http://www.capitalpower.com/corporateresponsibility/environment/perergrinefalcons/Pages/default.aspxDo we know of this one?
In 1967, the last two known wild peregrine falcon nests in Alberta were built near the river in Genesee.
At this point, the birds were nearly extinct, but since the early 1990s, Capital Power’s Genesee generation station has been actively trying to maintain the province’s peregrine falcon population.
George Greenhough, who has been manager of land services at the Genesee site since 2007, said falcons have been nesting on the stacks since 1995.
“They’re attracted to these large industrial buildings because they replicate the cliffs along the rivers,” he explained.
“It’s kind of an artificial habitat in a way because there’s a lot of places to nest on these big industrial buildings.”
Greenhough added that falcons began nesting in an area that wasn’t safe for them, so a nesting box which was donated by Alberta Fish and Wildlife was established to attract the birds to a safer spot.
“We’ve been working with Alberta Fish and Wildlife or Alberta Sustainable Resource Development from day one on this nesting project,” he said.
In 2005, a remote camera was installed on the nest box. The internal camera was eventually upgraded to a live video stream that could be observed by the public on the Capital Power website.
Through Greenhough’s efforts, the quality of the feed was improved to HD and there are plans for another upgrade next year, which will ensure a smoother video stream.
The camera is installed each year before nesting season and taken down when the falcons migrate, which will happen in a couple of weeks.
The number of eggs laid in the nesting side varies from one to four each year.
The company bands baby birds that hatch at the site with primitive tracking devices that allow researchers to observe and understand the migration patterns of the falcons. While they are banded, the birds are also dusted for harmful parasites, such as mites.
“Banding them helps identify a bird in the future and it helps establish their travels throughout the province. If one is unfortunately killed, you can tell where it was born,” explained Greenhough.
“There’s more and more falcon cameras being established, so it helps identify where a bird starts out from and where they might go to establish their own nesting areas.”
Last year the company organized a release project on the banks of the North Saskatchewan River.
Before they learned how to fly, baby falcons were kept and fed in a cage overlooking the river valley for two weeks. The idea was that the image of the valley would be imprinted in the baby falcons’ minds and they would recognize it as their territory.
Eventually the cage was opened and, as the baby birds learned to fly, they used it as their base of operations.
“We’re making people aware of these birds and building the population back up by trying to do what we can to help them re-establish in the area,” explained Greenhough, adding that the Genesee station employees take pride in the work they’re doing.
“Personally, it’s very satisfying to see these things. It’s like little kids, you want to help them out as much as you can, but they’re still wild animals,” he explained.
“It’s something that, at the power station, everybody, not just me, takes a sense of ownership. Everybody really understands what a precarious situation it is.”
