Author: Matt Perry

Update for Sunday, April 7, 2024

For several days now, Ares hasn’t brought Astrid any food tributes, which is typical during this stage of their breeding cycle. Consequently, Astrid faces a choice: either pilfer from Ares’ pantry ledges, likely settling for Woodcock, or go out hunting on her own. Today, she went with the latter choice and opted to snatch a Pigeon, devouring it at the hotel. Later, we believe there was a falcon intruder in the canyon. Ares dashed around downtown, pausing briefly on the east veranda before darting off again, while Astrid called out excitedly from the nest. It bore all the signs of the pair reacting to a Peregrine intruder, and likely a male, since Astrid didn’t feel compelled to intervene.

Update for Saturday, April 6, 2024

Around 8:30 AM, Ares appeared to embark on a clandestine mission. Just before that, he had been emitting squeaking calls while attending to his incubation duties. Astrid, who had been stationed at the State Building, promptly arrived to take over. Ares departed swiftly, reappearing several hours later – at 1:10 PM. By then, it seemed Astrid would have eagerly welcomed relief, yet she hesitated leaving. Ares, however, took matters into his own hands, quite literally, plowing her off the eggs. She protested with a series of “tu tu tu tu” vocalizations, a behavior reserved for moments of particular annoyance with Ares.

Update for Friday, April 5, 2024

The Falcons were tight on the eggs all day today. Their incubation switches were very businesslike and quick and, for the most part, neither protested when it came time to yield to the other. We observed no other breeding behavior or food exchanges, just Astrid and Ares putting up with the cold and blustery weather.

Update for Thursday, April 4, 2024

We didn’t really record any breeding behavior other than incubation, which some consider interesting in its own right. The Falcons did their first switch at 5:18 AM when Ares got a shift on the eggs. Their last switch of the day occurred at around 5:00 PM when Astrid took over on the nest.

Update for Wednesday, April 3, 2024

Today, Astrid and Ares continued their routine of sharing incubation duties. They were both quite pushy with each other – shoving each other off the eggs when they wanted their turn. During the last changeover of the day, when Astrid came to the crossperch to request her turn, she first asked to mate. Ares got off the nest and obliged and then she quickly took over on the eggs. One might wonder if this was a calculated maneuver on Astrid’s part to momentarily distract Ares and secure her turn with the clutch. The possibility certainly lingers.