Rare falcon babies born on Mount Sinai Hospital roof are thriving

Mount Sinai Hospital is one of the top destinations for high risk births, and for a pair of nesting falcons, it was no different. The two chose to hatch their three downy soft baby falcons on one of the hospital's ledges. 

Tracy Simpson of the Canadian Peregrine Foundation said they recognize the new father as Hunter, a 17-year-old Ohio native who eventually flew to Toronto, but his mate is yet to be identified. 

Peregrine falcons are an at-risk species in the province. Only about 80 per cent of newborns survive. 

There are just over 40 nesting pairs in southern Ontario, according to Simpson. Toronto is home to three of the couples. She said the city has exactly what the birds need to raise their young: tall buildings with ledges like the cliffs they seek out in the wild and an abundance of pigeons to feast on. 

But urban life is no flight in the park for birds of prey. 

Simpson said that in order to feed, "they have to be very skilled. They utilize all of their skills to the best of their ability. They're going to use the buildings for the element of surprise, they're going to use their speed. Peregrines hunt in excess of 400 kms per hour per dive."

A Daring Rescue

Although only 48 days old, it seems that the girls are all too ready to spread their wings. One of the falcons fell into a window well and had to be saved. 

As security manager and fire marshal at Mount Sinai Hospital, Mark McCormick is always ready for unusual situations, but rescuing a baby falcon on the job was not something he ever expected.

"We're very comfortable going out on a limb for our patients. This is the first time we've had to go out on a ledge for them, but we're happy to do all that we can to help out our patients, whether they be two legged or two winged," said McCormick. 

McCormick said a staff member noticed the falcon on a canopy a few metres away from his head when he came in to work.

"We're not sure which of them was more scared," he said. 

'A bird of this stature'

Nonetheless, they teamed up with Simpson to extract the baby bird out of the pit. Simpson approached the falcon carefully so as to not startle her, eventually capturing and wrapping her in a blanket. The team then worked up an extraction plan to climb out with the bird. 

"It's the first time I've been able to get this close to a falcon," McCormick said. "The wings on this thing was almost a metre wide."

As a token of gratitude, the Canadian Peregrine Foundation is hosting a contest at the hospital to decide the name of the bird. Staff are invited to make their suggestion, but the name must befit a predator of the falcon's renown. 

"They have to go through a fairly rigorous vetting process to make sure the name is unique enough and symbolic enough for a bird of this stature," said McCormick.