Baby falcon to be born on 15th floor of Utica building: Astrid and Aries have first egg

Amy Neff Roth, Utica Observer Dispatch
·2 min read

Astrid and Aries must have spring fever.

Astrid produced the Utica peregrine falcon couple’s first egg of the spring at 9:25 a.m. on Saturday, a tie for the earliest date on which she’s laid an egg since 2014 when the couple started raising chicks in a 15th-floor nest box on the Adirondack Bank building in downtown Utica.

On average, Astrid begins laying eggs on April 1.

The Utica Peregrine Falcon Project sent out a statement on the egg, which can be seen in livestreams from the web cameras the project has installed in the nest box.

Astrid, a peregrine falcon, laid her first egg on Saturday, March 23, 2024 in her nest box on the Adirondack Bank Building in downtown Utica. Astrid and Ares, her mate, have been raising chicks in the nest box since 2014.
Astrid, a peregrine falcon, laid her first egg on Saturday, March 23, 2024 in her nest box on the Adirondack Bank Building in downtown Utica. Astrid and Ares, her mate, have been raising chicks in the nest box since 2014.

When will Astrid And Aries' baby falcon hatch?

Typically, Astrid lays at least four eggs over a week, according to the project.  The incubation period for peregrine falcons is about 33 days, so the eggs should start hatching in early May, according to the project.

Astrid and Aries, both estimated to be about 14 years old, first moved into downtown Utica in the fall of 2012, claiming it as their territory. They've raised 29 hatchlings since then, particularly good news for a species considered endangered in New York State.

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After Astrid laid the egg on Saturday, the pair faced a rough weekend with a winter storm on Saturday and an intruder at their nest box, whom Ares tried to chase off, but ended up letting Astrid, the larger bird, protect their nest. Another intruder showed up on Sunday, upsetting Ares who got Astrid to chase the intruder off.

Ares, a male peregrine falcon, takes turns guarding the egg laid by his mate Astrid on Saturday, March 23, 2024 in a nest box on the Adirondack Bank Building in downtown Utica. Typically Astrid lays at least four eggs over the course of about a week.
Ares, a male peregrine falcon, takes turns guarding the egg laid by his mate Astrid on Saturday, March 23, 2024 in a nest box on the Adirondack Bank Building in downtown Utica. Typically Astrid lays at least four eggs over the course of about a week.

Ares brought Astrid food twice on Saturday — she flew over to the Hotel Utica to enjoy her lunch— and at least twice again on Sunday. The two took turns brooding and/or guarding their egg but did leave it alone sometimes.

There are now more than 100 pairs of peregrine falcons, the fastest birds in the world, nesting in the state, about half in wild areas and half in urban areas or on large bridges, according to the project. Urban peregrine falcons like Astrid and Aries eat a variety of birds, but mostly prey on two non-native species, rock pigeons and European starlings.

Videos of Astrid laying her egg on Saturday can be seen here and here.

This article originally appeared on Observer-Dispatch: Utica peregrine falcons: Astrid, Aries have first egg in nest box