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The overnight was quiet with no feedings. The temperature was in the low sixties. Morning was warm and partly cloudy with temps reaching 70 degrees by noon. Afternoon was hot with a high of 80 degrees. The wind did give some relief. Astrid was on the steeple until late last night and Ares was on the north face of the State Building. At some point she came to the nest. At 3:20 AM we noticed that it was Ares guarding the nest from the crossperch and she had taken a perch on the hotel. She was probably hunting. By 5:00 she had moved to the State Building. At 5:27 the parents switched, Astrid came to the nest to check on the chicks and Ares flew off into the canyon. At 5:29 Astrid found a chunk of food in the box and started feeding it out to the nestlings. Likely that hunk had been stolen by one of the chicks during an earlier feeding. At 5:46 Astrid was on the steeple. At 7:21 Ares brought prey to the nest. Astrid took it and carried out a feeding. Since the male chick was being fed first, the female tried biting off pieces of food for herself. It wasn’t working that well and so she soon reverted to letting Astrid feed her. The meal was over by 7:32. Thirty minutes later Astrid was on the east veranda. At 8:26 Astrid came to the nest with food. She proceeded to feed it to the nestlings. The feeding was over at 8:36 and Astrid went out onto the crossperch. As it happened, she was in the firing line of one of the chicks. Astrid collected some whitewash on her wing but seemed to take it in stride.

By 8:48 AM Astrid was up on the roof of the nestbox. It was unlikely that anyone was going to be in that office on a Sunday, so her intention was more precautionary that reactive. At 9:22 Ares came to the box to do a chick check. The nestlings immediately began squealing. At 9:34 both parents were in guard positions at the box. He left at 10:10 and she went back up on the roof of the nestbox. At 10:44 we heard Ares screeched through the canyon. Did he have prey? If so, he wasn’t showing up at the nest with it. A few minutes later one of the chicks was giving an insistent cackle call. Astrid came to the crossperch to see what was happening. At 11:53 Astrid was once again on the roof of the nestbox. Ares then screeched to the long perch and Astrid took off. At 12:16 PM she was back on the steeple. A few minutes later he came to the nest and got the chicks really squealing.  At 12:19 Ares was trying to come into the box but one of the chicks kept biting at his bill and trying to get him to feed her. He came in only to leave just as fast. He did two more chick-checks just like that one in the subsequent hour. At 1:43 Ares brought a Black billed Cuckoo to the crossperch. Astrid blasted over to the box, grabbed the cuckoo and conducting a raucous feeding session. The meal was over at 1:53 and Astrid was out. At a few minutes before 2:00 both parents were on the steeple. At 2:30 they were cackling about something – probably a non-falcon intruder was traversing the canyon. At 4:00 Ares came to the box to do a chick check. He then stayed to do some shading. By that time in the afternoon the sun was flooding into the box and the temperature was close to 80 degrees. Twenty minutes later Astrid was in the box shading and then at 4:35 Ares was back on parasol duty. At 5:29 Astrid returned to the nest with prey. She conducted the feeding. Ten minutes later the meal was over, and she was out. At 7:00 Astrid was back on the roof of the box and the steeple after that. Ares brought more prey at 7:25 PM. Astrid grabbed it away, hopped into the box, and handled the feeding. This would probably be the last feeding of the day, but don’t quote us on that. Goodnight all.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=53vk62JNXKE

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

The overnight was cooler with some rain showers. Fog came in very early. Temperatures were in the low 60’s. Conditions remained mostly the same through morning with intermittent showers and cool winds. The afternoon was warmer, the rain stopped and the wind persisted. Astrid was on the west veranda for part of the night and then on the long perch for quite a while. Ares brought prey to the nest at 2:37 AM. Astrid took it and did a feeding. By 5:00 both parents assumed guard positions on the verandas. At 6:17 Astrid came to the long perch and got the chicks excited. At 8:06 Ares brought food. Astrid took it and started a feeding. Ten minutes later the meal was done. At 8:23 the chicks were doing some wing exercising. Their flight feathers continue to grow even as the white down still covers their entire bodies. At 8:25 Ares was on the long perch giving long calls and the nestlings squealed in response. At 9:11 Astrid brought prey to the nest. She hopped in and conducted the feeding. At 10:51 she was up on the roof of the nestbox. Probably no one would be in the offices today, but she wasn’t taking any chances. At 12:09 PM Astrid was on the upper steeple perch. By then it was raining a little harder and it had become much windier. At 12:12 Ares came to the box and once again he got the kids squealing. At 12:55 cackling calls from one of the chicks brought both parents to the box in a double hurry. Astrid left after a moment, but Ares stayed in the box to get screamed at by one of the chicks at point blank range. At 1:12 Ares brought what appeared to be a Virginia Rail to the box. Astrid took it and doled it out evenly between the two chicks. At 1:20 one of the nestlings bit at Astrid’s tail as she was leaving.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QNu6CeHsAmI

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=O17z7FCs88k

At 1:34 PM Ares came into the box to do a chick-check. Astrid did one at 4:00. Once again one of the feisty chicks bit her tail as she was leaving. At 5:23 Ares brought prey. Astrid took it and started a feeding. One of the chicks – we think the female, grabbed a chunk of food and took it to the side of the box, but wasn’t able to feed on it proficiently. She opted to be fed alongside her brother. When the main part of the food was done, Astrid recovered the stolen chunk and fed it out to both chicks. During the entire meal the nestlings were raucous and loud. After Astrid was gone, one of the nestlings backed up onto the lip of the box to eliminate. It seems a little early for that kind of behavior! At 6:00 PM Astrid went up onto the roof of the box again. But she didn’t stay there for long. She was on the steeple after that. At 6:47 Ares brought prey to the nest. Astrid handled the feeding. Ares went to the same steeple perch Astrid had been on earlier. In the nest, one chick was getting fed while the other watched Astrid’s tail bob up and down. And yes, there was some tail biting – it’s just too irresistible. That chick soon joined the queue and got fed. After the meal Astrid went to the State Building. The chicks settled down at that point – more or less. There was some more wing flapping and strutting around, but they ended up relaxing – one with its bill resting on the lip of the box, both looking out into the canyon. Will there be any more action in the evening? The answer to that is YES! Ares brought more food at 7:31 PM. Astrid appeared right away and soon got another feeding going. The chicks seemed more than willing to pack some more in. Goodnight all.

Little Falls Falcon Video:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vfbQgHXGSM8

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=r7P-7Ev4Yck

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PCHpD6lPHDI

The overnight was balmy with temperatures staying in the mid-sixties. After sunrise there were a few light showers in the area, it was overcast and windy. The temperature was in the mid-seventies by noon and the high seventies by mid-afternoon. Thunderstorms were in the forecast, but nothing more than a light rain fell on the region. Astrid was in and out of the nest area during the night. All in all, it was an active night. Ares brought food to the nest at 1:05 AM. Astrid took care of the feeding. She then brought another small meal to the box at 2:18. She came back with even more food at 2:37. That time it took the chicks a few minutes before they were interested enough to feed. By 5:00 AM Astrid was on the long perch and Ares was on the State Building. At 5:37 Ares brought prey to the east veranda. Astrid met him there, took the food, and flew off into the canyon. She then shot back to the box and did a feeding. Only one of the chicks was in line for this meal; the other was standing by but not vying and Astrid wasn’t trying to entice him. The chick that wasn’t feeding did a lot of wing flapping instead. At 5:48 Astrid left with the uneaten portion of the meal. Both parents were on the State Building at 6:08 and then Ares darted off to the northwest, probably after prey. At 6:55 Ares was back in the box. He picked up some food scraps on the floor of the nest and started trying to feed one of the chicks. Astrid burst into the box and attempted to take it away from him, but he jumped out of the nest carrying the scrap with him. At 7:46 Astrid was up on the roof of the nestbox – obviously anticipating people being in offices. At 8:40 Ares showed up with prey. Astrid hopped down to take it and conducted a feeding. At 9:00 Ares brought more food. Astrid took it, flew away, came back and then flew off with it once more. That time she likely went to store it. By 9:20 Astrid was back on the roof of the nestbox.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bCx9_CEqvN0

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YHat0WZlS8c

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ul1lkxn8NKY

The next feeding was at 11:40. Astrid had gotten the prey from Ares. Shen returned to the box roof once mealtime was over. At 12:10 PM both parents were on the State Building. Thirty minutes later Astrid was to the nestbox roof again. At 2:31 Ares came to the long perch for a chick check. The nestlings squealed when they saw him and then their excitement evolved into wing flapping. The presumed male chick was seen biting at his sister’s tail and then footing her (grabbing at her with his foot). This was the first time that behavior has been seen. The pair also did some beaking. At 2:41 Astrid came to the nest with food. She proceeded to dole it out to the eager chicks. At 2:55 Ares screeched to the nest. He hopped inside and tried to hand out some scraps from the floor (which appeared to be mostly feathers). He then spent an extended time on the long perch guarding the nest. At 4:00 Astrid came to the crossperch, and really got the chicks excited. They squealed and flapped. She then assumed her guard position on the box roof. At 5:21 PM Ares brought prey to the nest. Astrid grabbed it and did another lively feeding session. Increasingly, the nestlings are becoming interested in what happens in the world outside of the box. Their vision keeps improving and now they can track flying objects (mainly other birds and their parents) as they traverse the canyon. This evening both nestlings’ heads moved in sync as they tracked their mother flying by the nestbox. They also are beginning to see their parents coming from far away and they react by calling out and squealing. At 7:56 Ares brought prey to the nest. Astrid took it and conducted what would most probably be the last feeding of the day. By 8:45 PM Astrid was guarding the box from the west veranda perch. Goodnight falcons.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fj-beHw6UyU

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uZwQ_9gy6-U

The weather was mild overnight with temperatures keeping close to 60 degrees. After dawn skies were overcast and the temp hit 70 before noon. The day was windy and pleasant although the afternoon high was close to 80 degrees. Astrid was in and out of the nest area throughout the night. She would be guarding on the long perch for a while and then gone and then back. There were no overnight feedings. Ares screeched to the box at 5:30 AM, but it was just to do a chick check, he brought no food. Astrid showed up seconds after Ares. She was likely expecting a delivery as well. Ares left when she came in. At 5:38 Ares was back and this time he had prey in his talons. Astrid took it and began a feeding. At 5:59 the meal was done, and she was out. Ares was on the west veranda at that point, and he moved to the long perch after Astrid left. At 6:31 Astrid landed on the west veranda. Fifteen minutes later she was vocalizing, making flights around the canyon, and buzzing the building. This was her reacting to people coming into offices. At 7:16 Ares brought prey to the crossperch. Astrid swooped in to take it and then she conducted a feeding. The meal was over at 7:33. Ten minutes later Ares was on the crossperch and just missed getting sprayed with whitewash by one of the chicks. At 7:47 Astrid was back up on the roof of the nestbox.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=r4jZFjzSL5E

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ex31gw9JzLs

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EaAvoH5cXNQ

At 11:39 AM Ares screeched to the long perch. He had done a few chick checks before this one. At 12:21 PM Ares brought food to the west veranda. She took it, flew around with it, and eventually landed at the nest. She then conducted a feeding that lasted about ten minutes. After the meal she went to the State Building. At just before 1:00 PM Ares came to the crossperch and stayed guarding for a while. At 1:30 some men were up on the roof on the bank building. They were working to repair the cable to our PTZ one camera. Predictably Astrid became upset and did some swooping and some hazing. This continued on and off for the next few hours. Unlike his mate, Ares became only mildly upset. He gave a few long calls while she let lose the full-throated cackle calls. He mostly watched what was going on from several different perches while she handled lion’s share of the hazing and swooping. At a few minutes before 5:00 PM Ares perched on one of the light poles of the roof of the Adirondack Bank Building and watched the proceedings at close range. At 5:10 everything calmed down. The roof workers had gone inside, and the parent falcons went to the State Building. They remained there of the next few hours. Meanwhile the nestlings lounged inside their box and managed well in the heat. At 7:15 PM Astrid came to the long perch and got the kids squealing. She left and then a minute later Ares came to the box and really got them going. The nestlings were well overdue for a meal by this point. With Astrid being so wary about the nest building, we wondered if they would get fed again before nightfall. At 7:22 Astrid brought some small food item to the nest. The eager chicks both tried to bite it away from her before they settled down and took what she doled out. They were obviously very hungry. While the feeding ensued, Ares stopped by with a cuckoo. Astrid sent him out and continued the feeding. She was done moments later and went out onto the crossperch. At 7:45 Ares came to the crossperch and got the nestlings excited. Astrid was perched on the State Building. She seemed in no hurry to go back to the nest. The chicks are getting close to wanting to name the two Utica nestlings. One is obviously a female and the other could be a large male or another female. We will decide soon regarding the names – most probably, we will ask for suggestions on the falcon Facebook page. Stay tuned and goodnight all.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IV5ruuiXaqE

Overnight temperatures were in the low fifties. The high for the day was in the mid seventies and the sky was partly cloudy right through the afternoon. Astrid spent most of the night around the vicinity of the nestbox. Ares brought prey to the nest at 3:36 AM. Astrid took the food and carried out the feeding. Ares brought another meal at 3:58. Once again Astrid handled the feeding. It was over in less than five minutes, and she was out. One of the chicks spent some time trying to something she found on the floor of the nest. It was the discarded leg of a songbird. After a few minutes of trying, she finally angled it just right and got it down. The chicks then both did some wing flapping (which is quite uncoordinated at this point). At 5:24 Ares landed on a west ledge with prey. Astrid met him over there, took the food, and flew off. We don’t know if she went away to eat it herself or if she stored it. Astrid was back to the east veranda perch at a few minutes before 6:00. At 6:48 Astrid flew out and then returned right away with the food. She then did a feeding in the box. At 7:45 Astrid was on the east veranda. We weren’t sure where Ares was at that point. He showed up on the long perch five minutes later. He was giving long calls and revving the nestlings up into a squealing frenzy. He then moved to the west veranda.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UtpF4DU7txI

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

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BL29S6KS84w

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=03C-_HUUG70

At 8:12 AM Astrid was on the roof of the nestbox, glaring at the office window. At 9:25 Ares screeched into the nest and started handing out food scraps to the chicks. He wasn’t there for long, but then he screeched to the east veranda with prey at 9:36. Astrid took it and flew off. She then doubled back and started a feeding. When the meal was over, she went back onto the roof of the box and back to peering at the office window. Ares made another food delivery at 10:21. Astrid grabbed it and began another feeding. At 11:15 Astrid was on the roof of the box again. At 11:29 Ares screeched to the nest – that time without food. Astrid was on an upper steeple perch at that time. At 12:19 PM she was back to the box roof and back to nest guarding position. At a few minutes before 1:00 she started cackling. She was facing the window at the time. Was she cackling at people in an office? At 1:07 Ares hopped into the box from the east veranda. One of the chicks gave him an over-the-top excited greeting. At 2:04 Ares was giving long squeaking calls and getting a real rise out of the nestlings. Both were crashed out on the floor of the box. One of them managed to give a baby cackle call while still completely sprawled out. At 2:11 Astrid arrived on the crossperch. It was her turn to get the chicks activated. At 2:52 she was on the roof of the nestbox once more. Obviously, Astrid was obsessing over what was happening in the office.

Other than the dark eye masks, the chicks now have feather shafts starting to visibly protrude from the ends of their tails and on the trailing edge of their wings. These are the modest beginnings of flight feathers and a subtle reminder to us that fledgling time isn’t all that far away. At 3:02 PM Ares came to the east veranda with a cuckoo. Astrid grabbed it, flew off, boomeranged back to the box, and did a feeding. At 4:14 Ares was at the nest. It had gotten quite warm by this point and the sun was flooding into the box. Ares started providing shade, but the chicks weren’t interested in taking advantage of it. One chick did a lot of yapping right in Ares’ face. He didn’t seem to mind. The nestlings were then in one corner and Ares was in the other. He moved the eggs and one point and gave them some shade. At 5:37 Astrid arrived on the crossperch, and Ares was out. She got the chicks squealing and then she left. Both parents were on the State Building for a little while and then they were out of view. At 6:07 one of the chicks was resting its bill on the lip of the box and looking out into the canyon. The other chick did some wing flapping. At 6:09 Ares screeched to the box and get the crew excited. More wing flapping followed. At 6:45 Ares brought prey to the west veranda. Astrid was on the box roof at the time. She launched off, grabbed the food from Ares at 100 MPH, darted into the canyon, zoomed back, plunked into the box and started feeding the chicks. The meal lasted about ten minutes. At 8:20 Astrid was on the east veranda perch and Ares was on the State Building. Probably no great amount of action will follow this evening. Goodnight all.