Peregrine falcons nest on the Canadian side of international bridge in the Sault

A pair of peregrine falcons have returned to the Sault Ste. Marie International Bridge this spring, where the birds have been returning for years.

In a news release Wednesday, the Sault Ste. Marie Bridge Authority said the falcons have laid four eggs in a nest box.

“But they may have changed their citizenship, the release said.

“This year, the raptors set up house on the Canadian side of the span.”

Karl Hansen, bridge engineer for the International Bridge Administration, said it’s not known if it is the same pair that has nested on the bridge between the U.S. and Canada for years.

Nest boxes for the peregrines have been installed on the bridge since 2010, placed at locations that had evidence of past nesting activity.

“Last year, the resident pair of peregrine falcons hatched two chicks,” the Authority said.

“Over the years, the site has been great success, hatching 35 falcon chicks since IBA staff started counting the birds.”

Several years ago, the IBA added a video camera trained on the U.S. side nest box. The ‘FalCam’ live video stream, which has become very popular, is viewable here.

Normally, it offers bird watchers a front row seat for the seasonal activities of the endangered raptors, but this year it is showing an empty nest, since the falcon chose the Canadian side.

“We humans have no control over where these birds choose to nest,” Hansen quipped.

This year the IBA and the Michigan Department of Natural Resources will be monitoring the peregrines in collaboration with the Ontario Ministry of Natural Resources and Forestry.

Michigan lost its peregrine falcons in the 1960s and 1970s due to the use of DDT and other environmental contaminants.

Since conservation efforts started in the mid-1980s, the number of peregrines has fluctuated, but has generally increased since the 1990s.