like calls, but that didn’t rouse him either. Finally, ten minutes after she arrived at the box, Ares consented to get off the eggs and mate. At close to noon, Astrid called out a few times. We wondered if an intruder was on the territory, but she settled down again and we saw nobody in the canyon. At 12:07, Ares brought food to Astrid at the box. She took it over to the hotel to eat and Ares settled onto the eggs. At 1 PM, Astrid was back at the box. It seemed like she wanted to mate again, but Ares wasn’t going for it. She finally hopped into the box. He got up slowly and kind of hovered over the eggs. She lost patience at that point and just ushered him out. A little later on, he was on the west veranda. He came into the box for a changing of the guard at 3:45, but this time she refused to leave. He had a nice beak-swiping session with her before giving up and leaving the box. He spent time on a window ledge east of the east veranda until Astrid was ready to let him have a turn. He was on the eggs by 5 PM. It had been snowing for a couple of hours by then.
We knew that the window for Astrid laying the forth egg was quickly approaching. She was hanging out on top of a pillar to the west of the box. At 6:52, Ares flew up and mated with her. After that she came to the nest and settled on the eggs. After a few false alarms, Astrid finally laid the forth egg in the clutch at 8:58 PM. It looks like egg laying is most likely finished for the season. Now it’s all about incubation for a while.