Author: Matt Perry

Utica Peregrine Falcons Update for Friday, June 9^th, 2023

It was cool overnight with temperatures just below 50 degrees. There were rain showers off and on through the morning and afternoon. The high temperature was only 61 degrees. Astrid spent most of the night in the vicinity of the nest. She was primarily on a window ledge east of the nestbox. There were no overnight feedings. Astrid was giving some of her trademark donkey calls at 4:49 AM. That was because Ares had just landed on the State Building. At 5:19 he brought food to the box. It was stolen by Niles and absconded with to the corner. Astrid had come to the crossperch to take it but she was too late. She made attempts to get it but whenever she hopped into the box Amelia rushed her and she had to retreat to the crossperch. At 5:30 the nestlings were doing a lot of wing flapping. Nile also moved his ill-gotten goods to the opposite back corner of the box. At 5:36 Ares was on the State Building and Astrid was on the steeple. In the box Amelia had found the abandoned food and was picking at it. At 6:03 Ares screeched to the nest with more prey. Astrid took it on the crossperch and then hopped into the box to do a feeding. Predictably, she started off by feeding Niles who is very insistent. About five minutes into the meal Niles walked away and Astrid began feeding Amelia. Several minutes later Astrid left with the leftovers. She was back on the steeple soon after that. At 7:48 Ares came to the nest with more prey. Astrid took it on the crossperch and hopped into the nest. Niles immediately tried to steal it. It was a tugging match, but Astrid prevailed, and she started feeding both nestlings. At 8:48 Astrid was up on the roof of the nest box. She started cackling shortly after that. At 9:10 another feeding was underway. We weren’t sure where it came from, but Astrid was in charge. And 9:44 Astrid was cackling. A couple of minutes later she was on the west veranda and then from there up to the roof of the nest box. Ares remained unperturbed on his State Building perch. At 11:28 Ares landed on the steeple. He was soaked. He must have taken a bath somewhere. A short time after that Astrid landed on another steeple perch. She looked wet too but not quite like she had just swam the Channel like Ares. They both sat preening for a while.

At 12:13 PM Astrid came to the crossperch. Two minutes later Ares arrived at the long perch. He and Astrid gave some cackle calls. We don’t think it was because of activity in the offices this time. Instead, we think it was a hawk or some Turkey Vultures flying over. At 12:21 Ares had moved to the east veranda. Astrid was back up on the roof of the nestbox. Meanwhile Niles and Amelia were reclined in the middle of the box. Niles, once again, was resting with his bill on the lip of the box so he could look out into the canyon. At 12:30 PM Ares was up and Astrid had started cackling. She did not cackle for long though. By 12:57 it was raining downtown once again. Astrid was on the long perch. She flew off five minutes later. At 3:18 Astrid was in the box with prey – we think a Pigeon. She began by feeding Niles for about several minutes straight. Amelia started off seemingly uninterested and against the backwall, to being increasingly interested and walking up along side Niles. By 3:41 both nestling had walked away from the meal. Astrid went on for a couple of minutes longer – getting every last bite. After the meal the nestlings were highly active in the box – flapping their wings, strutting around, interacting, and notably, beating up our whitewash camera. Amelia kicked in a few times and bit at it. At 4:04 Astrid landed on the east veranda but did not stay there very long. She did return to it forty minutes later. At 5:25 Ares brought prey to the lip of the box. Niles grabbed it from him and took it to the back corner of the nest. Astrid arrived but was too late to prevent the theft. Her third attempt to recover it was successful and she was able to start a feeding. This time Amelia was first in line to be fed. The meal was over after five minutes. There were no more feeding for the rest of the evening. Ares was hunting from the lookout and made a few forays out after prey, but never brought anything else back to the nest. Astrid also tried for a few targets, but seemed to be unsuccessful. She perched on the hotel for a while looking out for Pigeons. After that she was on the State Building for a while. The nestlings were, for the most part, settled down by 8:15 PM. Goodnight all.

Utica Peregrine Falcons Update for Thursday, June 8^th, 2023

The overnight was cool with some rain showers. The low temperature was in the mid 50s. After Daybreak there were some lingering showers. The temperature at midday was close to 60 degrees. Astrid spent most of the night around the nest area. There were no overnight feedings. At 5:00 AM Ares was on the State Office Building and Astrid was not in view. At 5:28 Ares visited the nest and got the nestlings calling and activated. Ares then flew over to his lookout post on the roof of the State Building. At 5:52 Astrid was on the steeple. The nestlings must have seen her land there because they began squealing. At 6:05 Ares brought a small prey item to the east veranda. Astrid took it, flew away, came back to the box, and hopped inside. Niles grabbed the food away from her and brought it to the corner. Astrid dove into the box to get it back. That time she did recover it and then set about feeding Niles. Initially Amelia did not seem interested in vying for the food. But after a few minutes she did start to contend. Meanwhile, Ares went back up to his lookout post and back to hunting. The meal was over at 6:15 and Astrid hopped out onto the crossperch. The nestlings did some interacting, including some beaking behavior. At 6:46 Astrid was feeding out another meal. We aren’t sure where it came from. She fed Niles for a few minutes before flying away with the scraps. The nestlings seemed to lose interest in the meal before it was over. After Astrid left there was lots of wing flapping taking place inside the box. At 7:08 Astrid was on the steeple and Ares, still on the lookout post. At 7:43 Ares brought more prey to the nest. Astrid took it, flew away, came back, and started a feeding. Once again Niles was the first in line to be fed. It was clear that Amelia wasn’t even trying to be fed this time. Astrid left the box at 7:52. Both adults were on the State Building for a while. Astrid was not yet obsessing about the office, but everyone knew that wouldn’t last. Sure enough, at 8:15 when people were arriving in the offices that is when Astrid started flipping out. At 9:42 Astrid was cackling with abandon. The nestlings squealed in response to their irate mother. At 10:57 we heard Ares give a few long calls. The nestlings began squealing again, Astrid was cackling, everyone was sounding off. At 11:33 Ares brought more food. Niles grabbed it and went to the back corner of the box. Astrid was quick to arrive but there was nothing for her to feed anyone. She tried to plunge into the back of the box to recover the lost food, but Amelia rushed her and sent her back to the crossperch. Perhaps more significant than Niles stealing the food and getting away with it was the fact he was actually eating it. At 11:45 Astrid was back to the roof of the nest box. That got the nestlings very excited, and they began squealing. Astrid was cackling on and off and making dramatic departures and arrivals. Hearing her plunk down on the roof of the nest box is always very distinctive.

At 12:46 PM Astrid was on the steeple and Ares was on the State Building. Astrid then came to the nestbox and found the food that Niles had stolen earlier. She then started feeding both nestlings. The meal lasted about 5 minutes. At 1:13 Astrid was up on the roof of the box again. We thought she had moved passed that – but nope. Fifteen minutes later she was in the nest with prey – presumably from Ares. Niles was standing in front of Amelia effectively blocking her from getting anything for part of the meal. At 1:54 it was raining in the Canyon once again. Niles was reclined with his bill resting on the lip of the box and he was looking out into the canyon. At 2:36 Astrid left the steeple and was on the roof of the box cackle calling. Her outrage was short lived. At 2:46 Ares came to the east veranda with prey, she left took it, flew away, came back and started a feeding.  Amelia was first in line to be fed this time. Niles joined in eventually, but walked away before the meal was done. Afterwards Niles did some nice wing flapping. He’s starting to get the salt & pepper look his sister has had for a while. Astrid left after only a minute, and we’re not sure why. Did she leave with the food? At 4:44 Astrid was on the steeple. It was raining again, and Astrid looked particularly wet. Ares was on the crossperch for a while but then flew to the north face of the State Building. They stayed in place for a couple of hours while both nestlings were relined and looking out into the canyon. At 6:36 PM Astrid came into the box and found food on the floor. It must have been stolen by one of the nestlings sometime earlier (Niles!). After a tugging session with Niles, she proceeded to serve it out to both him and Amelia. The meal went for twelve minutes and before the end both nestlings had had enough and walked away. Following the meal Amelia did some wing flapping and both nestlings interacted with each other. At 7:41 PM Astrid came to the crossperch for a little while before going over to the steeple. Ares was on the State Building at that time. All seemed set for the night. Goodnight all.

Utica Peregrine Falcons Update for Wednesday, June 7^th, 2023

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ITzbo07lkf4

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=66IWNIT4G_U

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mptXiakQzR0

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Z94DuUKDB1U

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2w1ICiVsZ-4

It was cool again last night with lows in the mid 40’s. The sky continues to be hazy due to Canadian forest fires. The sunlight is noticeably dimmer because of it. The day’s high temperature was in the low 60’s. Astrid was close to the nest area for most of the night. There were no overnight feedings. We heard Ares give a long call at 4:50 AM. He was on the steeple shortly after that. Astrid was on the hotel at 5:00 obviously in hunting mode. She came to the box to check on the nestlings at 5:35. Ares was up on his lookout post at 5:42. Meanwhile, in the nest, Niles was flapping his wings and the nestlings were just generally restless. No doubt they were eager to have breakfast. At 6:03 Ares brought prey to the nest. Astrid took it and started a feeding. By 6:18 the meal was over and Astrid was out. Ares brought more prey at 6:30. Astrid grabbed the food and fed the nestlings. The meal was done and she was out after five minutes. At 6:50 Ares was back up on his lookout post – hunting again and Astrid was on the steeple – probably also hunting. At 7:41 Ares was back to the box with prey. Astrid took it and handled the feeding. It was a small meal and she served it out in only four minutes. By 8:15 Astrid was declaring war on the offices around the nestbox. She proceeded to cackle up a storm on and off for the next four hours. When Ares landed on the crossperch at 9:45 the nestlings got very excited and shrieked and squealed. Meanwhile Astrid, checked both verandas for better views of what was going on inside of the offices. Since they had been blocked she went back onto the roof of the nestbox to glare disapprovingly at that office window.   At 11:45 Astrid made a few quick stops on the crossperch – I guess just chick checks. She seemed to launch after prey after that. Most probably a Pigeon. At 11:54 Astrid was having another one Peregrine cackle-fest.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bkc3RvISFz8

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ghwkeQ9U52Q

At 12:04 Ares came to the nest with prey. Astrid broke away from her mania to take the food and do a feeding. Niles tried to grab it away from her, but she tugged it back. The nestlings fed in a fairly orderly way. The meal was over at 12:12 and Astrid was out. Amelia and Niles then did some wing flapping and interacting. By 12:18 Astrid was back on the roof of the nestbox. Astrid did a lot of complaining in the afternoon – lots of cackling and dashing back and forth in a state of outrage. The nestlings alternated between siestas and active periods of flapping and strutting around the box. At 3:47 Ares brought prey to the nest. Astrid took it and carried out a feeding. When it was done and Astrid was gone, the nestlings did a lot of flapping. Niles cocked his head while watching his sister do some good wing flapping. At one point the two got quite rambunctious and were thrashing at something on the floor of the box – maybe the egg. They then bit at the new nest cam. At 4:17 Astrid was back up on the roof of the nestbox but didn’t seem to be freaking out. Ares had been on the long perch for quite a while, but left when Astrid came down from the roof and to the box at 4:51. At 4:53 Ares got some food out of the pantry and brought it to the nest. Astrid grabbed it and did a feeding. At first only Niles seemed interested, but Amelia eventually joined in. The meal lasted over nine minutes and both nestlings seemed to get their fill.  At 5:14 Ares was on the steeple and Astrid was on the State Building. Twenty minutes later she was back on the roof of the nestbox. Apparently, she was expecting afterhours office workers. She stayed quiet so we don’t think she saw anyone. At 6:30 PM Ares was up on the lookout post – most likely watching fore prey. At 6:34 Ares brought something small to the nest. Astrid took it and served it to the nestlings. Ares was right back up on the lookout and hunting directly afterwards. Thirty minutes later he was plucking prey on the hotel. When he was done processing it, he brought it to the nest. Astrid came in just behind him, took the food and handled the feeding. By 7:15 PM it was raining. Astrid came to the long perch not long after and Ares was on the State Building. Both nestlings were for the most part settled down for the night. Goodnight falcons.

Utica Peregrine Falcons Update for Tuesday, June 6^th, 2023

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HiBPTF7AhfA

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6SJNIZMNltc

It was cool overnight with temperatures in the 50’s. A brief thunderstorm hit downtown at 3:30 AM. The day was breezy, hazy, and somewhat cool with a high temperature of 68 degrees. Smoke fire wildfires in Canada continue to compromise air quality and are responsible for the continuing haze. Both Astrid and Ares were visible on the State Building until quite late last evening. Astrid then was around the box area for most of the night. There were no overnight feedings. At 3:28 AM when a thunderstorm came through, Astrid hopped into the box to protect the nestlings. At 4:38 when the storm was well past, Niles started begging in Astrid’s face and she decided to leave. At 5:21 Ares came to the crossperch for a chick check. The nestlings went bonkers. They were hungry and they let him know it. At 5:30 he was up on the lookout post on the roof of the State Building – obviously looking for prey. An hour later he was to the nest with food. Astrid took it from him and carried out the meal. As usual, Nile was first in the chow line. Amelia came in to get her share a few minutes into the meal. Moments after that, Ares arrived with more food. He tried to do a feeding from the lip of the box while Astrid was feeding from the floor, but the chicks were only paying attention to Astrid. He soon gave up and flew out with his offering. At 6:51 Ares was back with the same prey he had earlier. This time Astrid took it and started serving it out. Niles was first to be fed, but Amelia was quicker to join in this time. At 8:05 Astrid was on the east veranda. She didn’t seem to be obsessing over the offices today, which was excellent. She did go onto the roof of the box a couple of times, but she seemed more chill today. Ares brought more prey at 9:30 AM. Astrid flew in right away to take it and got the feeding underway quickly. This time Amelia was right there and got her share from the start. Niles ended up walked away from the meal while it was still underway. At 10:01 Ares came to the nest for a chick check. He was in and then out. At 10:39 Astrid landed on the east veranda and the nestlings started squealing. At 11:00 Astrid was up on the roof of the nestbox. She was peering into the office window but nothing was getting her upset – thankfully! At 11:35 Ares came to the box. He picked up a scrap of food from the floor and tried to feed it to the nestlings and then he unceremoniously left. Less than a minute later Ares was back with most of a Black-billed Cuckoo. Astrid took it from him and did a feeding. Both nestlings seemed uninterested initially, and they walked away. Had they inherited Astrid’s attitude towards cuckoo flesh? Astrid took the meal over to Amelia and gave her some servings.

At 1:17 PM Ares brought more food to the nest. It was an unrecognizable chunk of something. Astrid took it and began a feeding. Niles was right there for this one, but Amelia didn’t bother to get up. The meal was done with before she got a chance to change her mind. The parents were on the State Building for about ninety minutes after that while the nestlings were mostly having a siesta. At 4:50 one of the nestlings gave a loud cackle call. It sounded almost just like one of the adults’ renditions. Niles and Amelia were active in the nest after that – callings, flapping, interacting. At 5:25 they were resting once more. Niles was laying down with his head/beak propped up on the lip of the box, looking out. At 5:37 Astrid was on the steeple and Ares was plucking prey on the hotel. At 5:43 he brought it to the crossperch. Astrid barreled in and grabbed it and started a feeding. It was a fairly raucous affair. Niles was first to get something, but Amelia kept pushing in and vied well. Niles ended up walking away before the end of the meal. By 6:00 it was raining. Astrid was on the west veranda keeping guard. At 7:37 Ares was up on the lookout post and then, twenty minutes later he was on his favorite pillar perch. At 8:12 Ares brought a large hunk of something to the east veranda perch. Astrid appeared, grabbed it, hopped into the box, and started a feeding. Both nestlings eagerly stood up to be served. The meal lasted until 8:23 and then Astrid flew out with the leftovers. At 8:45 PM Astrid showed up on the long perch. Goodnight all.

Utica Peregrine Falcons Update for Monday, June 5^th, 2023

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OP_Io6fLmck

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9msUl6gMfW4

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HkYb-ttsFr4

It was cool overnight with a low temperature of 45 degrees. It was mostly cloudy and breezy during the day with an afternoon high of 72 degrees. It became very hazy in the afternoon as smoke from distant wildfires infused the air. Astrid stayed in close proximity to the nest for most of the night. Once again, the moon was very bright overnight. There were no overnight feedings. Ares brought prey to the long perch at 3:08 AM. Astrid had been on the east veranda but then scrambled over the crossperch to get the food. However, instead of starting a feeding, she flew off with it and didn’t come back. Astrid returned to the long perch at 5:31, but she had no food. The nestlings began squealing – they were asking for their breakfast. At 5:58 Ares brought more prey to the nest. Astrid took it and hopped into the box. Niles pulled the food away from Astrid but then she grabbed it back and began the meal. After a few moments Amelia joined in. At 6:13 Amelia Walked away while her brother continued to feed. She then did some wing flapping. With Niles losing interest as well, Astrid began ripping into what was left and eating it herself. A few times the nestlings came up to her and begged, but by then she was determined to finish it on her own – and they both already had their fill as was evident by the size of Nile’s crop. At 6:22 Astrid left the nest. At 6:38 Ares came to the nest ostensibly for a chick-check. He picked up a food scrap on the floor and handed it to Niles. Astrid came for a chick-check thirty minutes later. At 8:09 Ares was on the east veranda and Astrid was on the roof of the nestbox. Suddenly they both blasted off. Astrid started cackling and hazing the fifteenth floor. For the nest several hours Astrid continued freaking out about activity in the office near the nest box. She gave long cackle calls. She abruptly flew away and came right back over a dozen times. She cackled and then cackled some more. She cackled until her cackler was sore. The nestlings stayed calm during all of Astrid’s freakouts. A few times they began squealing, but that was because Astrid came to the crossperch and they wanted to be fed. At 10:49 Ares arrived at the nest with a small prey item. One of the nestlings grabbed it away from him. Astrid then came to the box, recovered the prey, and set about feeding it out. At first only Niles was being fed, but then Amelia joined in. At 10:54 the meal was finished, and Astrid was out. However, she came right back with another item – this time one from the pantry. She then proceeded to feed the nestlings once more. At 11:11 Ares got involved in the frenzy and started cackling too. They kept this up for about twenty minutes and then Ares seemed to get over it.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ere3uZZqPss

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tYQyvGUag8c

At 1:06 PM Ares was back to check on the nestlings. They seemed fine and he was out again. Two minutes later he came to the east veranda with a Black-billed Cuckoo. Astrid took it and fed it out to the chicks. After the feeding Amelia and Niles did some impressive wing flapping. At 2:22 Astrid came to the nest with another Black-billed Cuckoo. It’s a safe bet that Ares procured that one too. She proceeded to serve it to the nestlings. Niles was first in line to be fed. A few minutes into the feeding, Astrid moved the prey to the middle of the box and started feeding Amelia too. She left at 3:33. Ares came to the nest at 3:56. He picked up a scrap of food from the floor and fed it to Niles. At 4:20 the nestlings became very active in the box. Astrid came to the crossperch at 4:46. Ares arrived with prey on the east veranda at the same time. Astrid took the prey, flew out with it, came back, and started a feeding. As usual, Niles was first up to be fed. Amelia waited near the corner and preened. She finally walked up and got a few bites, but then walked away again. She came back for another helping before it was gone. At 6:43 the nestlings were calling from the box. One of the parents was flying around the State Building and, apparently, they were reacting to that. At 6:57 Astrid had left the hotel and was up on the north face of the State Building. Ares was up on the lookout post – most likely in hunting mode. In the nest Amelia was doing a fair amount of wing flapping. At 7:03 PM the nestling started squealing. They were reacting to Astrid taking off after something. At 7:09 Ares brought a Starling to the nest. Astrid grabbed it and started a feeding. This time Amelia was a contender from the beginning. At 7:34 Astrid was back on the north face of the State Building and Ares back on the lookout post. The nestlings were sacked out by 7:44. Niles reclined with his head resting on the lip of the box and looking out into the canyon. Goodnight falcons.