Hillary from Hilliard Road Bridge in Ohio has died

[Kris G.]

From CMNH Forum:

With a deep sigh and heavy hearts we regretfully report that our Hillary has died.

On Sunday while we were there, we were told by a lady who walks her dog there that she saw a dead peregrine underneath the I-90 Bridge on the east side of the river on Friday. This lady is a regular here and we’ve talked to her often—she’s looked at peregrines through our scope before, so we figured that she was pretty reliable. And we didn’t see Hillary at all on Sunday, although we saw one juvie (presumably Firework) at the bridge and Titan was up under the bridge through most of the day. In the evening, he was whining as he was perched across from the nest ledge. We tried to find out more from the lead that we had, including crossing the river to check the area where she was supposedly found, but didn’t even find a single feather suggesting she had been there. There was whitewash on the concrete wall nearby and on a rock below, but that didn’t indicate much, as the adults and juvies have perched on the fence over that concrete wall plenty of times.

And then on Tuesday while we were there we got one probable answer to what happened to her-- we saw a new banded female there, mostly staying up in the bridge, but interacting with Titan in various places without either one getting too close to the other. It was notable that this female later perched on an arch of the bridge over the river within the line of view of that spot where Hillary’s body reportedly had been, looking and bobbing downward, especially as people walked with dogs over in that area. So, based on what we know, we believe that this new female killed Hillary. Although the Trichomoniasis that Pirate had can be transmitted by mouth, we don’t believe it’s implicated in her death. We didn’t see the progressive deterioration with Hillary that we saw with Pirate—we saw her Wednesday and she was fine, supposedly the immune systems of adults make them less likely to contract the virus, and the evidence points to a more sudden death following a battle.

We have been able to confirm 3/4ths of the band combination, so we’re about 98% sure we know who the new female is, but we’ll await 100% confirmation to post it here.

As for Hillary, the reason I referred to her as “our� Hillary above is because she’s nobody’s bird, yet also she’s also everybody’s. We never knew where she came from, no one can say that they ever saw her as a chick at a banding, and she likely was never held in human hands. We only know her age because we had the pleasure of getting to see her in her juvenile plumage when she first came into contact with Hilliard’s Buckeye—she’s nobody’s bird because she has been strong and independent as peregrines are as long as we’ve known her. Yet she’s everybody’s bird in that during her nine year life all who have observed her whether in person or through reports and photos have gained something from the experience. We’ll miss her dearly.

 

[Dumpsterkitty]

Damn!  Some years just...%^*(^%!!! 

[Donna]

Shoot, this bites. 

[Penelope99]

And Hillary is the mother of our Spirit, the female of University of Montreal. Very sad news!!!!

[jeanne]

Oh no!!!  Chris S. who takes those beautiful pictures of the Ohio falcons recounted how tender Hillary had been with baby Pirate who was so ill-- trying to coax him and feed him.  Now this.

Fly free, sweet beautiful girl, with your baby and beloved Buckeye.

[Carol P.]

"As for Hillary, the reason I referred to her as “our� Hillary above is because she’s nobody’s bird, yet also she’s also everybody’s. We never knew where she came from, no one can say that they ever saw her as a chick at a banding, and she likely was never held in human hands. We only know her age because we had the pleasure of getting to see her in her juvenile plumage when she first came into contact with Hilliard’s Buckeye—she’s nobody’s bird because she has been strong and independent as peregrines are as long as we’ve known her. Yet she’s everybody’s bird in that during her nine year life all who have observed her whether in person or through reports and photos have gained something from the experience. We’ll miss her dearly."

It cannot be said much better than this.  To "know" these beautiful creatures is such an honor. 

Fly Free Beautiful Hillary.  You will be missed, but never forgotten.