A happy, healthy and feathered baby arrived recently at an Ontario hospital to a pair of rare peregrine falcons nesting atop Lakeridge Health in Oshawa.
Engineering staff noticed the birds — and their egg — while doing roof work atop the hospital.
The baby falcon, believed to have hatched roughly one month ago, was discovered earlier this week, according to a statement from hospital officials.
“These birds are not seen very often,” said Lakeridge CEO Kevin Empey. “When we first noticed them, we alerted birding professionals because they track each one. And now they have a new baby to track.”
The female chick was named Salveo, Latin for “to be well” or “to be in good health.” She weighs 910 g and has been declared very healthy, the hospital said.
Peregrine falcons all but disappeared in much of their Canadian range after heavy use of DDT in 1950s. The population started to rebound after the toxic chemical was banned in the 1970s.
There are 84 breeding pairs of peregrine falcons in Ontario. Four chicks were born to another another pair in Windsor earlier this year.