Author: Matt Perry

Utica Peregrine Falcon Update for May 29, 2018 –

Astrid remained in the vicinity of the nest for most of the overnight period. Ares came to the box with prey in the hour of 3 AM, but for some reason, they didn’t complete the food transfer and Ares flew away with it again. It seemed like Astrid was primed to take it, but something wasn’t right. At 5:17, Ares brought a cuckoo to the box. Astrid took it and began feeding the nestlings. She called for him to come back a few times in the following hours, but he didn’t comply. For part of that time we could see him perched on the State Building in open defiance of her commands. Astrid and Ares’ favorite perches of the day included the steeple, the pillars above the box, and the State Building. At 8:00, both parents were at the box – Ares on the cross-perch and Astrid on the west veranda. The next meal came at 9:19. Ares brought it and Astrid handled the feeding.

Besides doing an increased amount of wing flapping today, the chicks were practicing some of their falcon calls. The loudest call they give is the harsh cackle alarm call. Several times now, they’ve given this call in response to seeing an adult flying. At 11 AM, Astrid was on the ledge at Hotel Utica. She had spread out her wing and tail feathers and was having a sun bath. Meanwhile, Ares came to the box for a chick-check. Astrid flew in next and sent Ares on his way. Fifteen minutes later Ares was perched unusually low on the State Building. Perhaps he was eyeing some of the Pigeons, Starlings and House Sparrows that inhabit the lower reaches of the Peregrines’ canyon. Soon he was up and flying in high circles above downtown. Deb noticed that Ares had three dead birds stored on high ledges on the west face of the State Building. All were stored tail out. Two appeared to be cuckoos. Ares visited the chicks at 12:40. He was more causal than usual and actually seemed to mingle with them. He let them lightly peck his bill for food (which he didn’t have) and he walked from one to the other. He is now getting more comfortable with this group.

At 1:12, Ares brought prey to the box. Astrid grabbed it from him and did a feeding. It was a fast-paced meal. Seeing it from the whitewash cam was pretty intense. After dropping off that meal, Ares managed to elude our cameras for over four hours. By contrast, Astrid remained visible for much of that time. At one point she plunked down on the roof of the next box. At around 4:30, she started getting very interested in the nest. It was very warm out and the sun was flooding into the box’s interior. She came in and, after the chicks finally settled down (and realized there was not going to be a feeding), she did some shading. Interestingly, much of her shading efforts were not impacting the nestlings, which were already finding shade in the corner of the box. She was however, shading the egg pretty well. At 5:17, Ares finally showed up in the canyon. He had prey in his talons and he sailed right over to the nest. Astrid was on hand to take it and she proceeded to feed the famished chicks.

Following the meal, Astrid put in a lot more time at the nest box. She did plenty of shading, while Ares got off without doing any. He spent most of the evening on a ledge on the north face of the State Building where it was nice and shady. At 5:30, Astrid flew over to the Hotel Utica and had a drink of water from one of the puddles. As of 8:25, Ares had remained in place on the State Building and Astrid was on her steeple perch. By then the chicks became fairly restless but were well short of mutinous. Were the parents both in place for the night? Find out in the next exciting episode.

Utica Peregrine Falcon Update for May 28, 2018 –

Astrid spent most of the night in the vicinity of the nest box. She had retired to the west veranda in the late evening. We think the objective of her move was to get out of whitewash shooting range. The chicks almost hit her a few times recently. She ended up spending much of the night there. At one point she returned to the long perch only to retire back to the veranda a little later on. In contrast to recent nights, there were no overnight feedings. In fact, we didn’t find a single instance of Ares visiting the box during the night. Finally at 5:35, both adult falcons were spotted on the ledge at Hotel Utica. From there Ares flew over to the box, but he didn’t bring breakfast. The nestlings began screeching at him and demanding food. To avoid them he hopped over to the west veranda. At 5:48, the pair switched places. She was on guard at the box and he flew up to the roof of the State Building. From there he sailed off to the north. Ten minutes later she launched after some unseen prey. Shortly afterwards, one of the pair darted back through the canyon and landed on the State Building. Ares then returned to the box, but again with no food. At 6:15, Astrid was over on Hotel Utica plucking prey. Evidently one of them finally caught something. We thought for sure the next step would be for her to bring the food to the box, but she was eating it herself. Ares came over next, and when she walked away from the food, he grabbed it and flew off. This time we expected him to bring it to the box. He didn’t. He flew to another spot on the hotel and was eating the leftovers himself. Meanwhile at the box, the chicks weren’t exactly going mad with hunger. They did some occasional begging, but for the most part they were snoozing in a downy heap. Ares was on guard duty at the box at 6:30. Astrid flew around the State Building and then relieved him on the cross-perch.

At 8:05, a feeding was finally happening at the box. Astrid brought it and carried out the feeding. It was a whole bird but she fed it out quickly. In fact the entire thing was finished within five minutes. The next meal came in at 9:35. It was probably a Mourning Dove.  At that time, for some unknown reason Astrid was in a bit of a frenzy. She paced back and forth on the perch and then snatched the food from Ares right upon his landing.  It started out with chicks # 1 and 2 getting most of it. Number 2 grabbed it away from Astrid, but she took it back just as fast. Chick # 3 did some screeching in his mother’s face while trying desperately to get a share. At 9:50, Ares came to the box. Astrid conversed with him briefly and then she left the nest. The parents converged at the box at 10:44. There was no prey involved. For all intents and purposes it seemed like they were poised to do a ledge display at the box. Of course, there were three lively chicks in the nest. Ares hopped into the box while Astrid bowed and called from the cross-perch. One of the chicks came up to Ares and started pecking at his bill as if there was food to take. What they were doing did resemble beaking behavior. It was confusing though. Astrid came into the box next and a chick came up to her and tried to get nonexistent food from her bill. The variety of falcon calls given in the box at that time was astounding. They were producing a zoo full of noises. The pair did some bowing and they came close to dancing, but then Astrid called to terminate it and Ares complied. At 12:06, Astrid was again in a manic state. She landed on the perch and was screeching over and over like an oversized fledgling. We thought that meant Ares had food and was flying in from somewhere. We were correct. Ares had prey in his talons and he was plucking it on a window ledge on the State Building. Astrid kept screeching, but Ares didn’t seem inclined to speed up his process. Of course, no one could blame him if he was hesitant to fly to her when she was in such a state. Instead, she went to him, grabbed the prey and took it to the box. We didn’t get a good enough look at the prey to identify it, but it was sizable enough to last quite a while in that crowd of feathered piranha. After the meal Astrid flew over to the State Building and perched on the window ledge right next to the one that Ares was on. They did some communicating through the partition.

At 12:30 PM, Ares was on duty. A half hour later he screeched into the box as he hopped over from the east veranda – thus proving that one doesn’t need to fly in order to make a grand entrance. Meanwhile, Astrid was settling down in the window ledge on the State Building. It’s important to note that the adult falcons, particularly Astrid, normally avoids the window ledges since they don’t appreciate being surprised by people looking out their office windows at them point blank. This being Memorial Day, no one was in those offices and the falcons seemed to know that somehow. The next feeding was at 1:23. Ares dropped off a bat and Astrid fed it to the chicks. Ares was on guard duty again in the mid-afternoon. He was traveling a lot between the box and the east veranda. At 3:30, Ares was doing some shading in the box. At one point he even tucked the egg beneath him. By 6 PM, we hadn’t seen Astrid in a little while. It turned out she was on the steeple. By 7:21, we saw her having a drink on the hotel ledge. A short time later she switched with Ares at the box. She soon moved onto the west veranda where she would be safely out of the nestlings’ splash zone. Later on she returned to the long perch. At 9:07, Astrid got very excited and began calling out from the perch. She saw Ares flying back into the canyon. He probably had prey and had just stored it. After that he took a perch on the north face of the building. What will the falcons do overnight? We have no idea, but we’ll be sure to include it in the next update.

Utica Peregrine Falcon Update for May 27, 2018 –

Astrid spent much of the overnight period at the nest box. The first feeding took place at 2:46 AM. Ares brought a fair-sized bird to the box and Astrid fed it to the young. At 3:43, he brought a smaller prey item. Astrid trotting across the cross perch, took the prey and then she fed the chicks. Ares brought something truly tiny at 5:05. It looked like a picked over piece of hide with some feathers attached. Astrid took it, but flew off with it instead of giving it to the nestlings. She came back a couple of minutes later with something more significant – something she probably drew from Ares’ larder. One or the other parent continued to keep pretty close tabs on the nest box throughout the morning. Both parents converged at the box at 7:00, but no food was exchanged nor was there a feeding. Less than twenty minutes later Ares brought a small meal over to the box. Astrid took the prey on the cross perch and went about feeding the chicks.

The next meal took place at 10:05. Ares brought the prey and she scrambled along the cross-perch towards him to take it. She let out her loudest begging screech before grabbing it with her bill and hauling it into the box. She then served it out to the chicks. After the meal she left the box and Ares came over to be with the nestlings. It was raining by this point and so he actually spent some time inside the box with the crazy kids (who get crazier by the day). Astrid eventually showed up again. This time she was on top of a pillar to the west of the nest box. At 12:37, the parents switched at the box again and Astrid was on guard duty. She abruptly left eight minutes later – probably in pursuit of prey. At 12:52, she came back with prey, but it was unclear if it was fresh or something she had taken out of storage. A feeding followed. The parents seamlessly switched at the box at a little after 1 PM, and Ares was on duty. That didn’t last long and soon both were on the State Building. At 1:40, Ares came to the box with fresh prey. Astrid met him, took the food and another feeding was underway. Ten minutes later she flew out with the leftovers. Ares brought something else sizable at 3:00. Predictably, Astrid took it and fed the nestlings.  In contrast to recent days, the parents were spending a lot of time guarding the nest box during the afternoon hours; the difference being this afternoon’s cooler temperatures, rain, and overcast skies.

At 3:13, we saw Ares over on the ledge of Hotel Utica. He was taking a bath in a puddle. By 3:50, he seemed to have flown himself dry, He screeched up to the nest box and did some guard duty. Astrid was off camera for a while and then at 5:35, we finally located her on a pillar west of the nest box. She came and did a chick-check at 5:56. Ares was still guarding the box at the time. They switched; Astrid stayed at the box and Ares flew up to the west face of the State Building. We thought he may have gone there to retrieve food, but he didn’t return to the box. He finally did bring something at 7:36. Astrid took the food and carried out the feeding.  At 8:12, Ares was on the cross-perch preening, when Astrid flew up to the nest with food. He dove off into the canyon and she proceeded to feed the kids. During this feeding the 3^rd chick was trying to eat pieces too big to swallow. We watched him get the idea to pull it away from his beak with his foot. He then held the food down with his foot while he tore it into more manageable bits. This development probably doesn’t sound earth shaking, but it’s a first and it’s one of many indications of the chicks’ widening skillset. By 9 PM, the falcons all seemed to be pretty in their night positions. Astrid was out on the long perch; we hadn’t seen Ares since the last food parcel came in. He may have been enjoying a snooze high up on the façade of the State Building. Astrid and the nestlings were certainly catching their forty winks by then.  Will there be more happenings tonight? We shall see.

Utica Peregrine Falcon Update for May 26, 2018 –

The falcon saga picks up right where we left off on Friday night and with the 10:28 PM feeding that Astrid handled. In the course of raising five broods, the 9 and 10 o’clock hours has been the rarest time frame for feedings. The anomalies continued when at 10:56, Ares brought more food to the box. However, the lack of interest shown by the chicks and Astrid led him to give up on the feeding plan. The early part of the overnight was packed with meal times. Astrid did a feeding at 12:49, followed by Ares bringing something small in at 1:01. Astrid wasn’t around at that time, so he conducted the feeding.  Of course, only seven minutes later she came in with something small and served it to the chicks. He came back with something medium-sized at 1:30, and again fed the nestlings himself. Ares was on a roll. At 2:36, he brought something small and fed the chicks while he remained perched on the lip of the box. He didn’t finish and came back to resume the feeding at 3 AM. Astrid flew by the box during this feeding. At 3:10, she returned to the box with food and reclaimed the feeding enterprise. Ares brought breakfast at 5:21. Astrid took the prey and carried out the feeding. Needless to say, all of the chicks had full crops by dawn.

The nestlings continued practicing their falcon alarm calls. We heard a few examples performed by more than one chick. At 7:30, Astrid came into the box from the east veranda and fed out a few scraps that were lying around. Interestingly, the parents keep a pretty tight watch on the nest through the overnight hours and for much of the morning, but then they monitor from a greater distance as the day wears on. Astrid’s strong desire to procure a Pigeon carried over into today. She made a few plays from the steeple, but didn’t manage to catch anything. At 8:54, Ares brought a meal to the box. Astrid arrived a few seconds later and snatched it from him. She did the feeding. The next meal was at 10:27. Ares brought the prey and Astrid doled it out. A half-hour later, both adults were adorning the Grace Chursh steeple on adjacent perches. As for the nestlings, their plumage now shows the hint a dark eye mask. Their waling is getting a little more coordinated too. More wing flapping and preening is also occurring. The tan tips of their tail feathers are plainly visible. Their vocalizations are becoming heartier and lower in pitch.

At 12:30, Astrid had been on the steeple and Ares had been out of view for quite a while. He came into the canyon with prey and landed on a window ledge west of the nest box. Astrid met him there and took the food. She went over to the box and did a marathon feeding. The prey was likely a Pigeon, but we never got a great look at it and it was partially disassembled when it came in. The nestlings were pretty orderly about the meal. They began in the corner and then each one returned to the corner once they were full. The next in line would then move up to get their share. The chicks had a long snooze after the meal and Astrid and Ares took their break on the State Building. They stayed in place until close to 2 PM. Ares did a chick-check shortly after that. Astrid checked on them at 4:03 and then came back with food. It looked like it was leftovers from the prior meal. There was some tug-o-war and some other less than polite behavior associated with this feeding. Ares brought more food at 4:40. Astrid came and conducted the feeding. The chicks were getting fed in a different part of the box for just about every meal today. This time they were backed up to the whitewash camera. The view from that camera is chick-head level, so watching the video was kind of like being one of nestlings. At one point, one of the chicks (we think it was # 2) got behind Astrid and couldn’t resist biting her tail as it went up and down so tantalizingly. We couldn’t see the prey well enough to hazard a guess as to what it was, but it must have had some bulk to last as long as it did.

 

From 5 PM to 7:30, the chicks were crashed out around the box. Astrid and Ares were also not doing much; most of the time they were on the State Building. Just before 7:30, the nestlings started stretching, moving around and vocalizing. Next, Ares was up. He stopped at Hotel Utica and then came over to the box. The chicks squealed for a little while and then settled down. Ares stayed on the long perch and preened. A little later on, Astrid assumed the long perch and Ares was over on the State Building. We were surprised that there was no evening feeding. Perhaps more feedings are in store for the overnight session. We shall see.

Utica Peregrine Falcon Update for May 25, 2018 –

Astrid spent nearly the entire night on the perch at the nest box. As far as we know there was no attempt at an overnight feeding until 3:50, when Ares brought food to the box. When Astrid reached out to take it, it fell and Ares went after it. We didn’t see the prey on the sidewalk or in the road, so we assumed Ares got it, but if he did, he didn’t come right back with it. Astrid had gone right over to the steeple. At 4:02, Ares brought something small over to the box; was it the same prey? Astrid took it and fed the chicks. At 5:35, she was feeding the chicks again, but no new food had arrived, so she must have been feeding out scraps in the box.

At 8 AM, there was a feeding in progress. We weren’t sure if Ares brought prey in or if Astrid did, but it was her handling  the feeding. It was a small meal and it didn’t spread very far. At 8:40, both parents were perched close to the box – Ares on the long perch and Astrid on the east veranda. It wasn’t clear whether they were being especially protective for some reason. At one point, Ares hopped into the box proper, but then was greeted by squealing, hungry chicks. He bailed out. At 9:24, both parents came to the box with food. Astrid was doing the actual feeding and Ares was standing behind her – I guess waiting his turn. As he waited he took little bites of the meal. He then went out onto the cross-perch and at that point, he just seemed to be eating the thing himself. Finally he jumped into the box again and started feeding one of the chicks while Astrid was busy with the other two. He got a few bits of food into the nestling before Astrid commandeered his vittles.

At 11:23, Ares brought a bat to the box. Astrid took it and fed it out to the chicks. For the next several hours, the parents were very active – not staying on any perch for long. Weather conditions were perfect for their favorite type of flying. It was sunny and windy. I think Astrid had her heart set on getting a Pigeon, but was having difficulty. At 12:06, the pair went over to the ledge at Hotel Utica to sunbathe. Astrid really got into it. She stretched out her wings and lay flat as a pancake. Ares didn’t take part for long and he came screeching up to the nest box at 12:09. Soon after that he made a dramatic pass by our PTZ camera. He was following Astrid at the time. By then she had finished sunning herself and was back to hunting.  At 12:46, we thought we heard a falcon giving the cackle alarm call. It was one of the chicks – and a very convincing rendition it was! Ares brought a live bat to the box at 1 PM. Astrid took it, but didn’t quite know what to do with it. Fortunately, she dispatched it fairly quickly and then she fed it to the chicks. Less than ten minutes later he came back with another bat! Were they on special today? Seriously though, where is he getting bats this early in the afternoon on a bright sunny day? At 1:15, Astrid got mad about people in offices getting too close to their windows and she hazed the building for a short while.

For the most part, the parents were leaving the chicks on their own to deal with the heat, but Ares did stop by a couple of times to do some shading. The next feeding took place at 4:55. Ares brought the prey and Astrid conducted the feeding. We need to review the video to determine what species of bird it was. All we know now is that it wasn’t another bat. The parents remained very active through early evening. They were very difficult to keep track of with our cameras.  They were occasionally doing very short chick-checks, but otherwise, they were having little to do with the nest. The next feeding took place at 7:07. Ares brought in what looked to be a cuckoo. Astrid took it from him and began a feeding. Astrid finally came to the next box perch at 9:10 and appeared to be set for the night. That was until 10:20, when she decided to go over to the steeple. A few minutes later it seemed like she was perusing prey. Ares was visible at the same time on the State Building. She came back to the box at 10:28, and began feeding the chicks. It seems that a falcon’s day is never done!