Author: Matt Perry

 

Utica Peregrine Falcon Update for May 19, 2018 –

It wasn’t too chilly overnight, but it got colder later in the morning when the rain came. Astrid spent the night on the nest. There were three overnight feedings which occurred at 12:54, 1:44 and 2:00 AM. Ares brought the meals each time and Astrid conducted the feedings. Astrid left the nest just after 5:00, but then came back when Ares made a food delivery. She took the prey from him and did the feeding. Ares brought more food at 5:47. That time he jumped into the box with it and did a safe handoff to Astrid.  She took it and began to feed, but the young were stuffed already and showed little inclination to lift up their heads. She took the prey out and stored it instead. She came right back to the nest afterwards and remained there for some time – all the while brooding and guarding. As the rain started, Ares kept a low profile. He was located on the west face of the State Building – and so not in view of our cameras.  He finally came to the box at 10:00, but Astrid didn’t want to switch and so he flew off again. He later ended up on a ledge located west of the nest box. Astrid flew out of the nest at 10:54 and Ares walk/hopped over to the nest via the west veranda. He only had time to check out the chicks before Astrid returned. In a moment he was out again.

Astrid left the nest box at 11:20, and Ares came in to guard the nestlings. Astrid was seen flying around the State Building – we think she was checking the pantry. Evidently she found something and she was right back to the box with prey. Ares moved out of the way as she barreled in. The meal lasted about six minutes and, just when Astrid and the chicks were settling down, Ares came in with more food. Astrid grabbed it and did another feeding right on the heels of the last one. Following the meal she began brooding the chicks. It was windy, rainy and relatively cold – in other words, it was not a good falcon day. It was excellent that they had so many meals early on, since hunting would be difficult in these conditions. Astrid left the nest at 1:25. She landed on the north face of the State Building. We weren’t sure where Ares was at that time. At 1:44, Ares came to the box and then Astrid piled in right after him. She had a Black-billed Cuckoo in her talons – the first one of the season. Presumably Ares caught the cuckoo and passed it off to Astrid in the canyon somewhere. Astrid proceeded to do the feeding. At 1:56, she took the leftovers out and came right back to brood. By 3 PM, Ares hadn’t been seen for a while, but was heard calling at about 3:20. Fifteen minutes later Astrid was out and he was in the box guarding the chicks. At 3:38, Astrid flew in with food and started feeding her small assemblage of snowmen. We really noticed a difference in the behavior of the nestlings during this feeding. There was lots of vying, shoving, and grabbing. Ares monitored the chicks’ feeding from the perch, but after a few minutes he dove off into the canyon. After the meal Astrid left the box and Ares came back on nest duty. He was very wet around the head and neck and it almost looked like it was a different falcon brooding on the nest – one with a fancy white-streaked head. It was quite the look!

At 4:19, Astrid came back to the box with food. Apparently she had gotten the food from the hotel ledge. It was a portion of a Woodcock carcass that Astrid had abandoned there at least a week before. Today, with young begging and with hunting difficult, she deemed it appropriate to use. She took a chunk of it and fed it to the young. After that she did a long brooding stunt. Ares was out of view for quite a while in the early evening.  Astrid seemed to be waiting for him to come back into the canyon. At 6:09, she left the box and spent some time over at the State Building. She returned to the box and to brooding at 6:46. He showed up at the box at 7 PM. They were both there together for a minute and then she was out. He looked like he had his head feather blown dry since his last visit. The chicks were all activated and looking hungry. They pecked at their father’s bill while he straddled the egg. This was too much for him and he went out onto the cross-perch. Meanwhile Astrid was on the ledge at Hotel Utica. She had a big hunk of something – Pigeon or Mourning Dove, and hopefully not the old Woodcock. She brought it right over to the nest box and the feeding began. Ares departed as soon as she came in. She finished the feeding at about 7:15 – she left and Ares came back. He immediately started brooding the chicks; a much easier task now that their bellies are full. Astrid spent some time on the State Building and then returned to relieve Ares at 7:37 PM.

Utica Peregrine Falcon Update for May 18, 2018 –

It was a chilly night. Astrid spent the overnight hours at the nest brooding. There were three overnight feedings – one around midnight; one at 2:18 and one at 3:49 AM. At 5:27, Ares brought food to the box. He jumped right into the nest and passed to over to Astrid that time, which is the best way to insure delivery (recall yesterday’s dropped food). She took it and began a feeding. The falcons switched at 7:14, and Ares took over at the nest. Astrid came back to relieve him at 7:52. At 8:30, Ares left his perch on the State Building and five minutes later he brought food to the box. Astrid noisily took it and handled the feeding. When she finished, she did some brooding and some then standing out on the perch. As for Ares, he was spending some time on the State Building. He came to the box at 10:26, alternating between brooding and guarding. Astrid went over to Hotel Utica at 10:40, but wasn’t there long. Her next stop was the nest box. She was there brooding and guarding until 11:53, when she went to the steeple. At 12:04, Ares brought prey to the nest. Astrid took it from him and conducted a feeding. After the meal, the pair briefly perched on adjoining ledges on the State Building. It looked like Ares had prey and perhaps was feeding. A few minutes later they both were on the steeple.

At 12:23, Ares came over to the nest box. While he was on guard at the nest, she did some amazing flying around the State Building. The winds were strong and the skies clear – in other words, perfect conditions for Peregrines. She flew mostly in front of the building’s west face, but she also orbited the entire structure a few times. At one point, she darted off towards the north. Ares stayed at the box and surprisingly, he wasn’t vocalizing as she swooped about. Usually whenever she makes a move, he punctuates it with a chirp or two. At 12:48, Ares leaped over to the eat veranda. He explored there for a short time and then flew off. At 12:53, both falcons flew in together from the north. Ares came to the box and Astrid disappeared around the back of the State Building. She then barreled into the box with prey in her talons. Ares departed as she began to pluck the food and then feed the chicks. And then, only a few minutes into the feeding she abruptly took off with food in hand. She went over to the State Building for a few minutes and then disappeared from our camera view. Ares came back to the box, but was in and out for the next half-hour. At 1:00 PM, Astrid had flown off somewhere. Ares had been on the steeple, but came over to do a shift at the box. At 1:38, he gave a screech call, and a minute after that he gave a cackle alarm call, but he really didn’t seem all that disturbed. He was probably letting a passing raptor or Turkey Vulture know that the territory was defended. At 1:54, Astrid blasted back into the canyon. She had prey in her talons. It was a whole pigeon and she must have freshly caught it. For the next twelve minutes the three chicks got stuffed with food and then Astrid took the leftovers out and stored them on the west side of the State Building.

At 2:11, Ares was back at the box with the chicks and Astrid was on the steeple. By this point it was starting to get hot and uncomfortable in the box. Ares was doing a lot of shading by 3:00. Ten minutes later, the chicks were wandering around and not cooperating with their father. He began calling. Astrid came in a few minutes later at took over the shading job. The unruly chicks were all against the back wall. One was sleeping and one was preening. Incidentally, this was the first time one of this clutch has been seen preening. At 4:30, we noticed that the single unhatched egg may be broken. If the parents notice this they will probably shove it aside and not continue to brood it along with the chicks. Astrid left the box at 5 PM, and Ares left the State Building at the same time. He came over to the nest and she went over to the hotel ledge for a drink. When she was finished hanging around the puddle she flew over to the west face of the State Building, retrieved the Pigeon leftovers, and brought them to the box. Ares left and she began plucking the half-feast. All three chicks were crashed out in the back of the box. None of them even lifted their heads when she bounded in. As soon as she gave a loud chirp call, all three heads went up and beaks gaped. Two of them lumbered over to Astrid who was ripping pieces off the carcass, while the third chick stood in the shade in the far corner of the box. Five minutes into the feeding, the-left out chick made its way over to the chow-line and joined in. By all accounts it was a good feeding. Astrid took the diminished remains (all but one wing) away and stored it somewhere. Ares came over to the box, picked up the remaining wing and flew off with it. He probably stored that as well. At 5:25, Astrid returned to the box and began shading the nestlings.

At 6:43 Ares brought food to the box. Astrid grabbed it and then went directly over to the nestling in the far corner. She was feeding that one chick first. The other chick eventually made their way over – looking like a lumbering procession of mini-snowmen. All got some food and ended up with bulging crops. These guys did eat well today. Astird remained in the box – eventually moving out onto the long perch as night fell. Ares was last seen on the State Building at around 8:15.

Utica Peregrine Falcon Update for May 17, 2018 –

Astrid was with the brood all night as expected. Ares brought food at 12:37 AM and then at 2:48 – both times Astrid conducted the feeding. Astrid left the box at 5:20 and went over to the State Building. At that point Ares hadn’t been seen for a while. At 5:30, both falcons converged on the box. Ares had prey and Astrid was scrambling over the cross-perch to take it from him. They dropped the food during the transfer and it fell toward the pavement. Both parents went down after it. After a minute of not seeing either falcon, Astrid showed up at the box again. She didn’t have the prey. At 5:37, they were both together on Hotel Utica. Ares had apparently recovered the prey and he did a safe handoff to Astrid on the hotel’s wide ledge. Astrid took it over to the nest and proceeded to feed the chicks. Did Ares have to go all the way to the sidewalk or road to pick up the lost prey or did he catch it on the way down. We don’t know. At 5:51, the nestlings had stopped feeding; they were full. Astrid took the leftovers away and stored them. We noticed that during the feeding the smallest chick edged right in there between its siblings and made sure it got its share.

Ares had taken a perch on the steeple at 5:45, and he stayed there for quite a while; sometimes apparently snoozing. At just after nine o’clock, Ares flew into action again and likely was off hunting. At 9:17, Astrid left the box; Ares arrived on the long-perch and seemed prepared to take over nest duty, but then Astrid returned and he left. She brooded the clutch until about 9:21 and then she casually flew off. She flew out over Genesee Street and to the west face of the State Building. Of course that’s were Ares’ pantry is. She few up to a west face ledge, withdrew some food and then zipped back to the box. She then carried out a feeding. When she was finished with the feeding she went out onto the perch. Ares began screeching from his perch on the steeple. We weren’t sure why.

At 11:15, Ares brought prey up to the nest again, but this time he went over to the east veranda to do the handoff. Astrid met him over there, took the food and flew off with it. A minute later she came back to the nest and began feeding the chicks. Fifteen minutes after that, Astrid left the box and flew over to the State Building. Ares was on the steeple, but within a few minutes he screeched over to the box. Astrid took that opportunity to go over to Hotel Utica and lay herself flat on the wide ledge. Her feathers were stretched out and she was sunbathing. At noon Astrid had come back into the canyon. She got irritated when some nameless person looked out of an office window. She went over to the east veranda and just stared at the window for a while – just waiting for it to make a false move. By 12:20, both parents were on the State Building again. At 1 PM, Ares was on nest duty. He spent a little time brooding and more time standing on the lip of the box. At one point he explored the east veranda. It was proving to be a popular place today. At 1:30, it was Astrid who was on the east veranda and peering at the office window again. We weren’t sure when they switched places. A few minutes later, she was over on the steeple. For the next couple of hours, the parents were in and out quite a bit. They weren’t visiting the box as often either. As the afternoon progressed and the sun invaded more and more of the box’s interior, the chicks were having to move to shade on their own, and they were doing it. For the first time they were ambulatory in the box. They even went separate ways. The smallest chick moved to the near right corner and the other two were closer to the middle. Eventually one of the others moved to the near left corner.  Finally at 3:10, Astrid showed up on the steeple, but she didn’t fly right over to the nest. In fact she flew off in another direction entirely. However, Ares did come back to the nest. He didn’t stay; soon the pair was flying around the western part of the canyon. The sun was bright and the winds were perfect for free and effortless soaring.  At 4:11, both adults were at the box. Ares had prey and he passed it over to his mate. She took it and began a feeding session. By 4:30, Astrid had taken away the leftovers and stored them. She came back to the box and tried to shade the nestlings. They weren’t cooperating. The three were as far away from each other as they could be. Astrid picked up one of the chicks with her bill and put it down in a place where she could shade it properly. She then tried to move another by scuttling it along with her wing, but it wasn’t working well. For a while she was shading them in shifts. She’s start with one, tuck it beneath her, and then go over to the next one and do the same thing. It wasn’t graceful sight. It didn’t help that the chicks weren’t cooperating with the endeavor.

At 6:42, Ares flew into the canyon and he had prey in his talons. He landed on the west face of the State Building. She got excited when she saw him and began to call. Actually, she called a lot, but he wasn’t in any hurry to come over. Finally she flew out and buzzed by him on his perch and then came back to the box. He didn’t budge. He was plucking or possibly eating. Soon after he made his was over to the nest. Just like earlier, he went over to the east veranda for the food transfer. Astrid flew away with the food, circled the canyon and then came back to the box to conduct the feeding. First it was just the two near chicks that were being fed, but then the little one in the corner got itself up and walked over to its siblings. Soon all three were feeding. By 7:30, Astrid was in the box with the nestlings, but as it got later, she moved out onto the cross-perch. Ares was content to be perched on the north face of the State Building. He was tucked up in a corner and probably dozing. At 8:30, she made a couple of late tours of the canyon, each time returned to the long perch at the box. At 9:10, She came into the box and began brooding. Good night, falcons.

Utica Peregrine Falcon Update for May 16, 2018 –

The first feeding of the day began a couple of minutes before 4 AM. Only moments before, Ares had been perched on the State Building, so it’s likely the food he brought came from his pantry. The falcons switched at 6:24 and Ares took over on the nest. He had one look at the chicks and then went out on the cross perch. Sometimes it seems he doesn’t quite know what to make of them. He likes to feed them, but just hanging around with them is awkward. At 7:15, he was off the hook; Astrid returned and she took over brooding duty. Ares screeched through the canyon at 7:38; he had prey in his talons and he brought it right to the box. Astrid took it and conducted a feeding. Another food drop and feeding took place at 8:10. Astrid went back to brooding after the meal was done. At 10:18, chirping calls were heard in the canyon. Astrid became very alert and started rapidly looking around. Ares arrived at the box with more prey. She took it and fed the nestlings. They were eating very well today. By 11:26, temperatures were in the 70’s and it was warm enough to leave the chicks alone in the nest. Astrid went over to perch on the State Building. We weren’t sure of Ares whereabouts at that time. At noon, she came over and did a quick “chick-check” at the box. Ares came back into the fold at 12:30, at which time both parents were perched on the State Building.

Ares screeched to the box at 12:40. We weren’t sure what that was all about, but shortly after, both parents were out of view. Astrid came to the box at 12:47 and two minutes later, she was gone and Ares was at the box. By 1:30, Astrid was brooding the clutch again. Fifteen minutes later, Ares arrived with lunch. As per usual, Astrid served it out. At a little after 2 PM, Ares was on duty at the box. Both adults converged at the nest at 3:20, but then Ares left. By this point the sun was flooding into the box and shading the chicks became a priority. At 5:20, Astrid was out and Ares was in. After a little while, he did some effective shading.  He’s getting the hang of it. She took over at the nest at 5:33. Evidently he was out hunting – perhaps at the Utica Marsh. He returned at 6:05, with a Spotted Sandpiper (perhaps the first one of that species we’ve known Ares to catch). It was a pretty large meal, but the smallest chick saw little of it. It pays to stand in the front when you’re shorter! After the feeding, both parents were out of the nest for a while. Ares did a quick chick-check at 6:30. Six minutes later he screeched back up to the box and proceeded to do some more quality brooding. Astrid did some fancy flying around the State Building – she rose and dove and executed some quick maneuvers. She came to the box and loudly chirped at Ares upon her arrival. He gingerly stepped over the nestlings and took his leave. Now what was that all about? While Astrid hung around the box – did some brooding, some preening on the cross-perch and some digging in the corners, Ares spent a little time on the steeple perch. While he was there he coughed up a pellet. By 8:10, he had flown and we’re not sure where he went. Astrid spent much of the evening out on the cross-perch. She came back in to brood at 8:50.

Utica Peregrine Falcon Update for May 15, 2018 –

It was relatively warm overnight. Light rain in the early morning gave way to some showers by mid-morning. Temperatures were in the 60’ but Temperatures rose into the 70”s by days end.

Probably the rarest feeding time for the Utica falcons has been in the hours between 9 PM and midnight. I think there was only one feeding in that time frame last year. As for this season – we had one the other day and then last night at 10:45, Ares brought food to the box. As it turned out Astrid didn’t accept it, but it’s interesting that they’re even considering feeding at that hour. As it was that particular feeding was only postponed until 12:27. Ares brought food again at 1:45. While Astrid was engaged in that feeding, he came back with more prey. He hopped into the box and stood next to the brood. The chicks were between Astrid and him, but the chicks’ attention was firmly focused on their mother as she chirped and doled out bits of meat. All Ares could do was to hold a strip of meat to the back of their heads, which was not very satisfying for him. When she finished feeding out the first meal, Astrid came over and took the prey Ares was still holding. At that point he decided to leave. Another feeding took place at 3:17. That’s all pretty amazing since there were no feedings at all the night before. After sunrise, the falcon parents began providing intermittent coverage only to the nest and young. They apparently decided that the chicks are relatively safe just are and that the chilly air and winds are not a a concern.

At 7:15, Ares brought prey to the box. Astrid scampered over the cross perch to take it from him. She awkwardly grabbed it and then jumped back into the box to do the feeding. When she was done, she stayed in the box with the chicks for a while. Like yesterday, she did some digging in the corner. She’s still searching for the treasure. Rain came by mid-morning and so did another a meal, At 10:23, Ares brought prey to the box, Astrid grabbed it from him and got right into a feeding. Following the meal and the rain shower, the parents were very active in the canyon – changing perches often and even diving after prey. At 12:17, Ares brought a starling to the box. Astrid took it, plucked it for a little while and then tried to coax the chicks to have some. They were pretty uninterested. One put up its head and unenthusiastically gapped its bill, but that wasn’t enough for Astrid; she flew off with the prey and put it into storage somewhere. After that the parents spent time on the State Building and on the steeple. Ares came back to the box at 1:20. He did some brooding, some walking around, and then some more brooding. He seemed to be getting much better at the brooding thing.

At 1:42, Ares gave a harsh cackle call. It seemed to be in response to a Turkey Vulture flying high overhead. Neither parent left their posts. At 1:48, he left the box swiftly and without a sound. It was another intruder! And this time it was a falcon. Our pair chased after it and all three soon rose out of our camera’s field of view. The stranger looked to be bigger than Ares so it probably was a female Peregrine – and therefore Astrid’s problem to deal with. Ares soon came back to the box while Astrid was presumably ushering the other falcon out of the territory. At 1:54, Astrid returned. She came to the box and relieved Ares. He then flew through the canyon and out of view. Was he taking over the pursuit? Probably not. At 2 PM he reappeared on the State Building. Astrid came to the box about 15 minutes later and started brooding the chicks. It was raining and overcast. By 3:40, the chicks were alone again and both parents were watching the box from their respective perches on the State Building. At 4:00, Ares pulled some food out from somewhere and gave it to Astrid at the box – or more like she tugged it away from him.  Next up was a feeding session that lasted about 12 minutes. Astrid took the leftovers away and then afterwards returned to the nest. Ares was on the steeple at that point. At 4:41, she displaced him on his perch and he came up to the box. Only a minute later they carried out another switch; and then she was at the box and he was on the steeple again.  Ares brought more food to the box at 5:45 and Astrid carried out the feeding. All three chicks were packed until their little crops were bulging. After the meal Astrid shaded the nestlings from the sun (now making a late day appearance). Ares was on the State Building. At 5:53, Astrid began giving loud cackle alarm calls from the box. Ares was still on his perch and neither falcon was taking flight. Nothing was seen on camera. A couple of minutes later she did leave, but she was swooping around in the canyon. There didn’t seem to be an intruder this time. She must have become upset by people in a window or on a roof. We saw nothing. She returned to the box three times and each time she repeated her alarm call. Ares still remained in place on the State Building. By 6:05, she had calmed down and was back in the nest. Ten minutes later she had flown off and Ares took over at the box. We next located her on Hotel Utica. She looked like she had been drinking from a puddle on the ledge, but then she had flown off. We didn’t see her again until 7:10. She was on the steeple. Five minutes later she relieved Ares at the box. He went over to the State Building. At 7:50, he stopped back at the nest with a very small piece of food. Astrid took it and dolled it out quickly. They were probably settled for the night at that point, but then again, we never know for sure.