This text is taken from the Courrier de la Planète. Click here to subscribe.
On the Web, many people these days watch live the nest box of the falcons of the University of Montreal, which has taken up residence for several years now at the top of the tower of the Roger-Gaudry pavilion. The couple of raptors are currently incubating four eggs, good news for a species that was virtually wiped off the map in Quebec a few decades ago.
The female peregrine falcon, named “Eve”, laid her eggs between April 16 and April 23, and the falcons are expected to be born somewhere between May 20 and May 24. It can therefore be observed 24 hours a day in full brooding, while the male is mainly busy bringing him food, including pigeons.
The latter, called “Miro”, nevertheless incubates a few hours a day, specifies Ève Bélisle, research associate at the École polytechnique de Montréal. It was she who discovered by chance, in 2007, the presence of peregrine falcons at the top of the tower of the Roger-Gaudry pavilion. She therefore convinced the University of Montreal to install a birdhouse (a simple wooden box with gravel) which has now been used since 2009.
We were going a long way. The species had completely disappeared from southern Quebec in the early 1970s.
While it is difficult at this time to predict the pair’s reproductive success for this spring, over the years around 30 falcons have been born at the top of the tower, which has so far hosted two breeding females. On the Web, we can therefore find video extracts where we can see the adults feeding their young, an extremely rare incursion into the daily life of this species accustomed to nesting in height, for example on cliffs.
As for the young people born on the grounds of the Université de Montréal, we cannot always know what became of them afterwards, even if they are all provided with a ring to identify them. Some nested in the Turcot interchange area and one of the young falcons was found injured in New York State and later released, explains Ms.me Belisle.
One thing is certain, every spring, as we can see these days, the period of reproduction of these falcons arouses interest. The Facebook page dedicated to them has more than 10,000 subscribers. And on YouTube, there are thousands of views for the laying of each egg, or even for certain “meals” of the falcons.
Return of the raptors
The fact of being able to observe peregrine falcons at the University of Montreal, or in other urban sites, notably in Quebec, would have been unthinkable just a few years ago. “We were going a long way. The species had completely disappeared from southern Quebec in the early 1970s,” explains Pascal Côté, project manager at the Nature Conservancy of Canada.
In the past, the peregrine falcon has indeed been decimated, mainly due to the massive use of DDT, a highly toxic pesticide that has caused chronic reproductive problems in these birds. And even though DDT was banned in Canada in 1972, the situation of the peregrine falcon remained critical for several years, in particular because of the persistence of the pesticide in the environment.
The first inventories carried out in Quebec, in the St. Lawrence valley, indicated for example that the species was, so to speak, wiped off the map, before it began to gain a few rare breeding pairs in the 1990s.
The numbers of these raptors ended up increasing, in particular because of their ability to adapt to urban environments. “Birds have shown resilience and adaptability, including rapid expansion into cities where they take advantage of urban nesting sites and prey,” noted the Committee on the Status of Endangered Wildlife in Canada (COSEWIC). in a 2017 assessment that listed the species as Not at Risk.
“The situation of the peregrine falcon is a good example of the fact that if you pay attention to a species, you may be able to restore its population. In this case, stopping the use of DDT changed everything, and then the reintroduction and conservation measures did the job,” emphasizes Pascal Côté.
In a report produced at the request of the Government of Quebec and published in 2022, it is pointed out that “after having experienced a good increase in its numbers and a slowdown more recently, the peregrine falcon is on the way to recovery”.
It is added that this species arouses great scientific, ornithological and photographic interest, in particular because of its hunting skills: in a dive, the falcon can reach a speed of more than 300 km/h. “Furthermore, given its position at the top of the food web, it is a good indicator of habitat quality. »
Although its situation has greatly improved in Canada, the species still faces certain threats, including collisions with power lines, cars or building windows, disturbance by climbing (the falcon often nests on the side of cliffs) or hikers, as well as wind turbines.