Author: Matt Perry

Ares

On Saturday morning, Ares delivered a prey item to Vera in a way that seemed more like a parent-offspring exchange than a courtship gifting. Rather than using the gift to entice her back to the nestbox, he flew to a place about twenty feet away from where she was perched on the roof of the State Building and made a drop-off. Vera responded by holding out her wings and loping across the roof to collect the food. Her behavior gave off fledgling-like vibes. This dynamic, with Ares acting more like a parent with his offspring than a mate providing a gift, adds an incongruous wrinkle to their pair bond and highlights the gap between the two falcons’ maturity levels.

By mid-afternoon, however, Vera seemed to switch gears. She and Ares shared a string of exuberant ledge displays, punctuated with frequent “beaking”—a term for the mutual bill swiping— sometimes a feature in Peregrine bonding sessions. These interactions suggested deepening conventional pair connection. Most telling was Vera’s extended time in the box after each dance. At one point, she flattened herself on the stones and lay quietly. This was probably just an instance of the raptor sunning herself, but perhaps there was an aspect of practice incubation mixed in.

The next day, Vera continued experimenting with nesting behavior. Following a ledge display around midday, she once again laid down on the gravel inside the box in a posture nearly identical to a brooding falcon. Shortly after, she was seen on a hotel ledge lying low with what appeared to be prey tucked under her wing. These episodes may not signal immediate egg-laying, but perhaps they suggest Vera is mentally rehearsing the process—testing her instincts, mimicking nesting postures, and edging closer to truly breeding.

Although Vera has yet to lay her first egg, there’s no question that the breeding season is in full swing for Ares and Vera. Both Friday and Saturday brought a flurry of courtship activity—including food transfers, multiple matings, and ledge displays (some rather vigorous). One particularly lively display on Saturday stood out for its intensity, featuring prolonged bill swiping—or beaking. That moment, full of mutual engagement, indicated the growing bond between them.

On Friday, Vera once again surprised Ares by eagerly accepting and consuming another Woodcock. After twelve years of gifting this particular menu item to a reluctant partner, perhaps Ares now feels appreciated for his efforts. Woodcocks are relatively heavy birds and, although not difficult for him to procure, carrying them from the hunting grounds a mile away to the downtown canyon, must take considerable effort. Of course, over the past two days, Vera has been seen feeding on multiple prey items, all believed to have been provided by Ares.

While Vera fed on a high ledge at the DoubleTree Inn, we noticed something interesting: her cere—the fleshy area at the base of the bill—appeared distinctly two-toned. One side was bluer, the other more yellow. This meant that depending on how her head was turned, she could look more juvenile or more adult. This highlights how certain soft tissue features like cere and eye ring color mature earlier than plumage.

Vera has done a few short sittings in the nestbox over the past two days, but nothing yet suggests that egg-laying is imminent. Still, with Vera, unpredictability is part of the package—and there’s always the chance she’ll surprise us. For now, the pair remains highly active and committed, continuing to build their partnership as the season progresses.

Ares and Vera remained very active around the nest site on Thursday. Several matings and ledge displays were observed, though no direct food exchanges were seen. On Wednesday, a few exchanges did occur, and prey was stored on ledges near the box—including one Woodcock. By the next day, the Woodcock in question had been sitting untouched on a ledge for some time, and we had nearly written it off—expecting it to get blown off the ledge before Vera ever claimed it. But to our surprise, she eventually returned to it, moved it to the east veranda, feeding on it intermittently throughout the day.

On Thursday, Vera made some nest scrapes and spent a little time inside the box, though she lingered more frequently on the verandas and nearby window ledges. Despite the continued cold and occasional precipitation, she seemed unbothered. At several points during the day, Vera exhibited behaviors reminiscent of a newly fledged falcon. At one moment, she deliberately dropped a piece of prey off a ledge and watched it fall—something we’ve only ever seen fledglings and pre-fledglings do. At other times, she bounced playfully between the verandas, the roof of the nestbox, and back again, with a kind of curiosity and youthful exuberance not usually associated with adult falcons. While we may not end up with chicks this season, having Vera around has, in some ways, feels like having one.

As of today, we’ve officially passed the latest first egg date for Astrid (April 10, 2014). But of course, Vera isn’t Astrid—and we don’t hold her to her predecessor’s timeline. As a yearling, everything she’s experiencing this season is brand new. There remains about a 50% chance she will lay eggs at all. But if she does, we believe they will be fertile. Until then, we continue to observe, learn, and enjoy the surprises Vera brings to the season. She is certainly keeping Ares interested.

It seems Vera isn’t a fan of cold snaps and snow squalls. Up until now, she’d given the impression of being weatherproof—unlike some of Ares’ previous short-term mates. The pair had a productive Monday: ledge displays at the nestbox, matings, food exchanges, and a considerable amount of nest site guarding. But on Tuesday, with the weather turning decidedly more winter-like, most of that activity came to a halt. They did manage two brief ledge displays—one in the early morning, another just before dusk—but for much of the day, Vera was either perched on the State Building or out of sight. Ares definitely knew where she was, though. He kept making flights out, trying to coax her back with food and with his boundless enthusiasm. His restlessness is always palpable this time of year. It’s clear, he wants his mate in the box and laying eggs. That said, we still don’t know for sure whether Vera is even capable of laying eggs this season.

Like Ares, we feel that the clock is ticking. We’re nearing the end of what would’ve been Astrid’s typical egg-laying window for her first egg (tomorrow, April 10^th). It’s worth remembering that Astrid’s predecessor, Maya, didn’t lay her first eggs until early June—twice. June 4 in 2008 and June 6 in 2009. So if we stretch our window to include those more unconventional dates, Vera still has plenty of time.

Saturday’s colder weather seemed to put a damper on breeding activity at the nest site, but there was a surprising rebound on Sunday—even though conditions remained chilly. One notable development: Vera is showing more consistent nest site guarding behavior. On both days, she and Ares perched on either side of the nest box for extended periods, a visual declaration of their joint claim to the territory. Saturday was quiet in terms of ledge displays, but Sunday made up for it. Several of the displays were noteworthy thanks to some quirky improvisations from Vera. In one instance, she paused mid-display to preen her feathers, leaving Ares frozen in mid-dance, peering at her from inches away as she nonchalantly groomed. In another moment, she abruptly launched out of the box midway through a display—only to dive dramatically back in less than a minute later to finish the dance.

We’re now just three days away from the latest date that Astrid ever laid her first egg (April 10, 2014). Based on Vera’s current behavior, she doesn’t appear particularly close to laying—but as a yearling, she’s expected to follow a different rhythm. Whether she will lay eggs this season, or when, remains an open question. That said, the pair has been mating successfully, so if eggs are laid, there’s reason to believe they may be fertile. Time will tell.