Urban Wildlife
The falcons resident on the new Champlain bridge are the latest in a long tradition of Montreal raptors
The falcons resident on the new Champlain bridge are the latest in a long tradition of Montreal raptors
There was a flurry of excitement in Montreal in June, when the spectacular new Samuel de Champlain Bridge opened to traffic. Not only did the graceful span bridge come in on budget (nearly) and on time (nearly), it is lovely to look at. For that and other reasons, it is a huge improvement on the crumbling iron bridge it is replacing, and that is due to be torn down in 2020. But before it can come down, officials have to ensure that all the old bridge’s unofficial residents have left.
Like many bridges in North America, the former Champlain bridge, spanning the St. Lawrence River since 1962, was home to countless birds. American cliff swallows (Petrochelidon pyrrhonota) in particular were drawn to the underside, where they could build mud nests in protected nooks, forming one of the largest colonies in the province of Quebec. Several peregrine falcons (Falco peregrinus), also drawn to cliffs to create their nests, had taken up residence on the bridge too, using retrofitted platforms to build their considerable nests. An abundance of wildlife nearby made for excellent hunting for these crow-sized birds of prey with acute vision, extreme speeds and amazing agility. With the transition to the new structure underway, the corporation that operates several of Montreal’s bridges brought in environmental consultants and ornithologists to minimize disruption to the birds during the construction and to help move them before the eventual teardown. The experts recognized the new bridge’s design was not going to be welcoming to the cliff swallows, offering few of the crannies that are so essential to them, so they had elements added to an adjacent ice control structure and bike path nicknamed the Ice Bridge. By the time the old Champlain bridge had been replaced, more than half the swallows had already decamped to the new setting. The transition went smoothly.
For the falcons, they get to move to the new bridge, and it is a bit like moving into a new custom-built home. Large protected, falcon-friendly platforms tucked away from most human access were designed with the wary and territorial raptors in mind (for the safety of the birds and unwitting maintenance workers). The locations are primarily over land, not water, to ensure the young fledglings’ (called eyases) first flights do not end in a drowning. While the process of relocation has begun, falcons are creatures of habit, with generations returning to the same roosting site (there’s a cliff ledge in Lundy, an island off the coast of Devon in the U.K., that is said to have been consistently occupied since the year 1243). There may be some returnees right until the moment the bridge comes down in 2020.
Montreal has an interesting history accommodating falcons. In a recent article co-authored with several international colleagues, Mcgill University professor emeritus and Canadian Wildlife magazine bird columnist David Bird (yes, it is his real name) recounted the tale of Scarlet, a groundbreaking raptor. In 1937, she and a partner were discovered nesting on a ledge on the 20th floor of Montreal’s iconic Sun Life building. The raptors were perceived as a curiosity and a nuisance (and occasionally a menace to building maintenance people), and people didn’t know what to do. For several years, the falcon returned to roost, and each time most of the eggs rolled away and smashed on the ground. It was in 1940 that someone had the bright idea of placing a box filled with sand to catch and cradle the eggs, for Scarlet to then incubate and hatch. As Bird et al. point out, this constituted “the very first recorded act of managing raptors in an urban setting!” Scarlet and three different mates returned there every year until 1952, rearing 21 young. Since then, peregrine falcon populations have increased in urban centres throughout North America and have extended to all year, thanks to warmer urban winter temperatures, abundant year-round prey, a scarcity of natural predators and helpful humans.
Urban raptors face different perils than their rural cousins. Bird cites a review of 160 peregrine deaths around North America that found that 40 per cent of fatalities were a result of building collisions, reflective glass being every urban bird’s mortal enemy. Also, fledglings often end up on the ground, exposed to traffic, predation and starvation. Other types of collisions, with vehicles, transmission wires or aircraft, all represent existential threats as well. Nonetheless, thanks to dedicated efforts of passionate volunteers, following in the footsteps of whoever it was who placed the sandbox for Scarlet’s eggs out on a ledge of the Sun Life building in 1940, peregrine falcons are thriving in Montreal, including the inaugural residents of the new Samuel de Champlain Bridge.