Fast facts:
–  A pair of peregrine falcons successfully nested on the Sault Ste. Marie International Bridge, where the birds have been returning for years, raising two chicks.
–  A live video stream is viewable at www.saultbridge.com/falcam. The best time for bird watchers to see the falcons is when they’re nesting in the spring.
–  The peregrine falcon has been removed from the federal endangered species list but is listed as an endangered species in Michigan.

July 20, 2021 — It’s been a productive summer for the resident raptors at the Sault Ste. Marie International Bridge, with peregrine falcons successfully raising two chicks this year. One egg laid earlier this year did not hatch.

Karl Hansen, bridge engineer for the International Bridge Administration (IBA), reported on the pair of peregrine falcons that nested on the bridge between the U.S. and Canada. Nest boxes for the peregrines have been installed since 2010 on the International Bridge. Last year, the same pair of peregrine falcons hatched one chick. Over the years, the site has been a great success, hatching 32 falcon chicks since IBA staff started counting the birds, Hansen said.

The chicks, a male and a female, were banded by a Michigan Department of Natural Resources (MDNR) team on June 10. Color-coded bands attached to the legs of young birds allow scientists to track the movements, reproductive behavior and population growth of the falcons. (more…)