Preliminary Results on Cause of Beauty’s Death
We spoke with a DEC biologist after the banding. A preliminary report ruled out avian flu. The cause of death was related to egg laying, but Beauty was not egg bound.
If we learn anything else, we’ll report it.
June 22nd, 2022 at 10:39 AM
Thank you. Interesting…I wonder what it could be? I’m not at all familiar with avian reproductive issues.
June 22nd, 2022 at 11:01 AM
Back in 2013 a female on Cobb Island died on cam while we were watching. She had been in a territorial fight earlier and was attempting to lay an egg.
The report said (and I’m putting the actual quote here so I don’t mess it up or misinform anyone):
“Dr. Rich Sim of The Wildlife Center of Virginia determined the falcon died from a prolapsed uterus but the underlying reason for the condition was undetermined. Further testing by the veterinary lab at the Southeastern Cooperative Wildlife Disease Study was inconclusive.”
This condition and being egg-bound are the only two – as someone who is clueless in avian biology – are the two potential issues I know of that can befall them.
June 22nd, 2022 at 11:09 AM
Thanks Kathy. That was the sort of thing I was thinking…prolapse or rupture. Still too sad…
June 22nd, 2022 at 1:57 PM
dID bEAUTY KNOW THAT dOT.CA was gone?..it sounds unbelievable but was Beauty’s passing to Dot.ca’s?
June 22nd, 2022 at 4:27 PM
She knew Dot.ca had not appeared to court her this spring and acquiesced to the courtship of a couple of strange males before she let “Neander” prevail. He insisted on the Powers scrape, but many of us felt she was never really committed to it.
That is why I said in another thread that she died of a broken heart. This was not what she was used to and she was old (in falcon years) and not up to fighting – her death could be considered a kind of ultimate capitulation.
June 23rd, 2022 at 5:25 PM
Hi Elizabeth! When I last saw Dot.ca this past winter, he and Beauty were very close, sitting on buildings just a foot apart at times. Where I saw her, I saw him.
Then the behavior of the tiercel changed, not acting like DC at all. I was even reporting the differences in my tweets. This tiercel was landing in spots that DC never did, attempting to get Beauty’s attention. Beauty did finally accept him, Neander I believe, although there was a 2nd tiercel hanging out nearby.
No one witnessed a battle between DC and another tiercel.
The Rochester Firefighters found DC on a building within view of the Times Square bldg. Beauty may have known he was there.