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The paramotor would be able to save me long hours of scanning
the cliffs with binoculars and telescopes, in search of eventual
nesting sites for this bird which has been categorized as an
endangered species in Quebec. The first step was to explain to Eric Dufour of Paratour
the demands of my work to see if a paramotor was in fact a suitable
tool for such a job. After a single demonstration flight I could
just see myself busing buzzing around the cliffs of Quebec. I
needed a machine that was stable, easy to handle, possible to
launch within a short distance and most of all something I could
transport in my car all around the region. This machine catered
to all my demands.
The next step was to get my project accepted by my employer,
the Minister of Environment and Fauna of Quebec. With the aid
of a short promotional video, I was able to explain the advantages
of the paramotor in relation to my work for the government. Every
5 years, all the potential nesting sites of the pelegrine falcons
are visited and submitted to various methods of inventory, be
it ground survey, or observation by boat or helicopter. The latter
method, costing between Can $ 600-700 per hour, cast a good light
on the relatively inexpensive paramotor.
In viewing the photographic maps and potential nesting sites,
we separated those which would be inventoried by helicopter and
those by paramotor. Because many hours of helicopter were subtracted
which naturally saved lots of money, the Minister, in turn, allowed
me a budget of $5000 for the work by paramotor.
At the start of spring, I then took a course on paramotoring
which entailed about 5-6 weekend flights in in the company of
an instructor... And shortly thereafter I was hovering over the
cliffs of Quebec with a Topaze canopy and a 210 motor.
As a first task, I headed right for a site where I knew a
pair of falcons nested in order to test their reaction to my
motor on their territory. The birds reacted very well, meaning
that they took off as I arrived and then perched themselves in
the cliff while crying out. It was an interesting reaction for
me because it is much easier to locate a bird in flight rather
than perched or niched somewhere in the cliff. Numerous cliffs
were repertoried in this way.
Unfortunately, this year, no new nesting site has been observed,
no matter what the inventory method used. However, the word has
spread among the various department of the Ministry, that there
is a new machine which can replace the helicopter for the inventory
of other species. So I expect to be solicited for other contracts
in the near future. Meanwhile, it's not a bad life juggling between
professional demands and the pleasure of flying. |
