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Utica Peregrine Falcons Update for Saturday, April 1^st, 2023

There were thunderstorms overnight and the temperature was 43 degrees. The rain stopped after dawn. The temperature rose to 70 degrees in the afternoon. The wind speed increased through the day and rain returned in the late afternoon. Astrid was in the nest for most of the night. At 3:31 AM Ares came into the box and they did a practice incubation switch. Astrid moved over to the west veranda. It was raining heavily at that point with some lightning. Astrid tucked in on the veranda for a while but then came back out onto the veranda perch at 4:49. Five minutes later she tucked in on ledge adjacent to Deb’s Perch. At 5:15 it was still pouring rain but, despite that, Astrid was asking to mate. We think there was an aborted attempt shortly afterward. Ares returned to the nest and Astrid tucked in again on her ledge. At 6:31 Astrid was on a west ledge asking to mate again. Ares hopped into the box. He was calling and lobbying for a dance. The birds mated two minutes later, and then the rain finally stopped, not that the two things were related. At 6:44 Astrid was on the crossperch asking to mate again but she flew off before Ares had a chance to react. Both falcons were out of view a few minutes later. At 6:51 A&A came to the box. Ares had prey in his talons which he gave to his mate. She flew off with it. At 7:27 Astrid was back on deb’s perch. They mated there 10 minutes later. At 7:46 Ares was inside the nest box working on his scrape. It was then that we realized his mega scrape had migrated from its original position and was now closer to the center of the box. At 8:24 AM another mating occurred after which Ares returned to the box. We think there was another mating attempt at 904 and at 9:30, but we couldn’t confirm them. The falcons were together in a box for a legde display at 9:34. At 10:20 Ares brought more food to the nest. He arrived on the east veranda and then hopped into the box. Astrid took it and flew off. The prey was a House Sparrow. Astrid plucked it on the hotel and proceeded to eat the entire bird. At 10:33 Astrid was on the steeple and Ares was on the State Building. At 11:10 both falcons were out of view.

Ares returned to the nest at 11:39 which meant that Astrid must have been back too since he never lets her out of his sight. Sure enough, Astrid had put down on the State Building. At 12:37 PM we noticed that the wind was really buffeting our PTZ cameras but at least they were working satisfactorily. At 12:49 Ares was back at the nest and Astrid was on the State Building. She came to the box at 1:02 and did some vocalizing. At 2:12 Ares came into the box for a practice incubation switch. Astrid lunged out into the wind tunnel that was Downtown and flew over to the State Building. At 3:38 the falcons were together at the nest for another ledge display. Ares left a few minutes later and went to the State Building. At 4:13 the falcons performed another ledge display at the box. Ares left after only a couple of minutes. At 4:19,  yet another dance. We were wondering if Ares was initiating all these dances just for the opportunity to check to see if she had laid an egg yet. At 5:11 there was yet another egg-check dance. There was lots of beaking associated with that one. Ares left after about three minutes. At 6:00 they performed yet another ledge display at the nest. That time Astrid left at its conclusion. Ares followed her but came right back. We saw Astrid soaring around the State Building several times. She gained altitude and then darted off to the north. At 6:10 she landed on Deb’s Perch. Five minutes later Ares floated over on the wind and the pair mated. At 6:20 Ares came to the ledge just west of Deb’s Perch with prey in his talons. Astrid did not seem to want it and he departed with it. At 6:22 he came to the box without the food. Astrid took off a minute later. At 6:25 Astrid was once again flying around the State Building. We thought perhaps she was checking Ares’ pantry ledges for something palatable. After browsing the store ledges she once again gained altitude and drifted out of camera view. After being out of view for a while both falcons came to the box at 6:50 and held another ledge display. Ares left after a couple of minutes. He was on the State Building until about 7:27 and then he was off to his night perch. Astrid remained in the box – possibly gearing up to lay her first egg of the season? Goodnight falcons.

Utica Peregrine Falcons Update for Friday, March 31^st, 2023

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=D3ayWKVVZtQ

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7F-LPaC_zuk

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qO1KH2TTv4k

It was cold last night with temperatures in the low 20s. After daybreak there was a modest warmup. By midafternoon it was in the high 30s although a steady rain had moved in by then. Astrid spent the first part of the night in the box but was out on the crossperch by 2:30 AM. I was not sure when she left the box because all of my recordings shut down sometime after midnight. She left at 2:33. Ares came to the box at 2:55-ish, and she came to the west veranda right after that. She spent some time preening while he lobbied to get her to come into the box. She finally joined him at 3:14 and the pair conducted a short ledge display. Ares brought food to the west veranda at 4:22. She took it and flew off but we were unable to locate where she went. He stayed on the long perch until about 5:00. Ten minutes later, they were together in the box participating in another ledge display. After Ares left, Astrid stayed in the box. At one point she fell asleep. Ares returned at 6:30 and the pair did a practice incubation switch. At 7:02 Ares had prey on a west ledge and was processing it. Five minutes later, he gave it to her but we didn’t know where she took it. At 7:28. Astrid was on the west veranda. The pair mated there a minute later. They mated again only five minutes later, and then again at 7:58. At 8:20 they were dancing in the box once more.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qO1KH2TTv4k

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kiJfYvz3HH8

At 8:54 Ares was on the east veranda and Astrid was sleeping in the nest box. At 9:42 the falcons conducted another ledge display inside the box. They did a practice incubation switch at 10:26. Twenty minutes later they mated on the State Building. Just before noon Astrid was on the east veranda and Ares was inside the box. He wanted to dance and she wanted to mate. They mated one minute later. At 12:16 PM the pair engaged in another ledge display at the nest. They seem to be going for the record today. At 12:51 they did another practice incubation switch. At 1:35 Astrid was on the east veranda asking to mate. Instead of mating, Ares left the box and came back with a small piece of food. He gave to Astrid on the east veranda. She ate it right there while he watched. At 2:52 Astrid was asking to mate again. They did so at 3:12. At 3:38 Astrid was back on the east veranda. We noticed that Ares was in the box at 4:06. He had moved to his pillar perch a half hour later. Astrid asked to mate a couple of times, once while Ares was on his pillar and once when he was in the box. Both times he flew out as if he was going to oblige her, but then did not come back. At 5:05 PM Ares brought a small piece of food to Astrid on the east veranda. She took it and flew off with it. She returned to the west veranda at 5:17 and Ares jumped back into the nestbox. At 5:20 she was asking to mate. They did so less than a minute later. At 5:23 Ares was back on his pillar and Astrid was on Deb’s perch. Ares returned to the box at 5:37. It was then that we noticed he had a full crop. At 7:04 PM Astrid moved to the east veranda. The pair mated there ten minutes later. At 7:33 Astrid entered the nestbox. It looked like she would be doing another all-night sitting, but will it result in an egg? We shall see. Goodnight all.

Utica Peregrine Falcons Update for Thursday, March 30^th, 2023

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7CciaBqCFnI

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sfls4W-O9co

The overnight was very cold with temperatures in the mid-20s. About an inch of snow fell in the evening and was still there in the morning. Our PTZ 2 camera was coated with ice and we were unable to use it to see the nest box. Thankfully, all the other cameras were working fine. Astrid spent the night in the box. However, she did not lay an egg. Regardless of whether there was an egg on the scrape or not, the pair did a practice incubation switch at 4:09 AM. Ares came in and Astrid went out. At 5:36 Ares was inside the box and Astrid was on the State Building. The falcons did another practice switch only 5 minutes later. At 7:02 Astrid left the box. She either got food from Ares or she took something out of his pantry on her own. However Astrid got it, she took it over to the hotel and had it for breakfast. At 8:36 Astrid was on the State Building. Ares screeched to the nest box only to screech out again less than a minute later. They mated on the State Building and he returned to the box right afterwards. At 9:03 Astrid was at the box and she was vocalizing. Ten minutes later she was reclined over Ares’ mega scrape. It looked like she was on an egg but of course she wasn’t. At 10:06 Ares was in the box and Astrid was out of view. We couldn’t find where she went but no doubt Ares had her in sight. It is possible there was another mating on the State Building at around 10 48. Ares came to the box right afterwards.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8YA8yxjFbLo

At 11:05 AM both falcons seemed to be worked up about something. Perhaps there was an intruder in the canyon. Astrid was on the State Building and Aries was chirping inside the nest box. By 11:30 they had calmed down and were seen mating on the State Building once more. Just before noon Astrid came to the crossperch but she did not stay. At 12:20 PM we think there was another mating on the State Building but we couldn’t be sure of that. Ares came to the nest box directly after and was calling. Five minutes later he joined her on the State Building. At 3:02 PM Ares was in the box vocalizing again. Astrid was seen in flight flying over to the State Building. At 4:00 the Falcons were conducting another ledge display in the box. It featured a lot of beaking. Ares left after ten minutes. At 4:33 they were dancing again. At one point during the display, Ares walked in a complete circle around Astrid. This dance also featured a lot of beaking behavior. He left after five minutes. At 5:52 Ares brought food to the nestbox. Astrid seemed like she was interested for a moment but then opted not to take it. She flew out and then he left. Astrid went over to the hotel and sat in the sun for a little while. Ares went to the State Building where he could keep an eye on her. At 6:06 Ares returned to the nest. Ten minutes later Astrid moved to a steeple perch. She came to the nestbox at 6:28 and Ares went to the State Building. The falcons conducted yet another ledge display at 6:42. When it was over Ares returned to the State Building and Astrid remained at the nest box acting like she was considering laying an egg. She is still at the box at 8:30 as I do this writeup. Goodnight falcons.

Little Falls Falcon Update: Anna laid her 2^nd egg at 8:19 AM – approximately 60 hours after laying egg # 1. Good job, Anna!!

Utica Peregrine Falcons Update for Wednesday, March 29^th, 2023

The weather was all over the place today. The overnight was cold with temperatures in the mid 20s. By afternoon it had warmed up to 50 degrees and the sky was partly sunny. Wind increased in the afternoon making life more difficult for people, if easier for falcons. Rain turned to snow in the evening and temperatures dropped into the 30s. Astrid spent most of the night in the nestbox. She left at 2:54 AM but then returned to the crossperch only ten minutes later. At 5:09 Ares arrived at the nestbox and Astrid took it as her cue to leave. Both falcons were on the State Building at 5:50. At 6:00 Ares came to the box with a Woodcock. He spent some time plucking it while he patiently waited for Astrid to come over and take it. To our disbelief, at 6:26 Astrid did come over and take it from her mate. She flew over to the hotel with it and started picking at it. To no one’s surprise she soon gave up and abandoned it on the hotel ledge. She was back on the steeple a few minutes later. The falcons mated there at 6:30 after which Ares returned to the nestbox

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

At 7:27 AM both falcons were at the nest area. Astrid was on the east veranda perch and Ares was inside the box. She was bowing and asking to mate. There may have been a mating at that point, but if there was, we didn’t see it. At 9:46 the falcons were partaking of a ledge display in the nestbox. Ares was gone 6 minutes later. After he left Astrid worked on her scrape in the middle of the box. At 10:17 both falcons converged at the box again for another ledge display. After 7 minutes Ares was out. Astrid spent some time in the box and we wondered if she was going to lay her first egg but at 11:45 she went to her steeple perch instead. At 2:47 PM Astrid was on the State Building and Ares was in the nest box. At 4:30 the falcons had another ledge display at the box. Ares was out eight minutes later and Astrid remained to do some work around the nest. At 5:10 Astrid was out of the box. At 5:23 Ares came to the nest and was giving chirping calls. We don’t know if that had anything to do with an intruder in the canyon. The falcons mated on the west veranda at 5:30 PM. Ares was on the State Building right after that. At 6:18 Ares came to the nestbox and Astrid left. She flew directly over to the State Building. By 6:45 it had become exceedingly rainy and windy. Ares was on the State Building and remained there until 7:18. At 7:39 Astrid arrived on the crossperch and from there she hopped into the box. It seemed like she was going to do a sitting. Perhaps tonight is the night for the first egg?! By 8:00 it had gotten much windier and rainier. By evening the rain was turning into snow. Our PTZ 2 camera was immediately obscured by ice. Goodnight Falcons.

Utica Peregrine Falcons Update for Tuesday, March 28^th, 2023

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=77SLv0vEbOI

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nYhM-JeBsbA

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=e1UNUyDA5N8

It was cold again overnight. The temperature was around 32°. We had partly cloudy skies throughout the day with a persistent wind. The high temperature in the afternoon was in the high 40s. Astrid did not spend the night in the box. She arrived at the nest at 4:14 AM. She sat on the crossperch until Ares came at 5:10. At that point, she flew over to the State Building. At 6:30 we could just make out with the PTZ camera that Ares was on the west face of the State Building. A few minutes later, we saw him dart out after a bird. Sure enough, two minutes later he came to the box with a freshly caught Grackle. He took it to the hotel for processing. At 6:54 when he was done, he took his prey to the box. When Astrid failed to come right over, he flew up to the State Building and to the ledge right next to where Astrid was perched. She came over and took it from him and then flew to the hotel. At 7:44 Astrid was on the Steeple and Ares was on the State Building. They mated at 8:15. At 9:39 the falcons were together in the box partaking of a ledge display. It featured lots of talking and very little beaking. Ares was out after five minutes. Astrid stayed in the nest for a while after the dance. At 9:45 she was making a new scrape in the middle of the floor. Meanwhile, Ares was on the same steeple perch where Astrid had been earlier. At 10:04 Astrid joined him on the adjacent steeple perch. For the next 2 1/2 hours the falcons bounced back and forth between the steeple and the box. At 12:37 PM they conducted another ledge display at the box. Ares was out five minutes later, and Astrid stayed on to do housework. Mostly, she was digging in the corners.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=O-NExPkv3Y4

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=875PT95HFLI

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HJkkXtvmS58

At 2:50 PM Astrid was on the hotel feeding. We think Ares dropped food off to her probably on the State Building or near the box. At 3 o’clock Ares was calling. We weren’t sure if it was related to an intruder in the canyon. At 3:25 I heard the vocalizations of Ring-billed Gulls, flying through the canyon. We don’t think the falcons were bothered by that at all and likely the gulls didn’t get very close to the nest. At 3:34 Ares was vocalizing in the box. We think it had to do with him seeing Astrid fly up to her steeple perch. At 3:44 they mated on the steeple. Both falcons were out of view at 4:10. Ten minutes later Ares returned to the box and Astrid to the State Building. At 5:42 the falcons performed yet another ledge display at the nest. Ares left after about five minutes. They did a practice incubation switch at 6:08 PM. At 6:28 Astrid came to the crossperch. She was asking Ares to mate but he didn’t take her hint fast enough and she left. After that Astrid was on Deb’s Perch for a while and Ares stayed in the box. I looked like he was trying his luck at laying an egg. That trick never works. At 7:34 Astrid was back to the box and Ares took the cue to leave. She stayed out on the crossperch for a while before coming into the box for a sitting. Maybe this will be the night she lays her first egg? We shall see.

Little Falls Falcon update: In Little Falls, Anna and Erie have been busy with the full spectrum of breeding behavior. Anna laid her first egg Monday evening at 8:22. Congratulations to the pair! Once again, they are the early birds.