Author: Matt Perry

Utica Peregrine Falcons Update for Sunday, March 26^th, 2023

The overnight was cool with temperatures in the mid 30’s. The sky cleared during the morning and the high temperature in the afternoon was close to 50 degrees. A persistent wind made it seem colder but also gave falcons a good amount of flying assist. Astrid came to the nestbox at 3:34 AM. Ares showed up a less than a minute later. He hopped into the box with her but stayed for only a moment. At 5:31 he returned, and the pair did what appeared to be a practice incubation switch. He came in and she went out. At 6:20 Ares gave some long calls at the box and then glided off. At 6:40 he was back in the box and Astrid was on the crossperch. Moments later she was up again and then so was he. Both falcons were on the State Building at 7:47. For the next few hours they were up and down from the State Building and Ares was making occasional visits to the box. At 9:51 a ledge display was in progress at the box. He was out after several minutes and she stayed on to do some housework and some digging around Ares’ scrape. 10:23 Astrid was back on the State Building and Ares was in the box. Astrid was spending a lot of time on the State Building and was being fairly sedentary while Ares was going back and forth between the State Building and the box.

At 1:30 PM the pair performed another ledge display at the nestbox. Fifteen minutes later there was an aborted mating attempt on the State Building. Ares came to the box directly afterward. At 1:55 Astrid was in the box giving alarm calls. They were high pitched clipped notes which meant that there was a falcon intruder in the Canyon (non-falcon intruders typically warrant a cackle type alarm call). She was up after that and both falcons were out of view for at least 20 minutes. We imagined them escorting an interloper well out of their territory. At 2:26 Ares stopped back at the box but did not stay long. Astrid returned to the canyon and to the State Building at 2:39. There she remained for some time. Both falcons were out of view once more at 327. Astrid returned to the State Building ten minutes later and for the next couple of hours Astrid was mostly on the State Building and Ares was in and out of the nest box. There was one mating at 4:52. Likely there were more attempts, but we missed seeing them. Ares was at the box and Astrid was on the State Building until about 7:15. After that we presume they went to their night perches. Will Astrid return to the box tonight and do a sitting? Will she lay her first egg of the season? We shall see. Goodnight all.

Utica Peregrine Falcons Update for Saturday, March 25^th, 2023

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=n2jvOygOUe0

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

The overnight was chilly with temperatures just above the freezing point. Conditions didn’t improve much during the day. Overcast skies and intermittent rain showers ruled. Ares came to the nest box at 11:04 PM Friday night. It looked like he had prey in his talons but we couldn’t tell for sure. He only stayed for a couple of minutes. His next appearance at the box was at 5:30 AM. At 6:06 he was calling quite a bit and before abruptly flying out. He came right back and Astrid was with him. It wasn’t much of a ledge display. They both sat on either side of the box. It seemed more like Ares was trying to demonstrate to Astrid how to lay an egg. He left the nest at 6:14. At 6:23 Astrid was out on the crossperch. It seemed like she was waiting for her breakfast to get delivered. At 6:47 Ares arrived on the east veranda with a Robin. He brought it to the crossperch a few minutes later. Astrid was bowing which indicated she was more interested in mating than having breakfast. She did not take it from him and instead flew off. She flew in a circle around the canyon and then returned to an east ledge. Once again she was gesturing that she wanted to mate. Meanwhile Ares had begun plucking his prey in the nest box. This is something that is usually done offsite – at least until there are young in the nest. A few minutes later he stored it on one of his pantry ledges. No doubt, he would be passing it off to Astrid sometime later. There was an aborted mating attempt directly after that.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GutHuB943bo

At 7:03 PM the falcons had a successful mating attempt. That was followed by a ledge display 5 minutes later. After Ares left the box Astrid did some housework which include making some scrapes and digging in the corners. The falcons mated again at 7:33. At 8:10 Astrid was back on on an east ledge and Ares was in the box. At 8:23 the falcons had another aborted mating attempt. At 9:11 Ares brought prey to the box and Astrid took it – although not until she was able to tug it away from her mate. We don’t know where she took it. At 9:42 Ares was snoozing while perched on the lip of the box. Astrid moved to the east veranda at 10:00. The falcons came together at the box for another dance at 11:26. Ares did some picking at the stones in the box for a while before he left at 11:39. At 11:47 Astrid was on the crossperch asking to mate. At 12:10 PM it was raining in the canyon. Ares was working in the nest box and Astrid was having a nap on the West veranda. A minute later she was awake and asking to mate. At 11:34 Ares was on his pillar perch. The falcons mated on the east veranda at 2:08 PM. At around 3:50 the falcons were conducting another ledge display at the nest box. By 4:07 Astrid was tucked in on the west veranda and Ares was back on his pillar perch. At 4:44 Ares was on the east veranda and Astrid was on the west veranda. They were in the classic nest guarding pose. She soon moved to an east ledge. At 5:09 Astrid was on the east veranda and Ares was out of view. Fifteen minutes later Ares was calling inside the nest box. The pair mated on the east veranda at 639. At 7:28 Ares had flown but Astrid was still on the veranda. She finally left for her night perch at 7:33 PM. Goodnight falcons.

Utica Peregrine Falcons Update for Friday, March 24^th, 2023

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SvgGN6_4r_Q

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

The overnight was cool with a low temperature of 33 degrees. Morning began cool but conditions improved by afternoon. The high temperature was in the high 40s. Astrid did not spend the night at the nest box last night. However, there was a falcon (we thought Astrid) on the State Building at 2 20 AM. Ares arrived at the box at 4:05 AM and stayed for 1/2 hour. At 5:23 Ares came back to the box and was calling across the canyon to Astrid. The pair mated on the State Building just before 6:00. Forty minutes later, Ares was up on the lookout post. We think he was hunting. Moments later he came to the nest box with a freshly caught Common Grackle. He took it up to ledge near where Astrid was perched on the State Building. He then flew over to the hotel to process it. At 6:54 Ares brought his gift to the nest box. Astrid accepted it and flew to the hotel. By 7:08 Astrid had finished her meal and she was back on the State Building. The pair mated there at 7:17. Thirty minutes later both falcons were at the nest box partaking of a ledge display. This time Astrid left the box first and Ares followed after only a minute or two. At 8:48 we think that Ares tried to give Astrid food on the State Building. He landed on the same ledge as her, offered it, but she refused it. He left and appeared to store it on a different ledge. He was then in and out of the nest box several times for the next couple of hours.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aNec1aZdb50

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

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uo3lbeWG3cE

At 10:55 AM Astrid came to the nest but was not there for more than 10 minutes. Ares returned to the nest at 11:07 and he was making chirping calls which made us think that there was an intruder in the Canyon. He darted out on a southward heading. At 11:26 Ares was back and made a flamboyant dash back through the Canyon, swooping up to the box like a boomerang. Her was flowed closely by Astrid. However, Astrid did not go to the box. She circled around the back of the bank building probably in an attempt to scare up Pigeons. She then flew up to a high perch on the State Building. At 12:22 PM there was an aborted mating attempt on the State Building. Thirty minutes after that the falcons were together for another ledge display at the box. Ares left the box at 12:59. At 2:36 Ares was making chirping calls at the box. Once again, we thought he may have been reacting to an intruder in the Canyon. We then thought it was more likely he was just reacting to Astrid landing on the steeple. Both falcons were out of view at 3:24 and we didn’t see them again for about thirty minutes. At 4:00 Ares returned to the nest box. Astrid was again visible on the State Building 1/2 an hour after that. The falcons had yet another dance at the box at 6:14 PM. Ares left three minutes later. At 6:28 Astrid seemed to decide that she did not like the new internet camera in the nestbox and she pecked at it. At 6:33 we saw Ares going to one of his pantry ledges on the west face of the State Building. We didn’t know if he was storing something or withdrawing something. Ten minutes later he brought a chunk of food to the nest box Astrid took it and brought it over to the hotel. Ares left the box at 7:12, presumably to go to his night perch. Astrid left the hotel sometime earlier. It remains to be seen if she will returns later on in the night. Goodnight all.

Utica Peregrine Falcons Update for Thursday, March 23^rd, 2023

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hki-oRbGWSs

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aibJITRQ-b4

Last night was warmer than it has been in recent nights. Temperatures were in the low 40s and that’s where they remained for the entire day. The day was mostly overcast with rain starting around noon. Rain showers became more numerous in the afternoon and evening. Astrid came into the nest box at 11:48 Wednesday night and remained there. Ares joined her in the box at 3:50 AM. I thought they might perform a ledge display but the pair merely sat together in the box until Astrid flew out at 4:34. Astrid may do several of these long sittings before she finally settles down and lays her first egg. We could be days away or as much as a week away from that. At 6:09 Astrid came to an east ledge. She was mostly tucked in so all we could see was the end of her tail protruding from the ledge. At 6:27 the pair mated on that ledge. Fifteen minutes later Ares came to the box with a Mourning Dove. We were surprised that Astrid didn’t fly right over to take it – she usually likes doves. Instead, she landed on the west veranda and the two falcons just looked at each other. She seemed like she didn’t know what she wanted to do. She flew away, came back, flew away, and came back once more. The last time she landed on Deb’s office perch. At 7:00 Ares gave up waiting for her and flew off to the west. We thought he might try to deliver Astrid’s gift to her, but he flew right past her and went to the hotel instead. Perhaps he thought she would like it better if it were pre-plucked. A few minutes later he took it and stored it someplace. Astrid left her perch at 7:10. Five minutes later she was on the hotel feeding on something. We don’t know if Ares gave her a gift or if she selected something from his pantry. At 7:43 Falcons mated somewhere – we didn’t see it but we heard Ares’ mating chatter. At 8:20 both Falcons came to the nest box. Astrid immediately moved over to the east veranda perch and Ares began conversing with her from the box. At 8:32 they mated on the east veranda. They mated again at 9:41 and at 9:57. At 10:17 Astrid was on the steeple. The pair was at the box for a ledge display at 10:53. Ares left five minutes later. After he was out Astrid did some housework in the box and made her own scrape within Ares’ mega scrape.

At 11:52 AM Ares came to the nest with a bat. He delivered it to where Astrid was perched on the State Building but she didn’t want it. She never wants bats. Astrid escaped to an east ledge. Ares wasn’t taking “no” for an answer. He flew over to the east veranda, hopped over to her ledge, and once more tried to give it to her. They were both out of view, so we are not sure of this, but it’s possible he was trying to feed it to her. He has done that before with bats. At 12:05 PM Astrid was on the west veranda. At 3:00 Ares was in the nest, periodically emitting long calls. By then it was raining in the downtown area. At 3:24 he began excitingly calling like he saw Astrid, but we couldn’t pick her pout with our cams. It turned out she was in the box with him. They performed a ledge display which featured a lot of beaking. Ares’s left at 3:29. After he was gone Astrid did some digging and some other work around the box. At 3:33 she was out on the long perch. Both falcons were out of view at 4:45. After 5:00 Ares was in and out of the box several times. We saw Astrid land on the West face of the State Building at 5:16. At 6:20 PM Ares brought prey to the nestbox. After a couple of minutes he flew only to return a minute later without the food. He probably brought it directly to Astrid’s ledge. It’s quite the service he runs. At 6:33 Astrid showed up on the east veranda. The pair mated there a few minutes later. Ares was back to the box at 7:08. He left for his night perch at 7:28 and she followed less than a minute later. Goodnight falcons.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6eUpYMudBu4

Utica Peregrine Falcons Update for Wednesday, March 22^nd, 2023

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6JqHLWa29jg

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=F8culO4y2sk

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=A1Ws62CTiL0

It was chilly again last night with a low of 32 degrees. The temperature rose quite quickly through the morning and surpassed 50 degrees by midafternoon. The day was mostly sunny but clouds rolled in later in the day. Astrid and then Ares – first him and then her, piled into the nestbox at 2:26 AM. They had a very short ledge display and then Ares jumped out of the box. At 3:26 he returned to the nest with a Woodcock in his talons. Astrid was not interested in taking it. Instead, she continued to sit in the box, sometimes snoozing. At 5:14 Ares was back with the Woodcock once more. This time Astrid surprised everyone by taking it. Indeed, she flew off with it, but we couldn’t find where she went. At 6:15 Ares made a few forays out from the box. We think he was buzzing by Astrid, wherever she was. At 6:22 Astrid was on an east window ledge of the bank. The pair mated there at 6:25 and again at 6:51. Astrid moved to the east veranda at 6:58. And then, only minutes later, she had hopped over to the west veranda. There was a mating there at 7:21. At around 8:00 the pair was having their second ledge display for the day. Afterwards Ares brought prey (looked to be another Woodcock) to the east veranda. Astrid vocalized to him and then flew off into the Canyon. She landed on a lower window ledge on the State Building. At 9:04 she walked over to the west veranda. They mated there a few minutes later. At 9:27 Ares was out on the crossperch. Both falcons sat preening and guarding their nestbox. The pair mated five times between 9:30 and 11:30.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=W0QFYC4WLhY

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-9NUpijE4dY

At 12:48 PM Ares had left the box and then Astrid came into it. At 1:41 she had moved to the lower steeple perch. Ares was back to the box a few minutes later. At 2:48 Astrid was on Deb’s office perch. Both falcons stayed in place, we think, until about 5:00. It is possible that we missed some mating attempts during that period. At 5:00 PM Astrid was on the east veranda. Ares returned to the box a few minutes later and she started bowing and asking to mate. He wasn’t responding and seemed to be holding out for a ledge display. At 6:20 she was asking to mate again. That time it seemed like he was going to comply. He flew out of the box but did not boomerang back. Astrid left the box at 6:25 and Ares returned a minute later. At 7:09 Astrid joined Ares in the box for a third ledge display. After a few minutes he dove out and she remained. We wondered if she was going to remain in the box for the evening, but just before 7:30 she dove out and flew into the night. Tomorrow will begin the egg laying window for Astrid. March 23rd, historically, was the earliest date she had ever laid her first egg. We think it’s unlikely she will beat or match that record but what do we know? Goodnight Falcons.