Rain and More Rain, Still the Falcons do Well & Some Unexpected Antics By Ares

Peregrine Breeding Log for May 12 – 13, 2019:

Sunday, May 12^th was rainy and cool. Astrid stayed tight on her chicks all night. Ares arrived at the box with food at 4:40 AM. Astrid took it from him and began a feeding. The next meal came in at around 7:30. Again, Astrid fed the chicks. The meal was finished by 7:48; Ares screeched up to the east veranda right before that. She took a break from brooding at 8:18 but was back on the chicks again only three minutes later. Ares remained on guard on the veranda while she was out. He screeched and then left his post at 8:28. Astrid called in response. At 8:58 Ares brought food up to the east veranda (for some reason) and Astrid had to scramble over there to get it. She flew into the canyon with it and then came right back into the box to do the feeding. She took the leftovers out at 9:09 and both Ares and Astrid converged at the box right after. He was soon out again.

It’s not as if Astrid wasn’t serious about the nest and the brood before, but now she has become decidedly no-nonsense. Before there were hatchings she was letting Ares do quite a lot of incubating. She even let him displace her a few times. There will be no more of that. She’s pretty much relegated Ares to the fetch and carry bird. To his credit, he’s stepped up his hunting. And while it seemed that during incubation, he was rarely providing Astrid with meals, he’s been bringing more than enough for the nestlings. Like in previous years, his time in the nest is controlled completely by her. At 9:30 Ares screeched back to the east veranda. He left an hour later and did a nice flyby of the nest and the PTZ camera. Astrid called to him as he flew. At 10:41 he came to the nest box. He obviously wanted a turn brooding but it wasn’t going to happen. He walked in a complete circle around Astrid and the chicks, ending up back on the crossperch. Astrid directed explosive chirps at him the whole time. He then hopped over to the west veranda. Four minutes later he did a hilarious sidestepping routine from the west veranda over the crossperch and to the east veranda. If he had a cane and a straw hat it would’ve been a great Vaudeville act. Astrid watched his performance but didn’t seem any more apt to yield the brood to him, no matter how talented a minstrel he was.

At 10:55, he screeched back to the box. Even though he didn’t have a ukulele with him this time and she was ready to give him a turn with the young. She flew out and he came in. For a few minutes he stood there considering the squealing chick mass in the middle of the floor. He slowly started to come over to them while they all writhed with bills gaping. Obviously they were anticipating a feeding. Of course, he didn’t have anything. He kind of half-brooded them while they begged and reached out to his empty beak. At 10:59 we saw Astrid on the hotel with prey. She was busily plucking it. Moments later she brought it to the box. He flew out as she began feeding the nestlings. He screeched back up to the box at 11:12 just as she was finishing up the feeding. She flew away with the leftovers and he came in to do some brooding. Just then Astrid stormed back onto the box and got onto the chicks. Ares was out again. At 12:31 Ares arrived at the nest with food. Astrid took it and began a feeding, but the nestlings weren’t very keen. They were still full from the last feeding. She took the leftovers out and returned less than a minute later. Ares came to the nest at 2:05 and then went to the east veranda to stand guard.

At 3:37 Astrid got off the chicks and left the nest. There was some calling before she left, but we don’t know what that was about. Perhaps she went to feed somewhere. Ares was in the box moments later. Shortly after, she was back to relieve Ares, but then he came directly back with food. She took it and started to feed the nestlings. At 3:46 the meal was over, and she removed the leftovers. Ares came in to babysit, but she was back in less than a minute and she went about brooding the clutch. Ares flew over to the west veranda to guard from there for a while. I heard Ares screech at 5:30. He had been on the State Building just before that, but had flown to the east veranda. He entered the box at 5:56. He stood inside for a few minutes while she continued to brood. He wanted to have a turn with the nestlings – we thought. After about five minutes she relented and flew out. She immediately came back with food. Ares was out and she started a feeding. At 6:12, while the chick feeding was still in progress, Ares arrived at the box with more food. It was an unrecognizable hunk of something. While she was feeding the chicks from one side of the box, he was trying to do it from the other side, but their attention was all focused her. They never turned around to see his offering. When Astrid exhausted what she had she reached over and grabbed the piece Ares was holding. She then resumed stuffing the kids. Ares walked in a circle around her before departing the box. At 7:46 Astrid was chirping in the box in the manner she does when she sees Ares. We couldn’t locate him with the cams. He probably called it a night. Good night falcons.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IrlrUkCCS-w//

Monday, May 13^th was another cold and rainy day. Temps were in the low forties throughout the day. Astrid was on her brood all night long. Ares brought a meal to the box at 4:42 AM. Astrid took it and carried out a pretty long feeding. At 5:10 she was back to brooding the clutch. We noticed that she kept the leftovers in the box that time instead of flying them out and storing them off site. Ares arrived at 5:33 with more food – something fairly sizable. Astrid vocalized at him and sent him out with it. At 7:17 Ares relieved Astrid at the box. Instead of getting onto the nestlings, he stood out on the perch. She was back in the box before five minutes was up and resumed brooding. At 7:40 Ares returned with food. Astrid took it and started feeding the chicks. Ares went to the east veranda for a moment but then flew off. Ten minutes later the nestlings were full, and she flew out with the leftovers. Deb noted that all four chicks were adequately fed as has been the case with most of the feedings. Ares came back to the box at 7:51 and Astrid arrived only seconds later. She returned to brooding. It seems she’s never gone for long when it’s this cold.

At 8:52 Ares was photographed perched on a window ledge from an office on the east side of the ADK Bank. He came over to the east veranda at 9:44. At 10:03 He came to the box and relieved her. He left when she came back a minute later. At 10:20 Ares came to the nest with food – well sort of. Before bringing it he prepped it on a window ledge west of the box. He then flew it to the east veranda and that’s where Astrid took it from him. Why is he sometimes making her come to the east veranda to get the food? Good question. At 10:34 mealtime was over, and she was back to brood. At 12:50 Ares came into the box. He had calm conversation with Astrid as she was brooding. They did some light breaking, but mostly he just stood in front of her. Although Astrid was calm, the chicks were getting a little riled up. Astrid had started giving light donkey calls by the end of Ares’ visit. He then went back onto the crossperch and remained for about four minutes. That’s when Astrid decided she would take a break and fly into the canyon. She came back a minute later and before Ares even considered brooding the chicks.

At 1:08 PM Ares brought food to the box. Astrid took it and started feeding the nestlings. Ares went over to the east veranda while the feeding ensued. Deb noticed that the chicks are beginning to show a little aggression as they compete for food. Also, we wondered if one of the chicks may be a female. She seems a little larger than the others and already is showing bigger feet. Last year for the first time we had no female chicks so it would be good to have one this year. The Utica nest has consistently put out far more males than females. Not including this season’s nestlings, out of 15 offspring in five years only four have been females. The lunch meal was done by 1:17 and Astrid went back to brooding. At 2:20 Ares hopped over to the box from the east veranda. He screeched and flew out to the north, then turned back and went around the State Building. At 2:30, Ares came back to the box, conversed with Astrid from the east corner of the cross perch for a few minutes and then side stepped his way over the crossperch and entered the box on the west side. At that point Astrid flew out of the box. While guarding in Astrid’s absence, he walked in a circle around the begging chicks and then waited for her return on the perch. She came back a moment later and immediately set about brooding.

At 3 PM Ares had prey on a window ledge east of the ledge. He was plucking and black feathers were flying past office wiindows. He brought it over to the box and Astrid grabbed it and did a feeding. She was brooding again by 3:25. At 4:10 Ares screeched over to the east veranda. He came around the corner to have a conversation with Astrid but then went back to the veranda when they finished. At 6:27 Ares left the veranda. He landed on the long perch and was screeching. She left the box and he came in, but then he left and only the nestlings were in the box. he came back in at 6:29 and then she returned and then both flew out again. They came right back but this time Astrrid perched on the west veranda. At 6:33 she was back in the box and Ares was up. But then she flew out again and he came in again!  This was crazy! They did it again too! She was out, he was in, she was back, he was out, then she was out again and he came back. When Astrid came back the last time, she had leftovers with her. Ares left and she started a feeding. By 7:06 she was brooding the nestlings again. Ares stopped by a minute later with some large plucked prey. Astrid grabbed it and started feeding the chicks. They were all full pretty quickly but she kept compelling them to eat more with her explosive chirping. She kept at it until 7:21 after which she began brooding. Ares was on the east veranda after the food drop but left at around 7:49. That was probably it for the evening action. Good night all.