Fast facts:
- A pair of peregrine falcons successfully nested on the Sault Ste. Marie International Bridge, where the birds have been returning for more than two decades, raising three chicks on the U.S. side of the bridge.
- A live video stream of the U.S. side nest box is available at www.saultbridge.com/falcam.
- The Sault Ste. Marie Bridge Authority (SSMBA) heard updates on the falcons, bridge operations inspections, and maintenance activities at its recent quarterly board meeting.
SAULT STE. MARIE, Mich. and Ontario – It’s been another successful summer for the resident peregrine falcons at the Sault Ste. Marie International Bridge, with the pair of nesting raptors successfully raising three chicks this year. The Sault Ste. Marie Bridge Authority (SSMBA) heard updates on the falcons, bridge operations, inspections and maintenance activities at its recent quarterly board meeting.
Karl Hansen, bridge engineer for the International Bridge Administration (IBA), gave an update on the pair of peregrines in the U.S. side nest box. It's not currently 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 four chicks. Over the years, the site has been a great success, hatching 45 falcon chicks since IBA staff started counting the birds, Hansen said.
Several years ago, the IBA added a video camera trained on the nest box, the "FalCam." The live video stream, which has become very popular, is available at www.saultbridge.com/falcam, offering bird watchers a front row seat for the seasonal activities of the endangered raptors. The best time to view the birds is when they're nesting in the spring.
The peregrine falcon has been removed from the federal endangered species list but is still listed as a threatened species in Michigan, protected by state and federal law. While they historically nested on cliff faces in Michigan, peregrines have adapted well to city habitats, nesting on tall buildings, smokestacks, bridges and other man-made structures around the world. A Michigan Department of Natural Resources (DNR) banding program, which tracked the migration and dispersal of peregrines, was discontinued last year.
In Canada, peregrine populations have also increased in recent years. Federally, the species is designated "not at risk" in Canada, except for one subspecies listed as of "special concern" on the federal Species at Risk Act.
At its May 22 meeting, the SSMBA board of directors also heard reports on:
- The annual International Bridge Walk: Planning is underway for the annual event set for June 28, 2025, sponsored by the chambers of commerce in Sault Ste. Marie, Ontario and Michigan.
- Inspections: The federally mandated routine underwater inspection for five of the bridge’s Canadian piers is scheduled for mid-June. The inspection has been delayed several times and is now one year overdue. The IBA has been working to resolve schedule conflicts with the hydroelectric power plant in order to allow divers to inspect the piers, which are situated within the power canal.
- Maintenance: IBA maintenance staff will continue working on routine maintenance (RM) list items from a 2023 detailed inspection report. In addition to RM work, IBA maintenance staff will clean and paint the bridge’s green pedestrian rail, perform spot painting on the U.S. arch, repair a gusset plate, and apply a friction surface coating on part of the Canadian bridge approach and the U.S. approach.
