Author: Matt Perry

We had a colder start to the day than usual. Temperatures were only in the mid 20’s, although the persistent wind made it seem colder. Indeed, the winds increased as the day went on. The falcons weren’t seen super early this morning. Both showed up at the box together at 6 o’clock sharp. Ares had a small food tribute for Astrid and she took it without any fanfare. Both falcons were in and out of view after that; Astrid was mostly out of view. At 8:10, Ares was seen feeding on something on the hotel ledge. By 8:30, the pair had a rendezvous at the nest for a ledge display. After Ares left the box, Astrid spent a few minutes sitting in Ares’ mega scrape – perhaps trying it out for size. At 9:10, the falcons mated on the State Building. Only five minutes later he was at the box with prey. We think he ended up storing that food, but we couldn’t be sure of that. Regardless, following a short interlude he came back to the box without it. After that, the falcons were out of view for the better part of two hours. They were back at 11:15 AM. Ares stayed at the box until noon and only left when he saw Astrid fly off. He likes to keep especially good tabs on her during this stage in the breeding process. When she flies, he gives squeaking calls, and when she goes out of his view, he follows after her. He is a hyper dedicated mate. When Astrid left her perch we saw her soar very slowly in front of the west face of the State Building. She then rose out of camera view. Ares made course for her and soon he was out of our camera view as well. Fifteen minutes later, he was back at the box. She flew in and took a perch on the State Building again. At 12:30, Ares flew across the canyon to her building; he slowly rose in elevation until he was above her. He then came floated down and tried to mate, but the angle was wrong or she wasn’t ready. Regardless, the mating was aborted and he flew back to the nest. At 12:50, he got a meal out of storage and brought it right to her ledge. Now that is service!

At 1:40 PM, the falcon pair came to the box twice in a row. They were calling and very animated. We never figured out the reason for their excitement. Was there an intruder in the canyon? Within twenty minutes, they had mated again on the State Building. Deb said that Ares was fluttering like a butterfly during the act. Forty minutes later, they mated again in the same location – and again at four o’clock! Meanwhile the wind gusts were incredibly strong and temperatures were in the twenties. At 4:30, Ares brought a food tribute up to the ledge near where Astrid was perched on the State Building. She flew over to him and, after a tugging match, she prevailed. He flew off and she ate her gift right there on the ledge. Ares was out of view for a while after that. He made a suitably dramatic (screeching) return to the box at 5:45. Twenty minutes later, he flew from the box, made some nice and leisurely maneuvers in the canyon (in spite of the howling wind) and then arced upward toward Astrid. Yes, they mated for a fifth time – and it’s perfectly conceivable that we missed a few. Ares took a perch only a few window ledges down from Astrid; even as the snow squall intensified in the canyon. When he left at 6:25, Astrid was still in place. We are not sure if she is being so sedentary this afternoon because she’s close to laying her first egg, or is it due to the weather? Time will tell. At 6:35, Ares came to the box with prey. Astrid came right over this time and quickly snatched it away. She flew back over to the State Building and had her dinner. Ares left right after she took her food and he probably went off to a night perch.

 

Thursday started out chilly with light snow falling. The wind had already kicked in and the temperature remained at or close to the freezing point. By the afternoon the sun was out, but it stayed chilly and the winds never ebbed. Astrid and Ares arrived together at the nest box at 4:48 AM and performed a long ledge display. Like other recent dances, this one was characterized by a comparatively slight amount of movement by both participants. Also, as has been the trend, beaking took place toward the end. Astrid remained at the box after Ares left. She did some calling and at least a couple of scrapes. One scrape was on the opposite side of the box from Ares’ mega scrape. At around 6:50, they had switched; Ares was at the box and Astrid was on the State Building. At 7:50, Astrid had just left the Hotel and landed on the roof of the State Building. Ares joined her there and the two preformed a short ledge display up there. Although we had previously seen the pair perform ledge displays in other locations, that was the first time we had seen them do one up there on top of the world. Forty minutes later, Ares brought prey to the box and Astrid came and grabbed it. She took it over to the snowy ledge of the hotel to eat. It was hard to tell what she was feeding on since it was hidden by the snow. Both were on the State Building for a while after that. At 11:07, it was Ares turn to be feed on the hotel. He was gripping the food right up against a snow drift, so we could see a little of it. It didn’t appear to be the same thing Astrid had been feeding on earlier. At 11:50, the pair mated on the State Building.

Early afternoon was fairly active. Ares did some screeching in the box. At 1:30, the pair mated again on the State Building. Fifteen minutes later, Ares became upset by something. His cackle alarm calls were heard, but no one saw what the cause was. Was there an intruder? Could it have been another Peregrine? For about 15 minutes the pair was unaccounted for, but soon enough things were back to the status quo, with Ares at the nest box alternating between giving his long screeching calls and working on his scrape. The next notable action occurred at 4:30, when Ares arrived at the box with fresh prey. Astrid was across the canyon on the State Building, but would not come over to take the tribute. Ares tried to entice her over by flying by her perch with the prey in his talons, but Astrid still wasn’t biting. Soon Ares was back at the box, but without the food. Presumably he had stored it. At 5:15, Ares did some nice flybys of the State Building. He was kiting and soaring on the strong winds. It probably was for Astrid’s benefit, but it didn’t seem like a conventional flight display. Ares spend a lot of time at the nest box after that and Astrid remained on her perch on the State Building. As early as it is in the season, it’s possible that she’s gearing up to lay her first egg. We hope she holds off for a while, but that’s not something no one can control, not even Astrid. At 5:45, both falcons left their perches and sailed into the canyon. We thought that that would be the last we saw of them for the day, but then at 6:30, Astrid was spotted on the hotel ledge eating a Pigeon. Later on she went over to a ledge on the north face of the State Building. Ares landed on the roof of the same building at about 7:10 and then he made one last visit to the box 15 minutes later. This was around the times the crows were passing by the canyon and retiring to their own night roosts. That turned out to be the final falcon sighting of the day.

The snow spigot never quite shut off today and it definitely had a cooling effect on the falcon’s activities. Temperatures stayed in the low thirties, but the winds really picked up by afternoon. Ares made his morning depute on the State Building at around 4:50 AM. He didn’t show up at the nest box until 6:25. He came and left a few more times in the subsequent half-hour. Astrid made her first appearance at the nest at 7:15. An hour later, the pair shared a ledge display at the box. They did some intense beaking, but not much fancy footwork. Astrid left when only five minutes into it. The pair mated on the State Building at 9 o’clock.

At 10:26, Astrid dove from her perch on the State Building. She was probably going after prey, but didn’t secure anything. Five minutes later the falcons were seen sailing on the wind just east of the State Building. A third bird that appeared to be with them was most likely only a passing crow. Afterwards, Astrid and Ares were both perched on high ledges on the north face of the State Building. At just before noon, Ares was back at the box. He was alternating between calling and making scrapes in the usual place on the floor of the box. At one point he calmed down and appeared to nod off, but soon was chirping again and preening. Deb said that he was “sleep chirping”. Through much of the afternoon, Ares was out of view for long periods, while Astrid mostly remained perched on the State Building. We presumed he was trying to hunt, but we never did see him with prey, nor was any food transfer confirmed between him and his mate. At 3:30, Ares was back in canyon again and there was a failed mating attempt. At just before 4:30, both falcons showed up at the nest box, but Astrid didn’t stay. Forty five minutes later there may have been a mating attempt on the State Building. We couldn’t be sure since the camera lens was obscured by an ill-placed chunk of ice. Speaking of which, many of our camera views were obscured today due to ice buildups on the lens covers.

Shortly after, Ares did some fancy flying in front of the East and North sides of the State Building. This may or may not have been a flight display, although he did appear to buzz by Astrid at one point. Ares was next seen at the nest box at 6 PM. Astrid came to the box too, but not until ten minutes after he left. When she departed she simply spread out her wings and allowed the wind to yank her airborne.  Although they can do without the snow, these birds truly thrive on high winds. For them it’s a free ticket to fly. We never did see the falcons with prey today and we assume that’s due to the weather and the lack of active prey. Hopefully, tomorrow will be an easier day for them and for all of us for that matter!

 

Snow fell through most of the day today and temperatures remained in the 30’s. Both falcons arrived at the nest box together at 5 AM, at which time they shared a ledge display. Fifteen minutes later the mated at the box. It seemed that, despite the weather, the falcons were going to have an active day. After coming and going a few times, at 8:05, Ares left the box on an apparent hunting run. He came back to the nest a half-hour later with prey. It appeared to be a plucked starling. Without missing a beat, Astrid flew over and grabbed the prey from Ares using her trademark “Grab-n-go” method. She took it back to the State Building where she polished it off in short order. After meticulously cleaning his feet, talons and beak, Ares opened his wings and floated off on the strong winds. He was out of our view for a while, but then reappeared on the Sate Building at 10:00.

At 11:10, both falcons converged at the nest box; their conversation ended abruptly when Astrid was distracted by an intruder in the canyon. She immediately set out after it – heading west past the steeple and then north. Ares initially remained at the box, but then flew over to the north face of the State Building. He wasn’t getting involved in the chase. We didn’t get a good look at the intruder, but it was likely another Peregrine Falcon, and since Astrid was the pursuer, it was probably a female.  We didn’t see Astrid again until 12:35, when she had a rendezvous with Ares at the box. We thought that maybe they would mate or share a ledge display, but she didn’t remain for more than a few seconds and instead  opted to perch on the State Building. At 12:55, the pair mated on there. At 1:40 PM, there was another very speedy food transfer at the box. It was an – if you blinked, you missed it, kind of thing. Throughout the afternoon, the falcons were spending a lot of time on the State Building and in view of the nest box. For the most part it was Ares was that made short visits to the box, but at 3:50, it was Astrid’s turn. She spent about 5 minutes on the cross perch. Right after she left, Ares hopped into the box, did some chirping calls, and made a scrape or two in his trench. At 5:00, we found Ares on the ledge of the hotel. He was plucking prey. When he was done, he flew over to the next box with it. Astrid came over and snatched it away (he didn’t seem to want to let go this time); she took it back to the Hotel to eat. Both falcons spent a little time on the State Building after that. At 6 PM, Ares was back at the nest with a small hunk of prey. This time, he stood on the lip of the box and ate it all himself. By 6:10, Astrid had retired for the night and Ares was gone shortly after.

The day began mostly overcast and chilly, with temperatures in the mid-twenties. As the morning progressed the mercury came up by about ten degrees. It made for quite the heat wave. The falcons had a very early start this morning. In fact, they were engaged in a ledge display at the box at 4:30 AM. After Ares departed, Astrid remained in the box for quite a while. She spent some of that time on Ares’ mega-scrape. Seeing her there made us wonder just how soon she’s going to lay the first egg of the season. Most likely, she is still at least one week away, and even that would constitute a record early egg-date for this pair. She left the box at 6:30, and Ares flew at the same time. A half-hour later, the pair seemed to be in full hunting mode. One of them was perched on the roof of the State Building, which is a favorite perch for hunting their quarry. Ares returned at 7:20, and was seen plucking prey on a window ledge located west of the nest. Some of the feathers he cast to the air floated up above the building. He brought the prey to the box about 15 minutes later. Poor guy, he was chirping and screeching for Astrid to come and take it, but she was”falona non grata”. He screeched off into the canyon with it and then returned, but still, Astrid was nowhere to be seen. Finally, he gave up. He probably stored the meal and then flew over to Hotel ledge. From there he resumed hunting or perhaps he was looking for Astrid; we couldn’t tell which. At 9:10, Ares was again on a window ledge near the nest box and he was plucking prey; different prey! Didn’t we just see this show? He screeched over to the box with it and then started calling for Astrid, but she still wasn’t coming. Between squeak calls, Ares nibbled on the meal. It was noticeably smaller the next time he returned with it. And then at 9:30, he came to the box without it. He consoled himself by working on his epic scrape.

At 10 AM, neither falcon had been visible in the canyon for about a half hour or so, and then Ares was suddenly back in the box with a hunk of prey. He was highly excited and the reason for his frenzy flew by the box twice and then landed just west of the west veranda. It was Astrid, and this time she seemed keen to take his gift. After a few minutes she loped across the veranda and met Ares at the corner of nest box.  She unceremoniously grabbed the food and disappeared with it. Ares seemed satisfied with his accomplishment, but only for about three minutes; then he was back to chirping and lobbying for her to come back. Fifteen minutes later, he was out on the perch preening; she flew by once more and then came right into the box and plunked down onto his scrape. He was chirping like mad. To Ares this was the best thing in the universe – and now if she could only make some eggs.

By 11 o’clock, she was perched on the State Building and he was right there in the box. It was a grooming/loafing session that lasted nearly an hour and one half. Ares showed up at the box again at 1 PM, and for the next two hours he was in and out quite a bit. At 3:10, he was at the box and very excited. Astrid arrived and took a place on the cross perch. It seemed like she was asking to mate, but he was holding out for a ledge display. She came into the box and the pair shared a long, fairly subdued dance. Immediately afterwards, Ares dove out of the box and Astrid did some scrape work in Ares’ chasm. In a minute, Ares was back with a food offering. It looked to be most of a Mourning Dove, but it was hard to say for sure. She grabbed the food from inside the box and left. Once again, we couldn’t find her feeding place. At close to 4 PM, Ares was back at the box and Astrid was up on the State Building. An hour later, the pair mated on the State Building. Shortly afterwards they both abruptly took off and flew westward. There was a Turkey Vulture flying in that direction, but the falcons weren’t bothering it. We didn’t know where they were. At 6:00, Ares was back with more prey. Astrid didn’t respond to his calls so he went off and presumably stored the meal. Ten minutes later, Astrid was at the box. Ares returned (without the prey) and jumped into the box while Astrid stayed on the cross perch. She was asking to mate and within a few minutes, they did just that. At 7 PM, we thought the show was over for the day and we were closing up our notebooks and rolling up our metaphorically recording cables when suddenly Ares showed up at the box again.  He was bowing and calling loudly as if he saw his mate and sure enough, there she was. She perched on the cross perch and they both vocalized for a while. She did seem distracted. Lots of American Crows were passing through the canyon and that may have been the cause. The pair was calling back and forth quite a bit, but neither seemed like they were asking the other to dance or to mate. At 7:16, the pair was up and apparently off to their secret night perches. Good night, falcons!