Ranger and Hunter Still Rule the Mount Sinai Territory
August 08, 2013 - Toronto - Mount Sinai Hospital
Tracy Simpson Reports:
On Sunday, Bruce and I were out and about checking on Toronto nest sites and decided to pop in on the Mount Sinai territory. As many of you may know, this site has been in the talons of Ranger, now 12 years old from Rochester, New York and Hunter who is an Ohio male of 13 years of age. This pair have unfortunately never successfully hatched eggs since they began courting and mating at Yonge and Eglinton almost a decade ago. Even so, the pair has remained together and continue to control the skies around the Mount Sinai Hospital.
On Sunday, Bruce and I were treated to an up close version of the pair as they rocketed down Elm Street over towards the hospital. First Hunter arrived and landed on the low roof of the Toronto General Hospital. It wasn’t long before another falcon, this one an enormous flying fortess, came flapping up the street with a pigeon in her talons. Ranger! She landed three floors above street level on the east side of Mount Sinai and began to eat. Hunter, thinking this was a great idea, landed next to her and begged for a taste. That did not go over as well as he’d hoped. He tried to sneak in and grab a bite after patiently waiting for 15 minutes and Ranger simply turned sharply and knocked him right off the ledge and into the air. Brave man that Hunter trying to sneak a bite!! After feeding for about 20 minutes, Ranger attempted to cache the remains which Hunter was glad to take over to the Toronto General to eat.
It was great to see the pair and confirm that it is still Ranger and Hunter in the area. They are both very impressive birds to watch and it was a treat for us to see them at such a great vantage point. I have posted a couple of pictures and will post others soon.
