Peregrine Falcon Nest Ledge, Bell Tower, Edmonton Live Cam

This camera on a high ledge of the Bell Tower in downtown Edmonton looks at a peregrine falcon nest shelter standing on a bed of gravel. Its wide lens takes in the whole covered ledge, from the louvred wall to the outer columns.

The Bell Tower is an office tower on 103 Avenue, opened in 1982. Peregrine falcons use tall buildings in place of cliffs, and Edmonton naturalists call the tower's upper ledges the most coveted nesting spot in the city. The birds build no nest, so gravel lets them scrape a hollow for their eggs. In Alberta the species is still listed as threatened.

A small grey shelter with a sloping roof and an open front stands against the louvres on the left, with feathers scattered over the pebbles. To the right, white columns hold up the overhang, and past the edge the city stretches to the horizon with a red CN sign on a nearby tower.