WATCH: Baby falcons hatching atop Montreal tower
It's a joyous day for Eve, resident peregrine falcon at the Université de Montreal: her babies are hatching.
The event is being live-streamed Sunday from a nest box atop the 23rd floor of a tower on campus.
The first egg hatched around 7:40 a.m., while the second opened up around 12:50. There were still two eggs to go as of the early afternoon.
You can watch the other babies hatch in real-time here:
The nest box was installed in 2008 on the southeast side of the tower, facing the Notre-Dame-des-Neiges cemetery.
It initially played home to falcons Spirit and Roger, who successfully raised their young for the first time in 2009.
The pair that now occupy the nest are Eve and a male known as "M."
The tower makes for an ideal nesting spot for the birds, which like to make their homes on cliff faces.
Ornithologist David Bird says it's what makes cities so attractive to falcons.
"To them, the skyscrapers in the city of Montreal, and virtually every other large city in North America ... represent cliffs to these birds. They’re not buildings, they’re cliffs," he said.
Once the chicks hatch, they'll spend their time eating, growing, and eventually learning to hunt.
Life as a peregrine is unlike most other birds. First off, they are the fastest animal in the world, reaching speeds of over 300 km/h while diving through the air.
They hunt using what Bird called "the old fighter plane strategy, where they come out of the sun."
"They usually hit the prey in the head area with the hind talon."
Despite that spectacular speed, the chicks won't have an easy go at life outside the nest.
The name itself -- "peregrine" -- means wanderer. Once the chicks have enough strength and down feathers, they'll leave mom and pop behind.
They'll have find a place of their own, which can be challenging in a city like Montreal, which you could say is in a housing crunch for falcon digs.
"They’ve got to find themselves a territory, and the territories in these cities are limited," said Bird. "These birds do not like to live next to each other, and they’ll actually kill each other to get a territory."
What's more likely is that they'll wind up outside of the city, or even in another urban centre in North America.
Bird cited a study he and a team had done in the late 1970s, where they released about 50 falcons in downtown Montreal.
"None of them stayed in the city," he said. "One of them went to nest in Detroit, and another one went to nest in Winnipeg."
With files from CTV's Cindy Sherwin.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
Deaths of 4 people on Sask. farm confirmed as murder-suicide
The deaths of four people on a farm near the Saskatchewan village of Neudorf have been confirmed a murder-suicide.
Multiple bridges in Calgary shut down for police incident
Calgary police have shut down a number of bridges into and out of the downtown core as officers deal with a distraught individual.
Sunshine list: These were the Ontario public sector's highest earners in 2023
Ontario released its annual sunshine list Thursday afternoon, noting that the largest year-over-year increases were in hospitals, municipalities, and post-secondary sectors.
Why some Christians are angry about Trump's 'God Bless the USA' Bible
Former U.S. President Donald Trump is officially selling a copy of the Bible themed to Lee Greenwood’s famous song, 'God Bless the USA.' But the concept of a Bible covered in the American flag has raised concern among religious circles.
George Washington family secrets revealed by DNA from unmarked 19th century graves
Genetic analysis has shed light on a long-standing mystery surrounding the fates of U.S. President George Washington's younger brother Samuel and his kin.
Baby boom amongst nurses leads to maternity ward closure in Listowel, Ont.
The emergency room at Listowel’s hospital is open today, but come summer, their obstetrics unit will be temporarily closing its delivery rooms.
Humboldt Broncos bus crash survivor qualifies Canada for Paralympics in rowing event
Former Humboldt Broncos goaltender and bus crash survivor Jacob Wassermann has qualified Canada for a rowing event for the 2024 Paralympic games in Paris.
Krispy Kreme doughnuts coming to McDonald's in U.S., but not Canada
Canadians will be missing out on a sweet new partnership between McDonald's and Krispy Kreme, which will see doughnuts available at McDonald's locations across the U.S. by the end of 2026.
'We won't forget': How some Muslims view Poilievre's stance on Israel-Hamas war
A spokesman for a regional Muslim advocacy group says Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre's stance on the Israel-Hamas war could complicate his party's relationship with Muslim Canadians.