Author: Matt Perry

Utica Peregrine Falcons Update for Saturday, May 20^th, 2023

It was warm overnight with a low temperature in the high 50s. There may have been a few drops of rain, a substance our area has seen little of in the past three weeks. Mostly overcast skies marked the morning although there were some substantial breaks of sun. The high temperature was in the low 70s. Astrid was on nest duty throughout the night. She left the box at 3:23 AM but came back 5 minutes later. In stark contrast to the night before, there were no overnight feedings. At 5:24 we heard Ares giving long calls from somewhere in the canyon. It looked like Astrid may have been watching him. Indeed, we saw him zip around the east face of the State Building at one point. At 5:27 he came to the nest with prey in his talons. He hopped into the box with it, and she accepted it. She then proceeded to conduct a feeding. The lesser nestling was in front and the greater was in the back row. The smaller one was able to get quite a few bites of food from his vaunted position, but the greater one still went over his head a few times (These chicks really need names). At 6:11 Astrid went out to the crossperch. We noticed that Ares was up on his favorite pillar perch having a nap. Ten minutes later Astrid was back inside the nest and brooding. She moved out onto the crossperch at 7:05, but was back in after a minute. At 7:14 Ares brought more food to the east veranda. Astrid took it, flew off with it, came back, and did a feeding. Ten minutes later she was back to brooding the nestlings. At 8:04 she was doling out another meal. We were not sure if Ares brought it or if she went out and retrieved it. At 8:24 she was brooding and we saw her jostle the young ones and the egg. Normally we associate jostling behavior with inducing eggs to hatch. In this case there are no more eggs that are going to hatch and the nestlings certainly aren’t going to hatch, so why is she doing it? Perhaps there is another reason. At 9:19 Ares was heard giving screech calls from somewhere downtown. He then screeched to the nest box with prey. Astrid scrambled over the crossperch to take it and then proceeded to do a feeding. At 10:00  AM We heard more long calls from Ares. Twenty minutes later he came to the box and asked for a turn with the clutch. Astrid was quite vocal and, more or less, said no. He hopped over to the east veranda instead. At 11:08 Ares was inside the box talking to the nestlings. Astrid was on the crossperch at that time. At 11:16 Ares began giving chirp style alarm calls from inside the nest box This meant that there was a falcon intruder in the canyon – something they always take with great seriousness. We did not see this raptor, but Ares saw it and he let us know in no uncertain terms. He blasted out the box, presumably in pursuit and left the nestlings alone. Astrid was on the State Building at the time. She came to the cross perch about 8 minutes later. She came in to brood at 11:30. Ares screeched to the east veranda at about the same time.

At 12:13 PM Astrid left the nest. Ares came in a minute later. After that she was on the State Building. She relieved him at the nest at 12:18. She moved out onto the cross perch 1/2 hour later and then left the box ten minutes after that. At 1:30 we noticed that she was tucked in on the east veranda. She appeared to be looking in the office window, and probably waiting for someone in there to make a false move. As it happened there was no one in the offices today. At around 1:45 a flock of 15 to 20 Turkey Vultures flew through the Canyon. Both Astrid and Ares scrambled and promptly ushered them out. At 1:52 Astrid came into the box with a hunk of leftovers. She proceeded to do a feeding. She left with a small piece that remained at 2:01. She was back to the crossperch a minute later, but was not there for long. At 2:34 Ares came to the nest with a male goldfinch. Astrid barreled in behind him, took the prey, and did a feeding. At 2:49 the chicks were alone in the nest. At 3:10 Astrid was on the crossperch, and from there jumped up onto the roof of the nest box. Once again, she was peering into an adjacent office, watching for monkeys. At 3:26 she came back into the box to brood. About five minutes later Ares screeched to the long perch with prey. Astrid took it on the crossperch and did another feeding. At 3:56 we could hear Ares giving long calls from somewhere in the canyon, probably from the State Building. A few minutes later he was in the nest babysitting. While there he did some housework including digging in the corner which is apparently a very vital task. Astrid came in and relieved him at 4:28. By then it had begun to rain lightly in the canyon. Astrid stayed brooding for the next three hours. Ares was on the State Building for a while but then we lost track of him in the rain. Astrid left the box at around 7:30 PM and returned moments later with some food. She then feed her chicks who were surprisingly well behaved considering how long they had gone without eating. Goodnight all.

Utica Peregrine Falcons Update for Friday, May 19^th, 2023

It was chilly overnight but not as cold as the night before. Temperatures were in the mid 40s. It was also quite windy and it remained that way for much of the day. The daytime high in the afternoon was around 70 degrees. Astrid was on the nest through the night. At 11 54 PM Ares brought food to the nest. He thoughtfully hopped into the box with it. Astrid took it and did a feeding. At 1:45 AM Ares was back with more prey. This time Astrid had to take it on the crossperch (he was not so thoughtful that time!) She then did a feeding. Ares returned at 3:08 with what appeared to be a Gray Catbird. This time Astrid wasn’t interested in coming out for it, at least right away. Ares remained for a while on the long perch with the prey dangling. Astrid finally decided to come out and take it. As she got up the nestlings began squealing. She took the prey from Ares on the crossperch and then proceeded to do a feeding. At 5:17 another meal came in via Ares. He hopped into the box with it and handed it off to Astrid who then went on to dole it out to the chicks. At 5:30 we noticed that Ares had gone up to his old favorite pillar perch on the southeast part of the building. Astrid left the box at 6:20 but then was back before a minute was up. The wind was blowing up a storm of feathers inside the box. They were swirling inside and sometimes outside of the box. At 8:22 Ares brought prey to the long perch. Astrid scrambled across the crossperch to take it. She then did a feeding. Ten minutes later the feeding was over and she resumed brooding. At 9:16 Astrid hopped out onto the crossperch. She flew off a minute later. Ares then screeched to the long perch. At first, we thought he had food but he did not. After a couple of minutes, he hopped into the box and perched in front of the nestlings. At 9:20 Astrid returned to the box and Ares left. At 10:03 Astrid got up and went back to the crossperch. About 15 minutes later she was brooding again. At 11:00 Astrid was staring at the new camera. She seemed to be getting super sensitive about noises inside the adjacent offices – as well as the sight of people in office windows. Every year she gets this way, and we expect it.

At 11:04 AM Astrid started cackling. We don’t know what brought that on, but it was probably a non-falcon raptor flying through the canyon. It was most likely close judging by the intensity of her vocalizations. When Ares brought food to the box a minute later Astrid gave very loud screeching calls. She scrambled out to take the food and then began a feeding. Both nestlings ate well during the meal. At one point the smaller one stole a bite from the larger one. At 11:08 Astrid gave some more cackle calls. Again, we are not sure why or what brought that on. At 11:27 she was brooding but then she was up again. She went over to a relatively low ledge on the State Building but then came back five minutes later. At around noon she had left the box once more. She was back less than a minute later. She immediately hopped on top of the roof of the nest box, something we have not seen her do in quite some time. That is usually brought on by office sounds and activities. She didn’t stay long but swooped by the 15th floor a couple of times in what could only be described as hazing runs. At 12:02 PM she was back to the crossperch but it was clear that she was highly distracted by things going on in the building. Several minutes later Ares brought food to the east veranda. Astrid barged over and took it. She first flew off into the canyon before boomeranging back and hopped into the box. She then proceeded to do a feeding. Before really getting into it, she abruptly halted the meal and flew out of the box with the food. This was another sign of her irritation. She came right back and gave it another try. At 12:12 we noticed that Ares was on the State Building – being quire calm, as usual. Astrid left the box at 12:13 taking the leftovers with her. She returned without them a couple of minutes later, at 12:16 Astrid was back at the nest. She stood on the crossperch for a while before hopping into the box and resuming brooding. At 1:02 PM Ares came to the nest with prey. Astrid accepted it and began a feeding but soon it was very clear that chicks weren’t hungry. She took the meal out and presumably put it in the pantry. Ares came over in the interim and babysat. Astrid returned at 1:12 and Ares was out. One was then and then the other was out – they were alternating so much it was getting confusing.

At 2:58 PM the nestlings were alone in the box and both were vocalizing. Ares came in a few minutes later and then he was vocalizing too. Not to be left out, Astrid came into the box and then everyone was talking. Ares stayed for about 5 minutes – the whole family together. At 3:18 Astrid went out onto the crossperch and both chicks began squealing. Ares screeched to the box with prey at 3:41. Astrid took it and started a feeding. It was over by 3:54 and Astrid was out. She was back on the cross perch at 4:23, and soon after came into the box. At 5:07 Ares brought a Blue Jay to the long perch. Astrid took it from the cross perch. She grabbed it with her bill and then transferred it to her foot. She then flew away into the Canyon with it. She had it on the hotel for a few minutes and then she came back to the box. It looked like she was going to start a feeding but then, perhaps because the chicks didn’t seem interested, she turned around and left. Ares was on the long perch that whole time just watching the scene. A minute later Astrid was on the steeple. She must have stored the food in Ares’ pantry. At 5:15 Ares was up and Astrid was at the box. A little later we noticed that Ares was on the State Building. The skies had clouded up, but the temperature was up to 75 degrees. At 6:48 PM Astrid returned to the box after being out for a while. She went right up to the box’s roof. That meant she was irritated by something going on in the nearby offices. It’s unlikely there was anything going on since it was past office closing time, but just try to tell Astrid that. A couple of minutes later she was over it and back to brooding. At around 8:00 PM Astrid came into the nest with food. She spent the next several minutes conducting a feeding. It appeared to be the last meal of the day. Ares was on the State Building and remained there quite late – as late as 9:50 as I’m writing this. Goodnight falcons.

Utica Peregrine Falcons Update for Thursday, May 18^th, 2023

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=y45SPs5TyJU

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OnVhaw9aIVA

It was cold last night with a low temperature of 28 degrees. It warmed up quick during the day and by noon the temperature was approaching 60 degrees. By late afternoon it was 65 degrees. Astrid spent the night brooding her chicks. Ares came to the nest with a small prey item at 1:50 AM. Astrid scrambled along the crossperch to get it from him and then proceeded to do a feeding. Ares brought more prey, another small item, at 3:48. Once again, Astrid took it from the crossperch and handled the feeding. At 5:29 Ares screeched to the box with more prey. This time he hopped inside the box and handed it to Astrid. While she settled in to do the feeding he hopped over to the West veranda. At around 7:15 Astrid left the nest but was back within a minute. At 8:14 Ares brought a Black-billed Cuckoo to the east veranda. Cuckoos had only just migrated back from the South and this was the first one we had seen. Astrid took the cuckoo from him and did a feeding. After 10 minutes she flew out with the leftovers. She came right back and resumed brooding. At 10:02 Ares again screeched to the box with prey. Astrid took it from him on the crossperch and conducted a feeding. Ten minutes later she was out with the leftovers. She came right back after stowing it. At 10:34 Astrid began calling from the box. We think she was probably watching Ares chasing prey or doing something else of particular interest. At 11:46 Astrid left the box and flew over to perch on the State Building. A minute later Ares arrived to babysit. As it happened, she was only gone for a couple of minutes. She came back, Ares left, she resumed brooding. At 12:32 PM Astrid left the box once more. She flew over to the State Building and to a relatively low perch. It was 57 degrees in the canyon, so the nestlings were in no danger. At 12:41 Astrid returned to the crossperch and from there hopped into the box and started brooding again.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GQ9yomickns

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IMcuE2b1bZI

At 1:09 PM Astrid was out of the nest again. She took a perch on the State Building. About 15 minutes later Ares was in the nest babysitting. He was gone again at 1:39, only to be back with them five minutes later. The interaction between Ares and the chicks is always interesting to watch. He looks at them with a curious expression like he’s trying to figure out what exactly they are. At 1:46 Astrid came barreling into the box. She was in and he was out. At 2:55 we heard Ares give a screech from somewhere in the canyon. He landed on the long perch and had a male Scarlet Tanager in his talons. I was reasonably sure that I’ve never seen him with one of those before. He has caught at least one female tanager over the years, but this was the first male that we ever confirmed. Astrid took it from him on the crossperch and did a feeding. Astrid left after the meal was over and Ares came back into the box. At 3:58 Ares was busy shading the egg while the two chicks sought shade in the back of the nestbox. Astrid then arrived with a plucked pigeon. Ares headed out and Astrid set about feeding the brood. Ten minutes later she left with the leftovers. At 4:58 the pair did a quick switch and then Ares was in the box with the nestlings. At 5:16 Astrid was preening on the lower steeple perch. She came to the box and relieved Ares at 5:37 PM. At 6:09 one of the chicks walked across the floor to the east side of the box. That was different. Up to date we haven’t seen the chicks doing any walking. Regardless, when Astrid arrived at the box 6:09 she wasted no time picking up the chick with her bill and putting it back with its sibling where she could shade them both with ease. At 6:24 Ares brought prey to the nest. Astrid danced across the crossperch to get it from him, took it inside and began a feeding. At 6:55 Astrid was on the State Building on a relatively low perch – the one she likes these days. Five minutes later she was back in with the chicks. At 7:42 she was digging and doing some housework chores inside the nest. She was back out on the crossperch afterwards. At 8:09 PM Astrid was back inside and brooding the chicks. Ares had been on the north face of the State Building but took off to go to his night perch. Goodnight all.

Utica Peregrine Falcons Update for Wednesday, May 17^th, 2023

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BIHMlfe1YXU

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9q0iLokQsng

The overnight was cold with temperatures down in the mid 30s. The day was breezy and cool with temperatures barely getting into the 50s. Astrid spent the night brooding. There were no overnight feedings for the first time in a while. At around 5:15 AM we could just make out that Ares was on the west face of the State Building. At 5:21 Astrid left the nest. She briefly landed on the north face of the state building but soon returned to the nest and to brooding. At 5:34 we heard some distant screeching calls from Ares. Moments later he landed on the long perch with prey in his talons. Astrid took it from him on the crossperch and proceeded to do a feeding. Five minutes later she flew out with the leftovers. We think it had been already picked over before it came to the nest and she decided to discard it. She was right back to the nest in less than a minute. At 7:00 AM the pair did a quick switch. Ares came in to brood and Astrid flew out. Three minutes later Astrid returned with prey and conducted another feeding. At 7:54 Ares brought prey to the nest. Astrid took it from him, flew off, came back, and began plucking it. She then fed the nestlings. At 8:19 Ares arrived with more food. It was something small this time and, with a few sharp calls, Astrid sent him away. At 10:15 we heard Ares give a long call from somewhere in the Canyon. It likely meant that he caught something, but if he did, he did not bring it to the box. Perhaps he stored it.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kPYQdaTt7-Y

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3vU_NvM6uZc

At 11:20 AM Ares came to the nest, hopped inside, and requested a turn with the chicks. After a few minutes of conversation Astrid left. The nestlings were very vocal with Ares. He went about brooding but he was only really half brooding. Astrid returned with food at 11:28. She then presided over another feeding. At about 12:20 Ares withdrew some food off of one of his pantry ledges on the east face of the State Building and brought it to the nest. Astrid took it and started a feeding. At 1:30 PM Ares flew by the nest giving screeching calls. He landed on the State Building briefly and then took off again. He appeared to be on a hunt. At 2:23 he was at the nest and asking for a turn with the nestlings. Astrid did not want to leave, and he gave up. At 3:32 we heard Ares giving screeching calls in the distance. He then showed up on the east veranda with prey. Astrid came over and took it from him and then flew over to the hotel. The nestlings were alone while she was on the hotel and he was on the east veranda. Ares came into the box at 3:33. He had a small morsel of food in his bill, but he did not offer it to the begging chicks. In fact, he ate it himself. At 3:38 Astrid arrived with plucked and processed food. She then went about feeding the nestlings. At 5:26 Astrid left the box. We weren’t really sure why. Ares was on the east veranda at the time and there did not seem to be any emergency. It was only 51 degrees but the sun was flooding into the box so we were sure that the nestlings were warm enough. At 5:35 Ares came into the nest. Astrid returned to the box ten minutes later and Ares flew out. Astrid left the box again at 5:49. When she came back a couple of minutes later, she stayed on the crossperch for a little while before coming inside. She did not seem upset and was not hazing the building or even giving dirty looks to the office windows. She came back in to brood at 6:03. At 6:12 Astrid left the nest but came right back with food and conducted a feeding.

We’ve gone beyond the likely hatch window for the 4th egg and do not expect it to hatch. We have 2 nestlings in the box – possibly one a male and the other, a female, but it’s really too early to tell for sure. Next week we should be able to make that determination. Goodnight all.

Utica Peregrine Falcons Update for Tuesday, May 16^th, 2023

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iPXWI2UKapA

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

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=v8IyVXxeY94

It was chilly overnight with temperatures in the mid 40s. The sky was hazy during the day, it was windy, and the high temperature was in the mid 70s. Astrid was on nest duty all night. Ares came to the box at 1:14 AM with prey in his talons. He actually hopped into the box to give it to Astrid which was nice so she didn’t have to make her usual perilous scramble across the crossperch to get it from him. Astrid then carried out a feeding. At 3:40 Ares screeched to the nest with another small prey item. Once again, he brought it into the box and handed it off to Astrid. She conducted the feeding. At 5:34 Ares brought yet another meal to the nest. This time Astrid had to do her crossperch scramble to get it. The nestlings were quite full already so this feeding didn’t last very long. Astrid flew out with the leftovers only 5 minutes later. At 5:47 Ares was on the steeple. Astrid hopped out onto the crossperch at 7:35, but it was just for a moment and then she was back in and brooding. At 8:00 Ares screeched over to the box with more food. He hopped into the box with it and handed it to Astrid. She did the feeding. At 9:41 Astrid left the box. We could hear Ares giving long calls from somewhere in the canyon. A minute later he came to the box and he was giving chirping calls. Perhaps there was a falcon intruder? He stood over the nestlings and they were begging to him with bills agape. A few minutes later we noticed that Astrid was on the east veranda perch. At 9:52 she came into the box, Ares left, and she began brooding. At 10:42 AM Ares brought a fully feathered Blue Jay to the nest. Astrid accepted it on the crossperch and then brought it into the box. She did some plucking and then some feeding. At 11:06 Astrid was doing another feeding. We think it may have just been leftovers in the box from the last meal. After that feeding Astrid did some housework. She dug around in the stones for a little bit. When she came back to brood she tucked the egg beneath her and then walked forwards to tuck in the chicks as well. However, in doing so she left the egg behind her and uncovered.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XnQwFhGAJL0

At 1:48 PM we heard Aries screech from somewhere in the Canyon. Astrid took that as a cue to leave the nest. A minute later Aries arrived at the box with prey. Astrid wasn’t there so he hopped in and began feeding the nestlings. He was doing a good job but only three minutes into it, Astrid was back and she took over the feeding. At 2:44 the nestlings were alone in the nest. We weren’t sure why Astrid left. She was back only two minutes later. The Falcons switched at 3:25 PM. Ares enjoyed a very short brooding session. Astrid returned and the Falcons switched again at 3:29. At 4:50 the Peregrines did yet another quick switch. Ares was was on duty. Astrid arrived at 4:55 and Ares was out again. Astrid had brought food with her, and she started feeding the two nestlings. At 5:17 Ares had left his perch on a State Building and Astrid was feeding the chicks. Ares came to the box with another meal at 5:48. Astrid took it and handled the feeding. After the meal she went back to brooding. Ares was on the State Building and remained there until just before dark. Goodnight falcons.