It was another cold overnight period with temperatures staying close to 20 degrees. although, it did dip down to 18 degrees right around sunup. It was less windy and temperatures rose to 30 degrees by midday. Astrid spent the night in the nest covering the egg. At 3 40 AM Ares brought prey to the crossperch. It may have been a Woodcock. She scrambled over to take it and then dropped it. We did not see its recovery but somehow, she managed it and she then took it over to the hotel. After several minutes sitting out on the cross perch, Ares went into the box. This was his first sight of the new egg laid the previous evening. He stood over it but didn’t really look at it nor did he tuck it underneath him. At 4:02 AM Ares began squeaking like he saw his mate. She probably came over to the State Building although we could not find her with our cameras. Meanwhile, at the nest, he finally moved the egg, but it wasn’t until Astrid came into the box. They then did one of their hybrid ledge display-changeovers. He didn’t want to leave but ultimately relented. She then settled on the egg and tucked it beneath her. At 6:11 Astrid was calling in the box. Most likely she wanted to be relieved but perhaps was hungry and was asking Ares to bring food. A lightning-fast switch occurred at 6:35 and then it was then Ares’ turn to guard the egg. Only five minutes later Ares was up, and the egg was alone. Astrid came back to the box a couple of minutes later and tended to the egg. Ares was on the State Building by that point. They switched again at 7:10 and then Ares was back on duty. Obviously, incubation hasn’t officially begun yet and so the large gaps that occur when neither falcon is on the egg are not so worrisome.
At 7:15 AM we heard a mating take place – probably on the steeple. Ares returned to the nest afterwards, but soon he wasn’t paying attention to the egg. He began making excited high chirping vocalizations which meant that there was an intruder in the canyon. It was an adult male Peregrine. Almost immediately, Astrid and Ares were up and flying. Only a minutes later she was back to the nest. Twenty minutes later, the switched out and then Ares was on duty. He immediately devoted himself to watching whatever Astrid was doing and not paying much attention to the egg. At 7:49 Astrid was on the steeple again. They mated there moments later, and she came back to the nest. The next quick switch occurred at 9:11. He was not interested in doing much with the egg and came off it only moments after getting onto it. At 9:27 he dramatically screeched back and asked to guard the nest again. At 9:40 they mated on the steeple. This time he came back to the nest directly afterwards. The next changing of the guard occurred at 10:22 and that time it was Astrid’s turn. She spent some time on the egg and then concentrated on getting chores done in the box – things like digging in the corner, which is work that isn’t going to do itself. At 11:00 Ares was on the County Building – probably watching for prey. They switched again twenty minutes later, and she went to a steeple perch. At 11:52 we heard chirping calls. The falcons were doing a food transfer, but we didn’t know where it was happening. Minutes later Ares was located on a light pole on the roof of the bank. He was wiping his bill. Did the transfer take place up there? If so, that would be unusual. Astrid went to the hotel with her meal. Ares stayed on the roof until about noon. By then Astrid was finished with her meal. He flew to the box, and she went to the steeple.
At 12:27 PM Ares was perched over the egg – not incubating but guarding. A few minutes later he was up on the lip of the box. At a little after 1:00, Astrid came to the crossperch. She was vocalizing which made Ares very excited. He hopped over to the east veranda and the two had a conversation. A minute later both were flying. There was another intruder in the canyon. We heard distant alarm calls and then Ares stationed himself on his lookout post. Astrid was on a high perch on the north face of the State Building by that time. She came to the nest ten minutes later. At 1:35 a Turkey Vulture passed through the canyon moving south to north. Astrid watched it from the box but gave no alarm calls. The falcons switched at 2:06 and then Ares was on guard duty. He tucked the egg beneath him for a few seconds but then hopped out onto the crossperch. It’s not time for full incubation yet and, of course, they both know it. By this time, it was above the freezing point in the canyon and there was no fear of the egg freezing. There may have been an aborted mating attempt on the steeple during this period. We heard some calling, but not the chatter call that Ares gives when mating. At 2:35 Ares was vocalizing a lot, but Astrid wasn’t in view. We located her ten minutes later. She was on the hotel feeding on something significant. Did she catch it herself or was it from Ares’ pantry?
At 3:05 Astrid came to the west veranda. She had a full crop. The pair mated there a few minutes later. Ares then went to his pillar perch. At 3:20 he flew over to the hotel to finish Astrid’s leftovers. At 3:28 she got back onto the egg, and he went back to his pillar. He came to the nest a couple minutes later and tried to convince her to get off the egg. He was directly behind her and nearly stomping her tail and the tips of her primaries. She looked back at him and the conversed, but it was clear that she wasn’t leaving. After about five minutes he gave up and flew back up to his pillar. At 4:14 the falcons switched, and Ares took over at the nest. A few minutes later, they mated somewhere nearby. He returned to the crossperch directly after. Both were at the box at 4:45, but she quickly moved to the east veranda. She was asking to mate. Five minutes later they mated. She then hopped into the box and settled down on the egg. At 5:10 Ares arrived on a west ledge with prey. He plucked it and ate part of it before coming to the east veranda and offering it to Astrid. She accepted it and flew over to the hotel but was soon up again. She probably stored it on a pantry ledge. She flew back to the hotel without it and then darted to the longperch. At 5:23 she had moved to the west veranda. They mated there a few minutes later and he boomeranged back to his pillar. At 5:38 she began calling in the box. They switched twenty minutes later, and she went to the State Building. At 6:48 she few to the west veranda and they mated there moments later. At 7:25 PM as the sun was going down, Astrid was guarding her single egg and Ares was still on his pillar. Soon he would go off to his night perch. Goodnight falcons.
