LATEST NEWS – Page 198 – Utica Peregrine Falcons

The Breeding Season is Off to a Start With One Egg in the Box

For the first time in nearly a year, we began the day with an egg in the nest box. Astrid had remained in the box all night long. Just before 6 AM, Ares flew up to the box perch with his usual introductory screech. He had a Woodcock in his talons, but just as he was about to hand it off to his mate, something in the darkness caused him to issue an alarm call. He dashed out of the box taking the prey with him. He reappeared on the State Building a little while later and we still have no idea what spooked him. Was it an intruder? He returned to relieve Astrid about an hour later and we believe this was his first opportunity to see the new egg. He fussed over it for a short time and even settled down on it as if he was going to incubate. Of course, leaving the egg uncovered for extended periods is normal at this time. Full incubation doesn’t typically begin until half the clutch has been laid. This helps insure that the intervals between the hatches will be smaller than those between the egg layings. This means that the differences in size of the nestlings won’t be so great, and that serves to lessen competition for food in the nest and increases survival chances for the younger nestlings.

At around 10:45 Ares retrieved the same Woodcock from storage and brought it to Astrid. This time she was quick to accept it and flew over to the hotel to feed.

Generally falcons prefer windy, sunny days and this afternoon they were able to do some effortless sailing around the canyon, but only rarely were both out of view of the nest box. Our monitoring of the falcons was somewhat lacking during the latter part of the day, but as far as we know, at least one ledge display and three matings took place. Astrid was also seen making two trips to the hotel ledge in order to drink water from a puddle. At 3:45 Astrid was back at the box and seemed to be semi incubating and semi shading the egg. As evening came the pair converged at the hotel for more drinks from ledge puddles. Ares tried again to give Astrid a food tribute, but she wouldn’t accept it and he stored it instead. Astrid ended her day where it began – at the nest box. We expect a second egg to be laid sometime tomorrow night or Tuesday morning.

4 2 17 6 — Ares brings an early breakfast for Astrid but then gives an alarm call and dashes off

4 2 17 2 — A ledge display over the new egg

20170402_16-36-17 — Mating at the box in the afternoon

20170402_16-35-31 — Ares on duty at the box

4 2 17 5 — Astrid half-incubating and half-shading the egg

20170402_16-02-32 — The egg was left alone several times today. Full incubation won’t start until half the clutch has been laid

Egg #1 arrives on April Fools’ day!

Astrid wasn’t “fooling” around when she arrived at the box this evening. She came back to the box just after 6pm and by 6:50 had laid the first egg of the 2017 nesting season. What an active day! (see earlier post). She is now enjoying some much deserved rest!

20170401_18-59-40 — Astrid adjusts the egg.

20170401_19-02-46 — Astrid seems to be saying “whew”

20170401_19-03-26 — Astrid happy with the first egg!

20170401_19-04-54 — Astrid getting sleepy…

20170401_19-50-38 — Mom getting some much deserved rest while snuggling her first egg.

Active Late Morning in the Downtown Canyon

Astrid spent the entire night in the box, but again neglected to produce an egg. The pair were together at the box a few times in the predawn hours and even mated on the nest box perch in the darkness and fog. At dawn it was Ares turn to spend some time minding the homestead. Persistent snow and then rain through mid-morning kept pair’s activities levels low. Both loafed on State building for a while. As the precipitation slowed, Ares got peppier and the pair mated on the State Building at 9:20. He then retrieved most of a Woodcock from a ledge on the State Building and tried to give it to Astrid. She declined the gift and so, waste-not want-not, he partook of some himself. At 10:00, the Utica Peregrine Falcon Project held its first public walk of the season around the falcon’s canyon and the birds didn’t disappoint. Both flew around the Downtown area and, especially Ares, put on a really great show. The pair mated at the box and on the steeple. To the delight of all, they met at the box several times and performed a couple of ledge displays. Toward the end of our walk, an immature male Peregrine followed Ares as he flew in to join Astrid at the box! That was a surprise. The stranger was escorted out quickly and the resident pair reunited at the box and then on the church steeple. Through the afternoon we weren’t able to keep very close tabs on the falcons, but as far as we know, they didn’t seem very active. Ares made a few visits to the nest box and Astrid was occasionally seen perching on the State Building and the steeple. By evening, Astrid was back in the box and she remains there now at 6:50 PM as I write this update. Will she spend the night in the box again? Will anything else happen? I’ll say “maybe”.

An early morning get together at the nest box

The pair mated on the State Building in mid-morning

Ares brings in a Woodcock as a gift to his mate

He tried to temp Astrid to take the Woodcock by flying right in front of her with it

Ares picks at his talons – an unusual view from beneath the nest box

Ares dives out of the nest box following the pair’s ledge display

Astrid strikes an action pose on the steeple

Astrid calculates her approach to the nest site

Rain Rain Rain and then Some Action in the Late Afternoon

Astrid came to the nest box at 4 AM on Friday. She didn’t seem like she was ready to lay an egg, so we had no expectations. She stayed at the box until Ares came in and relieved her. She was back by 7 o’clock, and at that point Ares tried to interest her in a Woodcock breakfast, but she wouldn’t take it. He came back a little later with some unrecognizable piece of prey. That she took and presumably ate. For the balance of the morning, Ares was popping in and out of the box with great frequency. Rain was coming down steadily and it didn’t seem to bother him. On the other hand, Astrid is no fan of the rain and she mostly kept tight to a ledge on the west face of the State Building. Ares desperately tried coaxing her back to the box, but she wouldn’t budge. That is until noon, when she made two rapid fire visits. Each time Ares hoped she would come in for a ledge display, but he was disappointed. In the early afternoon, he couldn’t get a rise out of Astrid no matter what he did. He tried wailing, bringing food, buzzing by her and more, but there was no response from his mate. Finally at 3:30 PM, the rain slowed down and Astrid participated in a ledge display at the box. They then proceeded to mate five times in the next two hours! At 6 PM, Astrid finally took the Woodcock that Ares first tried to give her in the early morning. The pair ended their day with a quick ledge display at the box. Following the display, Astrid remained at the box and is still there as I’m writing this at 10:20 PM. Will she lay her first egg of the season tonight? We shall know tomorrow.

Ares brought the same Woodcock to the box about 5 times today

Ares spend most of the day trying and failing to coax Astrid to the nest box

Astrid finally accepts a meal from her mate

Ares waited all day for this ledge display

Astrid sits in the nest box through the evening – Will she lay an egg tonight?

A Much Quieter Day in the Canyon – and Still no Egg!

Astrid came to the nest box on Wednesday evening and appeared ready to lay her first egg for the 2017 season. However, looks can be deceiving and she left the box around 1:00 AM with no egg on the scrape. Ares came to the box before dawn with a Woodcock and tried to interest Astrid in coming over and taking it, but she declined the invitation. He tried to tempt her to the box again a little later – that time with some unrecognizable hunk of prey. Evidently, she liked the look of it (Apparently she wants her meat to be processed first) and took it over to the Hotel ledge to devour. In the late morning Astrid (sporting a very full crop) spent a lot of time at the nest box. She and Ares performed four ledge displays in the course of 90 minutes, which might be a new record. Even though Astrid was obviously full, Ares tried to stuff more food into her. He brought over a bat and when she wouldn’t take it, he stood in the box next to her and tried to feed it to her a little piece at a time. That was different! By early afternoon Astrid was out of view of our cameras. We figured that she was still in the canyon due to her mate’s behavior. He kept trying to get her back to the box all afternoon – sometimes with food and sometimes with only his shrill pleading screeches. At 4:40 PM, Astrid finally came back into view on the State Building. At 5:30 they mated at the nest box and a half hour late, mated again on the County Building. Perhaps this is the night that Astrid will lay her first egg of the season. I don’t blame anyone if they refuse to put money on it.

Ares brings a Woodcock for Astrid before dawn – She didn’t take it

Astrid came back to the box with a large crop

The pair shared four ledge displays in 90 minutes – A record?

Astrid and Ares during yet another ledge display at the nest box