Notre Dame & Birds of the Air

                                     Notre Dame Cathedral -- Common Kestrel (also found in Canada)

How lovely is your dwelling place, O Lord of hosts! 

My soul longs, indeed it faints, for the courts of the Lord;

 my heart and my flesh sing for joy to the living God.

Even the sparrow finds a home and the swallow a nest for herself

where she may lay her young, at your altars, O Lord of hosts, my King and my God

Happy are those who live in your house, ever singing your praise. Selah

                        Psalm 83: 1-4 NRSVue 

Here is more positive news related to the restoration of Notre Dame Cathedral in Paris, France. It hadn't occurred to me that this historic place of worship was home to birds and other species but it makes sense that they lived on, in, and around such a vast structure and that their habitat was destroyed by the fire of 2019. Enter BirdLife International and their partner La Ligue pour la Protection des Oiseauz (LPO.) 

In a time when there is so much gloomy news about the loss of habitat and biodiversity, world-wide, this is a good news and Good News story. After all, Jesus asked us to consider the birds of the air and flowers of the fields to counteract anxiety, so let's take it as gospel.

How wonderful that amidst the formidable challenge of restoration the "dwelling place" for creatures other than human was given respectful consideration. And if the lectern in the sanctuary can feature the eagle, symbol of St. John, along with a rooster atop the rebuilt spire, why not honour living birds? 

Another delightful tidbit about the cathedral restoration is that the "forest" of trusses was created from oak trees harvested from across France. These oaks were planted by jays who bury -- "squirrel away?" -- up to two billion acorns each year for food. Happily, lots of those acorns germinate and reforest the country. 

Here is a description of the creature-friendly endeavour at Notre Dame:  

An urban wildlife sanctuary

More than just a cathedral, Notre-Dame de Paris is an urban ecosystem. Its towering structure and countless hidden crevices offer a sanctuary to species that have adapted to the challenges of city life. The façade’s original openings, designed in the Middle Ages to accommodate construction beams, have become essential nesting sites for birds.

As Paris modernised, the cathedral became an important refuge, as other nesting and wildlife sites in the city diminished. The most common residents of the area include the Common Kestrel (Falco Tinnunculus) whose population across Paris has dwindled to fewer than 30 pairs and the House Sparrows (Passer domesticus), whose numbers plummeted by 75% in just two decades. But you can also find pipistrelle bats, a species of tiny, insectivorous bats.

The devastating fire on April 15, 2019, which destroyed a significant part of the cathedral, drove away much of the wildlife that had long inhabited its surroundings.

Fortunately, LPO was committed to ensuring Notre-Dame once again became a sanctuary for city wildlife. Since 2022, the organization has been working closely with the teams responsible for rebuilding Notre-Dame, integrating ecological considerations into the restoration efforts.

This collaboration included technical assessments to identify and evaluate potential nesting sites, along with proposals for habitat enhancements. Construction teams and artisans received training to recognise and protect wildlife during their work, while LPO naturalists conduct regular inventories of the species present on the site. Additionally, the Paris municipal government expressed its intention to designate the squares surrounding the cathedral as LPO Refuges, which is the largest network of in France. Thanks to six years of hard work with the LPO, the restoration has been carried out in a way that preserves access for birds and bats. Victor Hugo’s cathedral birds can now finally return home.