The bird’s beak caused so much damage that it forced officials to remove the Canadian flag from the 30-foot pole in Bertold Park last week. The area around the pole has been blocked for security reasons. “It was a remarkable milestone, but the time has come,” said Baie-D’Urfé Coun. Steven Gruber. “Unfortunately, this is the end of this era.” The pillar began its life as a spruce off the west coast of Canada more than 500 years ago. MacMillan Bloedel and Domtar Ltd. They jointly donated the pole to the Baie-D’Urfé and paid for its transportation, according to a narrative of the city’s history by Thomas R. Lee, mayor of Baie-D’Urfé from 1957 to 1961. The landmark is one of the tallest flagpoles in eastern Canada – so long as it took three railroad cars to carry it from BC. in Montreal 55 years ago, in time for Canada’s centenary celebration in 1967. CLOCKS Baie-D’Urfé’s Centennial flagpole destroyed by stubborn woodpecker
Historic flagpole of West Island destroyed by winged vandals
The future of the Baie-D’Urfé flagpole, originally a 500-year-old fir tree, is in jeopardy after attracting the wrong woodpecker. CBC’s Sarah Leavitt delves into the story. 1:49
Thanks to the woodpecker, says the urban ecologist
Barbara Frei, a researcher in urban ecology with Canada’s Environment and Climate Change, says residents should thank the woodpecker who alerted them to a possible insect infestation. “We may never have known that something was going on in the structural integrity of the pillar without this woodpecker doing a show,” he said. If there are wood insects around, woodpeckers will find them soon. The bird longs for bugs, such as beetles, ants and termites, and pegs only to feed or dig a nest. “There is no other reason to spend all this energy making a hole,” he said. “It grabs quite large insects that are inside, boringly far away.” Equipped with unusually long tongues that wrap around their brains to prevent puncture injuries, woodpeckers will feed on bugs whenever they find them, he says. Michael Eskenazi, who has lived in Baie-D’Urfé for 31 years, suspects the bird will be disappointed once the flagpole is replaced. “Things are rotting. Things are breaking down,” he said. “He will have to look for food elsewhere.” Eskenazi says he is surprised at how much damage a 25 cm long bird can cause, but does not point a finger. “We share this planet with many creatures who have their own habits and we must be able to live with them, and they must be able to live with us,” he said. Gruber said Baie-D’Urfé’s council would consider the extent of the damage before replacing the spruce pole with “something more environmentally friendly”. “We are not determined by the flagpole,” Gruber said. “The heart of the city is in the community we created here, working together, supporting each other.” “With or without a flagpole, this will continue.”
