Falcon-cam at University of Montreal captures first hatchling
Species still considered vulnerable in Quebec
One of the highly anticipated stars of the University of Montreal's live falcon-cam has made its first appearance.
After 40 days of incubation, one of the chicks hatched Tuesday night. Three more chicks are expected to hatch in the next few days.
The birds have their own Facebook page with more than 3,000 likes.
Spirit, the female falcon, has been nesting at the University of Montreal since 2009.
Record year
This has been a record year for peregrine falcon nests in Montreal.
Nests have been found on several bridges, the Turcot Interchange, the Stock Exchange tower and in the silo at the corner of Viau and Notre-Dame.
A pair has even taken up residence on a ledge at St-Marc church on the corner of Beaubien Street and 2nd Avenue.
Most of the birds are marked with a leg band, allowing researchers to track their whereabouts. Many of them are Spirit's offspring.
The species is slowly recovering after being decimated by the use of the insecticide DDT in the '50s and '60s. It was eventually banned in Canada in 1972, but the damage to the falcon population had already been done.
In the 1980s and 90s, 256 captive-bred falcons were released in Quebec.
To date, there are only 50 non-captive pairs in the province and the species is still classified as vulnerable.