Author: Matt Perry

Utica Peregrine Falcon Update for June 3, 2018 –

Astrid was at or near the box for most of the night. For the last day or so, she’s been fond of a window ledge located just east of the east veranda. She was there for a little while in the late evening. Ares brought prey to the box at 4 AM sharp. Astrid was right there to take it and she did the feeding. The food didn’t stretch far and the nestlings were still hungry afterwards. Astrid came into the box at 5:22. She was besieged by begging chicks. She picked up a Pigeon leg that was on the floor and handed it off to one of the beggars. The chick immediately dropped it and started going after its mother once again. Astrid picked up the leg a second time, but this time held it down with her feet and ripped pieces off of it. These she fed it to at least one chick. Ares showed up at the box at 6:42; he didn’t have any prey with him. The nestlings rushed at him and he vamoosed.

At 8:22, Ares finally came to the box with food. Astrid took it from him and she began to feed the nestlings. She stayed on the long perch for a while after the meal was finished. Ares went over to the west face of the Adirondack Bank building where he perched on a window ledge. A tour of the canyon allowed me to see Ares on his hidden perch. I also checked his pantry on the State Building. They falcons had some food stored on all 4 sides of the State Office Building. Unfortunately, one cached Black-billed Cuckoo had fallen off its ledge and ended up down on the sidewalk. While I was there yet another cuckoo came darting down to the ground. It was pretty windy out so I understood why it was happening. Luckily, Ares had more food available to him. At 9:55, Ares flew in from the west. He had prey in his talons and was screeching. He began plucking it where he landed on the State Building. When he was done processing the meal he took it over to nest. He hopped right in among the squawking chicks and began to feed one of them. It was then that Astird landed on the perch; she was emitting her loudest screech call. Ares turned around as if he was going to hand it off to her, but then sidestepped down the lip of the box instead. She sidestepped along the cross-perch after him, but then he flew off with the food.  We expected him to come right back, but he stored the prey on a ledge on the Adirondack Bank instead. Astrid stood with the begging chicks for a few minutes and then flew over towards the State Building.  Her aim was to retrieve some Pigeon leftovers she had stored there yesterday. Before she got to the State Building, an American Kestrel (a small falcon species) came out of nowhere and chased after Astrid! She took a lap around the State Building and by the time she had gotten a look at the stranger he was quickly receding towards the east. Astrid resumed her task of fetching the leftovers. After a few minutes she was back and feeding the crew.

At 11:10, Ares was guarding the nest from the cross-perch. For a while all three chicks were up against the lip of the box peering at him while he preened. At noon Ares was on the long perch and Astrid was on her new favorite ledge just east of the nest. An errant Pigeon came up and landed on a window ledge right next to the west veranda. Both Astrid and Ares looked at the bird with some amazement. The audacious (or confused) Pigeon left with Astrid on its heels. In a moment Astrid was back; she squawked at Ares and sent him off his perch. Go get it, partner! He left, but I don’t think he was perusing the Pigeon. Ares did a chick-check at 1:30 and Astrid did one fifteen minutes later. They were keeping pretty good track of the nestlings today. During her 1:45 visit, the begging chicks chased her right out of the box, but she was determined to go back in there. As soon as she could she hopped back in, ate a couple of stones and then hopped out again. At 3:00, both parents were out of view, but a half-hour later they both showed up at the nest box.  The kids were getting quite anxious and rowdy by late afternoon. They were hungry – no doubt about it. Ares showed up at the nest with food at 5:20. Astrid took it from him and conducted the feeding. The prey looked like a Mourning Dove – a hunk of one anyway. Ares remained on the west veranda for the duration of the meal. The feeding lasted for a while. When it was over Astrid stayed on the long perch and he stayed on the veranda. The falcons were in those places until at least 7:20 PM. At 8:10, Astrid was on the long perch at the box. Rain had been falling for a little while and Ares was out of view. The activities of the day were probably over. We will be announcing the names of this season’s chicks sometime tomorrow. Thanks to all for so many great submissions!

Utica Peregrine Falcon Update for June 2, 2018 –

Astrid was at the nest box for most night. In the 11 o’clock hour she went over to the church steeple for a little while. When she returned, she attempted to land on the long perch, but miscalculated and slipped off. She flew back and made a solid landing on it less than a half-minute later.  There were no overnight feedings. Astrid remained at the box until 4:48 AM. We weren’t sure where she went to after that. Presumably she was out trying to catch a Pigeon. Ares was on nest duty in Astrid’s absence. He visited the box and then took a perch on the steeple. Astrid showed up at 5:48 and also perched on the steeple. Both falcons were obviously in hunting mode. Astrid was seen making plays for multiple unseen targets. At 7:20, Ares was on the ledge at Hotel Utica plucking a Pigeon. Apparently he had received Astrid’s memo (that would be the “no cuckoos” memo). After taking his share of Pigeon meat off the top, he brought it to the nest, where Astrid grabbed it and began feeding it to the chicks. It was still a good sized meal and Astrid was able to pack the chicks with it pretty well. For the most part the nestlings were well-behaved during that feeding. Meanwhile Ares had gone back over to the hotel and while he was there he was scolded by a Pigeon. The Pigeon likely had a nest nearby and was hoping to drive the him away.

For a while in mid-morning, both parents were out of view. Finally, at 9:07, one showed up on the State Building. Astrid did a chick-check at the box shortly after that. She settled on top a pillar to the west of the nest box. She was still in hunting mode. At 10:30, Astrid launched from the pillar. Ares had food and he brought it to the box. Astrid unceremoniously grabbed it away and conducted the feeding. The meal was probably a chunk of a Mourning Dove, but we weren’t sure. After the feeding both parents went over to the State Building. The nestlings spent some time tramping around the box and flapping their wings. They are starting to actually look like wings as fringes of flight feathers now protrude from their trailing edges. They nestlings are just now beginning to get the salt & pepper look as dark contour feathers also begin to protrude out from their downy fuzz. The chicks themselves are very aware of their surroundings now and are able to follow all the moves their parents make outside of the box.

At 12:06, Ares was seen picking at some leftovers on the State Building. Ten minutes later he brought the food over to the nest. He seemed to be primed to do a feeding, but then Astrid barreled in and tried to take the food. Still gripping it, he made for the exit. He flew into the canyon with a rather gory streamer of leftovers dangling below him. In a few moments he came back with it and landed on the east veranda. Astrid hopped over and grabbed it (almost dropping it) and then she flew off with it! It became her streamer! Fifteen seconds later she returned with the same food and fed it to the nestlings. Ares remained on the east veranda during that entire feeding session.

For much of the afternoon, both adults remained in view – usually on the State Building. At 2:48, Ares came into the box from the east veranda. He rummaged around on the floor until he found a scrap of food. He hopped onto the long perch to eat it. At around 5:05, Ares brought what looked like a swallow to the box. Astrid came over, grabbed it from him and did the feeding. It was a fairly quick meal. Afterwards, both parents were out of view for a while. Astrid nest showed up on the steeple at 5:33. She made frequent forays into the canyon and was definitely in hunting mode. At 6:48, we confirmed her success. She was plucking a Pigeon on the ledge of the hotel. After feeding on it some she brought it to the nest and stuffed the little ones until they refused to take any more. With loud chirps she kept encouraging them to take one more bite. Finally she gave up and stored the leftovers on the State Building. After that she took a perch on the steeple. Fluff from cottonwood trees was floating past her on the wind. It resembled snow flurries. Ares had been out of view for almost three hours; suddenly we located him on the ledge of the hotel. He was plucking something large – probably a Pigeon. He did exactly what Astrid had done. He ate some of it and then brought the rest over to the nest. Ares screeched as he flew through the canyon and passed his mate. He landed on the east veranda perch and waited a few seconds for her to arrive. From the cross-perch she stretched out and grabbed at the food with her bill, but couldn’t quite hold it. She then more adeptly seized it with one foot and hopped into the box (that’s the way to do it!). Ares flew over to the State Building while she tried to rally the chicks. That fact was, they were still full from the last big meal. They took a few bites in slow motion, but they couldn’t be coaxed into taking any more. Astrid took the leftovers and stored then on the State Building. It was then around 8 PM; she had taken a perch on the steeple, while Ares stayed on the State Building. It sure seemed like everyone was settled for the night. Maybe they were. The naming contest for the three chicks ends this evening (Saturday night). That means that by this time tomorrow the kids should have names! Thanks to all that submitted names.

Utica Peregrine Falcon Update for June 1, 2018 –

Astrid remained on the long perch at the nest box for much of the overnight period. Ares brought something small to the box at around 4:20, and Astrid did the feeding. At 5:50, Ares came to do a chick-check at the nest. Astrid arrived while his check was still in progress and she sent him out. It was like she was telling him to go and fetch breakfast. She found a scrap of food in the box and fed one of the chicks. Finally at 8:20, Ares was seen plucking prey on the ledge at Hotel Utica. He proceeded to take his share off the top and then brought the rest to the nest. Astrid took it and started feeding the young. One of the chicks grabbed a substantial hunk of it and turned away to eat it on its own. The raucous feeding ended only five minutes after it had begun.

Ares brought something else to the nest at 10:43. The food exchange took place on the west veranda. The meal wasn’t large and was gone in only four minutes. That would turn out to be the reoccurring theme of the day – small, quick meals gobbled up fast. Ares had perched on the steeple following his food drop. When Astrid finished with the feeding, she went over to an adjacent steeple perch and Ares left. Perhaps he was spurred on to do more hunting by his mate. After that, Astrid was keeping watch on the box and on the canyon. She did quite a few chick-checks through early afternoon. At 11:19, Ares screeched up to the box to do his own chick-check. The sound of his call got all three nestlings activated. Obviously they were still hungry. By noon, we couldn’t find either adult with our cameras. Twenty minutes later, Astrid began doing frequent checks at the box. At 12:44, she took a break from her incessant chick-checking to get in some sunbathing on the hotel ledge. On that wide ledge she stretched out her wings and lay flat as could be. A few minutes later she was back to the nest box and checking the nestlings. At 1:26, Ares showed up with food at the box. Astrid grabbed it from him and began to conduct a feeding. The female middle nestling grabbed the prey away from Astrid. Astrid pulled it back – all except for a hunk of it, which stayed with the chick.

By mid-afternoon it was getting very hot and uncomfortable in the nest box. Astrid didn’t seem to be in shading mood today so it was up to Ares to shield the chicks and to check on them periodically. Ares brought food to the box at 6:16. Astrid came over to do the feeding. The next meal came in at 6:57. It appeared to be a cuckoo. Table manners were pretty bad with this one, Astrid left with it well before the chicks had their fill. She stored the leftovers on the ledge at the hotel. She really doesn’t like eating cuckoos, or apparently, feeding too many of them out, so she’s unlikely to retrieve one any time soon. At just before 8 PM, Astrid was on the ledge at the hotel again. She was plucking a freshly caught pigeon. After she had her share she flew over to the box and started a marathon feeding session. After the feeding Astrid spent some time on the steeple while Ares was up on the State Building. It seemed like the falcons were in place for the night – or nearly so. Astrid eventually came back over to the box and stood guard on the long perch.

Utica Peregrine Falcon Update for May 31, 2018 –

On the heels of few very inactive overnight periods, last night was quite busy. The moon was near full, but that probably had little impact on the falcons’ activity levels. The nestling’s last meal was at 3:30 PM on Wednesday and so they were in need of a very early breakfast, and that’s just what they got. Ares brought a small meal to the box at 11:30 PM. Astrid did the feeding. At midnight he brought in a more substantial meal and Astrid again handled the feeding. At 2:03, Ares showed up with yet another meal – this one was an entire bird. Astrid seized it and fed the chicks. Astrid left the box at 2:20 AM, only to come back 15 minutes later with a small prey item of. She fed the chicks until two of them toppled over and then she fed the one that remained standing. At 2:54, she left the box with the scant leftovers. Two minutes later Ares arrived at the nest with a small item. After satisfying himself that Astrid wasn’t poised to jump out of nowhere and grab the goods, he began to feed one of the chicks from the lip of the box. For some reason he didn’t feed for long and soon was out again. When he left, he left the food in the box. Astrid returned to the nest at 5:36 and began feeding the nestlings some scraps from the floor. After that she went over to the west veranda.

At 7:08, Ares brought more food to the box and Astrid fed the young. Following that meal both parents were perched on the State Building for a little while. Astrid and Ares seemed to be keeping a close watch on the nest today. One or the other – often both, were guarding throughout the morning and well into the afternoon. Ares in particular was much more interested in the box today than he had been for the last two days. Of course it was a cooler day and it was mostly overcast, so Astrid wasn’t obsessively shading and standing vigil with the chicks. As for the nestlings themselves, they look different today. Their wings and tail feathers are protruding more and that’s impinging on their pure white, snowman like appearance. Besides their black masks, they now each have their patch of tan plumage behind their eyes. Their movements are not as shaky; their walking is smoother; they also bob up and down their heads quickly while observing moving objects outside the box (especially flying parents). One of the chicks did us a service by using its downy plumed body like a cloth and wiping off our whitewash smeared camera. The next feeding took place at 9:30. Ares brought something and Astrid did the feeding.

At 11:37, Astrid came to the box with some leftovers. She began feeding the nestlings. She was barely into the feeding when Ares showed up with a bat. For a little while both parents were feeding simultaneously – Astrid feeding two and Ares feeding one. When Astrid’s food ran out, she turned and took what remained of Ares’ bat. He left and she continued feeding until all the food was gone. For quite a while, Ares was guarding the box from the long perch and Astrid was guarding from a pillar to the west of the box. They held these stations until a bunch of loose balloons sailed over the canyon at 1:30. Ares flew – he may or may not have gone up to investigate the UFOs. Astrid flew over to guard the box. The falcons carried on their close monitoring of the nest right through the afternoon. This was the first afternoon in a few days that Ares remained in view. At 3:36, Ares brought prey to the nest. Astrid took it from him on the cross-perch and then hopped into the box to feed the chicks. One chick grabbed the whole meal away from Astrid, but she tugged it right back and resumed doling in out. Soon all three nestlings were feeding. After the meal, both parents were perched near each other on the State Building. Astrid left at around 4 PM and we weren’t sure where she went, but she was likely hunting for Pigeons. At 4:30, we located Ares on the ledge at Hotel Utica. He apparently had caught a Pigeon and was plucking it. Astrid was still unaccounted for. After eating a small portion, he took it over to the nest and then presided over a marathon feeding of all three chicks. It went on for about 18 minutes and it was the longest feeding that Ares has ever carried out in the five seasons that he’s nested in Utica. This is all thanks to the fact that Astrid didn’t interrupt him. Presumably she was still out hunting and had no idea what was going on at the home front. When Ares was done with the feeding there was nothing left – no leftovers to store. Everything went into the three chicks. He went out onto the long perch, wiped his bill off, cleaned his talons, and preened for a while.

At 5:15, one of the nestlings was looking out into the canyon and saw Astrid fly through. The chick called out as Astrid landed on the State Building. Fifteen minutes later Astrid was on the steeple. She was looking very sleek. Her lack of a bulging crop was obvious. What was also obvious was that she was still hunting. As she sat upon the steeple her eyes followed every potential prey species that flew through the canyon. At 6:03, she flew up to the box to look in on the nestlings. Ares stopped by too. He actually picked up a small scrap of food on the floor and flew away with it. After a short visit to the State Building, Astrid was off hunting again. This time it paid off and she was seen plucking and then eating prey on the hotel ledge. She ate quite a bit of it herself before bringing the rest over to the nest. Of course the nestlings had already been packed full of Pigeon only a relatively short time before. Astrid insisted on stuffing them some more. Two of them partook for a little while, but their hearts weren’t in it. One of the larger chicks kept opening his bill and somehow fitting tiny bits in, but after a while, Astrid decided to give up and store the leftovers. She took them to the pantry and then settled back down on State Building near Ares.

At 7:20, Astrid relocated to the top of a pillar just west of the nest box. At just after none PM she moved to the long perch at the box. All five Peregrines had full crops and seemed settled for the night. I suspect there won’t be any more feedings for a while, but I’ve been wrong before, so don’t put money on it.

Utica Peregrine Falcon Update for May 30, 2018 –

Astrid again spent much of the night in the nest box or in close proximity to it. There were no overnight feedings. At around 5 AM, the chicks became restless and Astrid began calling for Ares to bring food. He was initially seen on the west face of the State Building, but then moved over to the north face. He seemed in no hurry to comply with Astrid’s demands. At 5:20, both parents were flying. We don’t know if Astrid withdrew something from the pantry or if Ares took it and gave it to her. Either way it was Astrid that arrived at the box with the prey. It was a catbird and she fed it out to the voracious nestlings. At 5:30, when breakfast was over, Astrid flew over to the State Building. Ares came to the box fifteen minutes later and spent some time guarding the nestlings. Ares brought prey to the box at 8:25. Astrid hastily grabbed the food away and fed the chicks. The eldest two chicks were getting the lion’s share of this meal. At one point Astrid held a hunk of it and allowed two of the chicks to rip into for themselves. The meal was completely gone within five minutes. At 8:33, another meal was brought in – this one was a cuckoo. Astrid fed them for a little while and then left to store (presumably) the remainder of the meal. Ares was present on the State Building until around 9:45 and then he was out of view of our cams for a while. Astrid spent some time on the west veranda. She flew off at just a few minutes past noon.

The eyesight of the chicks has been improving right along. They now track their parent’s movements and begin calling when they see them fly through. Ares came back into the canyon at 12:33 and landed at the nest box. All three chicks began calling at a fevered pitch. In case anyone had doubts, these are indeed very loud birds. When they all get going, including the parents, it can be deafening. Next Astrid flew in and landed on the State Building. The chicks began calling even louder when they saw her. At 12:47, Ares brought a cuckoo to the box. It came fresh from his pantry on the west face of the State Building. Astrid took the prey and fed it to the chicks. She stopped when about half way through the feeding and took the leftovers away. We don’t know why she did that seeing as thought the nestlings were still begging, but mother knows best. Perhaps she doesn’t want to overfeed them on such a remarkably hot day and before what will undoubtedly be a very uncomfortable afternoon. At 12:53, Ares came to the box and seemed to be ready for guard duty. He moved back and forth between the verandas and the box’s perch. At 1:20, we located Astrid. She on Hotel Utica plucking a Pigeon. We thought she’d be bringing it over to the box any time, but she ended up eating some of it first. Meanwhile the famished nestlings were screaming into poor Ares’s face. Almost twenty minutes later she brought a fair sized chunk of the meal over to the nest. She then presided over a very chaotic and fairly long feeding session. She really packed the food into them this time. So much for our theory regarding light feedings on hot days!

Astrid brought some leftover into the box at 3:21 PM. It was a relatively short meal – an in and out job. Astrid was back at the box at 3:38. She fed the chicks a few scraps that were lying around on the floor and then she did some shading. The nest was really starting to heat up. She remained in the box shading, or at least trying to shade for the balance of the afternoon. Ares finally came back into town at 5:19. Who knows what adventures he was racking up. He landed on the State Building. Twenty minutes later he was gone again and so was Astrid for a while – no doubt experiencing more adventures we are to remain ignorant of. The nest was out of the full sun by this point and the wind had picked up so the box wasn’t as uncomfortable for the nestlings. Astrid came back into the canyon at 6:33, but Ares eluded our cameras for most of the evening. He finally joined Astrid on the State Building at 8 PM sharp. Will there be any feedings tonight? I won’t hazard a guess.