Ambassador Bridge falcon nest gets a spring cleaning in the fall

A falcon nest in an automotive town got a tune-up on Thursday, as volunteers arranged for the cleaning of a nesting tray that sits on a ledge beneath the Ambassador Bridge in Windsor.

Cathy Greenwell, a volunteer with the Canadian Peregrine Foundation, said the weather was perfect for the task at hand.

Basically, the volunteers enlisted the help of a company doing work on the bridge to gain access to the nesting tray, so that it could be brought down to the ground and worked on.

"About every three or four years, the nest needs a clean-out,"she told CBC News in an interview on Thursday.

"In this particular case, we're also replacing the screening because it will get clogged through time and it prevents the drainage."

The tray is about a half-metre long and resembles an empty box without a lid. On Thursday, the screening in the tray was replaced along with some gravel.

The nesting tray was then returned to its usual location.

A pair of falcons named Voltaire and Victor were flying about the area as the volunteers worked on the nest.