Over time, climbers have adapted their practice to the presence of peregrine falcons at climbing sites. The latter seem to have benefited from this care: year after year several hawks have hatched, grown and taken off.
Posted yesterday at 11:30am
Marie Tison The Press
“We’re certainly doing fine because we have baby hawks, although we keep parts of the site open,” observes Nicolas Rodrigue, a volunteer with the Quebec Federation of Mountains and Climbing (FQME) in area development and hawk monitoring. In particular, he is responsible for the Gros Morne site in Chaudière-Appalaches. “This is the best performance indicator there is, proof that living together works. »
The peregrine falcon is an endangered species in Quebec, although its population is on the road to recovery. When it comes time to nest, it especially likes the cliffs. In 2010, the FQME and the Regroupement Québec Oiseaux published a climbing wall management guide to protect raptors. “The FQME was avant-garde,” says Mr. Rogrigue, an environmental inspector by trade.
The right balance
The idea was to strike the right balance: not disturbing the hawk during the delicate nesting period while it engages in climbing activities. Over the years it became clear that there was no need to close down an entire site when a pair of hawks were courting and looking for a nesting site.
“By collecting data, we end up having an idea of the places where they will nest,” says Mr. Rodrigue. There’s always a page or two that they keep year after year. We are therefore putting ourselves in an observation mode to see which sector we are going to close as a result. »
PHOTO SUZIE BERGERON, FROM FQME FACEBOOK PAGE
A peregrine falcon watches over a climbing wall.
Both visual impairments and hearing impairments must be taken into account. At a distance it is minimal. In addition, a fall into the cliff can very well provide privacy and sound insulation. Studies have also shown that the hawk becomes more irritated by what is above the nest. For these birds, the threats come mainly from the sky: other birds of prey or crows, always ready to rest their beak on an egg or a hawk.
A gazebo on a wall might be more problematic than climbing under the nest.
Nicolas Rodrigue, volunteer with the Quebec Mountain and Climbing Federation
Site managers take all of this into account. So this year at the Weir crag in the Laurentians we decided to allow climbing on certain routes that we tended to close completely during the breeding season. On the other hand, we limit the height allowed: at a certain point, hop, we have to go down.
“If we completely close a wall, we might have more people who wouldn’t follow the instructions 100%,” Mr. Rodrigue estimates. There we close a sector for a while. When it opens again it will be cool, people will do the lanes. »
Managers have also developed areas not popular with hawks to offer additional options.
Inform climbers
Nicolas Rodrigue notes that website owners don’t all have the same view of escalation and the disruptions it causes. The Society of Outdoor Establishments of Quebec (SEPAQ) has a different mission than a private conservation area, a private owner has a different perspective. And then the hawks themselves have individual differences in tolerance. Some hawks take up residence in quarries and do not appear to be overly bothered by the noise and activity of these sites.
Site managers try to inform climbers as much as possible with on-site posters and social media posts. There is also a form of mutual surveillance between climbers. “There are many volunteers working on the construction sites. When they tell people to follow directions, the message comes across very well because they are locals, not someone from the Department of Natural Resources or a police officer. »
The FQME and local clubs make a point of letting climbers know when the falcons finally take off, usually in July or August. It’s a way to encourage troops for the following season.
Climbers might be busy coming up with names for the hawks: a little hawk named Mousqueton would be cute, wouldn’t it?
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