Getting into the Brooding and Feeding Rhythm

Peregrine Breeding Log for May 10 – 11, 2019:

Friday, May 10^th was rainy and cool right from the start. During the day there were some pretty heavy downpours as well. Wind gusts were not insignificant. Astrid spent the night with her 4-chick brood. Ares brought prey to the box at 3:31 AM. Astrid took it and began to feed the nestlings. The meal seemed to last long time which surprised me because I didn’t think it was that large. At 5:28, Astrid abruptly left the box but then came back a minute later. Ares was heard calling in the canyon at 5:40. He brought food to the box at 5:53. Astrid took it from him and began the second feeding of the morning. The meal ended at 6:07, after which she went back to brooding. While she was settling down, Ares was heard screeching in canyon somewhere.

The next feeding took place at 7:51. Ares brought the prey, handed it off to Astrid on the crossperch and then she did the feeding. He stayed at the box for part of the feeding. At 8:02 the feeding was over. Deb reported that all four chicks got fair portions. Ares went over to the east veranda for guard duty as Astrid brooded the nestlings. Ares had gotten quite wet during the morning rain showers and so he did a lot off preening while out on the veranda. Astrid vacated the nest at 8:12, but then came right back. At 10:54 Ares brought more prey tp the nest. This time it appeared to be a Great Crested Flycatcher. Astrid finished plucking it in the box and then fed it out to the chicks. At 11:41 we heard Ares’ characteristic screech.

Astrid left the box at 12:12 and Ares arrived seconds later. After standing out on the crossperch for a while he finally came into the box. He stood in front of the chicks for a few minutes and munched on some eggshell. He then went back out onto the perch. Astrid came back to the nest at 12:13 and Ares screeched over to the steeple. He wasn’t there long. Astrid left the box again at 12:45 and then the almost identical thing happened that took place a half hour before. He brooded for only a minute and then went onto the crossperch. However, this time he came back to brood the chick pile. Meanwhile Astrid was on the steeple and engaging in a major preening fest. Astrid left the steeple at 12:27 and two minutes later we spotted her on the hotel ledge plucking prey. She brought it to the nest five minutes later. Ares took his time leaving the brood and for a moment he stood between her and the chicks. She then fed the nestlings for about ten minutes and then departed with the leftovers. All were satiated including the youngest chick. Astrid was back and brooding a few minutes later.

At 2:18 we heard Ares calling from somewhere in the canyon. Astrid left the box right after that. One of them – probably Ares, was on a window ledge with prey. Astrid returned to the box a couple minutes later. She gave a big cackle alarm call at 2:30. That may have had something to do with the rapidly approaching thunderstorm. She cackled again at 2:34. The storm hit twenty minutes later. Rain was torrential but there was little lightning and no hail (thankfully, because she really hates that). The storm was over in about fifteen minutes and suddenly Ares was again visible on the State Building. The interior of the box got a little wet, but Astrid kept the nestlings safe and dry. At 3:52 Ares brought a hunk of food to the box. Astrid took it and did a feeding. The meal lasted about 8 minutes and then Astrid went back to brooding. Ares brought more food at 4:43. Perhaps merely for variety’s sake, he made Astrid come over to the veranda to get it. This meal must have come from the pantry since it looked mighty picked-over. She had a difficult time getting bits of meat off. She left with it at 4:48 but was back and brooding the chicks four minutes later.

Ares brought another meal to the box at 6:20 PM and she conducted a feeding. When he left the box, he first sailed by Deb’s office window and then by our roof cam. After that he landed on the north face of the State Building. Meanwhile Astrid was still feeding the nestlings. Again, all four appeared to be getting some. At 6:30 she finished the feeding and flew out with the leftovers. She returned to the nest a few minutes later. We thought all the action was done for the evening but then at 7:25 Astrid became very anxious. She gave a cackle alarm call and dove out of the box. She was back a minute later, and he showed up on the State Building. She was giving alarm calls again at 7:47. This time he was up and calling too. There had to be some reason for their behavior, but we couldn’t find any obvious culprit with the cams. It seemed late in the day for issues with intruders. Regardless, they settled down after that and the rest of the night was quiet.

Saturday, May 11^th began cool and overcast with misty precipitation. Temperatures were in the 40’s but eventually reached the 60’s by later afternoon. Astrid spent the night on her brood. Ares brought food to the nest at 4:40 AM. It was fairly large prey and she fed the chicks for about 15 minutes. At 5:49 he brought more food to the nest. This time he brought it right inside the box and passed it off to her. She fed them until 6:06 and then went back to brooding. At 7:21 Ares was heard calling from somewhere in the canyon. Astrid left the box a minute later but came right back and resumed brooding. The parents switched at 10:41. Ares was there for less than a minute when Astrid returned with prey. She began feeding and he left the box. He came back four minutes later with Blue Jay. He entered the box with it, but at the time Astrid and the chicks were concentrating on the meal at hand.  Ares left with his jay.

She flew off with the leftovers at 10:49 but returned to the clutch shortly after. Ares came to the nest at 12:37. He wanted a turn at brooding, but she wouldn’t have it and he flew off again. A few minutes later Astrid did leave the box. The four nestlings were a squealing mound in the middle of the floor, and that’s what Ares encountered when he came for nest duty. He doesn’t have Astrid’s magic the ability to calm them down. He lay down front of them and let them squeal away in his face while he chirped. One chick was biting at his bill and another tried to bite his neck feathers. Meanwhile Astrid was on the hotel ledge with prey. After plucking it she brought it back to the nest. As she came in, Ares went out. She fed the chicks for about ten minutes and until they couldn’t take anymore. Still she compelled them to keep feeding by giving loud chirps. She took out the leftovers at 1 PM and then was right back to brooding. At 1:40 Ares brought prey to the nest. Again, he brought it right inside the box and passed it to his mate. They finished their meal twelve minutes later and Astrid went back to brooding. At 2:45 she came off the chicks and started digging in the corner of the box. At 3:03, she became agitated and started giving cackle alarm calls at the box. At the same time, Ares was heard giving long calls from somewhere in the canyon. She got off the chicks but didn’t leave the box. It was about five minutes before she calmed down and settled back down on the nestlings.

At 3:32 Ares brought more food to the nest – bringing it right inside the box again (now that’s service!) She handled the feeding. By 4 PM she was shading the chicks from the strong afternoon sun. At 4:48 Ares came to the box. He and Astrid had a conversation for about three minutes and then Ares was out. At 5:43 he brought prey to the box. It was the same Blue Jay he brought to the box earlier in the day. Astrid took it from him and began feeding the nestlings. At 5:56 she flew out with the leftovers and was back to brooding two minutes later. At 6:05 she abruptly left the box. The nestling were left alone in the box for five minutes, which is not a problem for chicks of this age when the temperature is above 60 degrees. They stayed in a tight pile the whole time. Astrid landed on the steeple and Ares came to the box at 6:10. He didn’t brood but only stood on the crossperch. Astrid came to the box at 6:14, just in time for Ares to bring more in more food. It was an undifferentiated hunk of something and she flew off with it. Instead of brooding the chicks he stood on guard on the crossperch. She returned to the box at 6:21. Ares screeched as she relieved him and flew over to the State Building. At 6:42 Astrid went over to the steeple, thus leaving the nestlings alone in their chick pile again. She came back to the nest at 6:57.

Ares brought food to the box at 7:23. She took it from him and flew over to the hotel. Ares went there too and stood nearby as she fed. At 7:26 she brought what was left of the meal to the box and conducted a feeding. Ares was on the State Building until 7:40 and then he presumably went to his night perch. Good night falcons.