MOUNT SINAI
July 03, 2019 - Toronto - Mount Sinai Hospital
Marion Nash Reports:
Yesterday I got a call that there was a report of a peregrine on a balcony on University Avenue in need of a rescue with a possible injury. After coordinating with Bruce I headed down to see what I could find at the location. The site was just a few buildings away on the east side of University and after heading up to the suite, absolutely there was a juvenile falcon on the balcony. As I approached the windows, the tinting hiding my approach, I was able to get a good look at the bird without alerting it and it did shows signs of trouble with its left wing. I decided a rescue was in order. This is an inaccessible balcony that presented a challenge for a rescue. The security guard unlocked the door for me to get out to the bird. That was the easy part. I then had a one foot opening between a cubicle wall and an almost 4 foot high filing cabinet that would get me into the one and a half foot wide space between the back of the cubicle and the door to the balcony. Working on a farm I scramble up lots of things and into lots of weird places and so with the blessing of the tenants, up onto the filing cabinet I hopped and then lowered myself down into the gap. I didn’t want to spook the bird into the air and into trouble as it really needed to get looked at by a vet to be sure of its wing condition. I took a breath and put my hastily made plan into action. I walked out the door just plain as day and the bird was on edge. I quickly strode between him and escape to the air and he did exactly what I’d hoped. He flew over towards the corner and the rest is history. Into the carrier he went. It took a few minutes to extract myself from the gap and then off to the CPF Raptor Centre for a night of rest before a visit to TWC for a health check. I took him in this morning and I am awaiting results that I will share once I get them in. It is a little male and he is one of the Mount Sinai birds. Our goal is to assess him quickly, make a well organized plan for care and get him back to his family as quickly as possible. The longer he is gone the further behind he gets in his training. One excellent thing of note is that he is an absolute tiger. His attitude is not typical of the boys where once caught they tend to surrender. Not this one!! He bit out and lashed out all the live long day. He attacked the towel, the carrier and me and that is exactly how he needs to be in the peregrine world. More to come tomorrow, let’s all wish him well.