A beloved peregrine falcon hatched atop UC Berkeley’s Campanile tower died this week of an unknown illness shortly after being released back into the wild following surgery for a broken wing.
Equinox, or Nox for short, was born to Annie, a falcon that nests at the top of the tower beneath a webcam that has been live-streaming to thousands of ornithophiles worldwide since 2019.
On Monday, the 6-month-old falcon was found emaciated in a Richmond resident’s yard and taken to a veterinary hospital at UC Davis for treatment, according to UC Berkeley News. The bird received a blood transfusion, but died on Wednesday. Veterinarians were still working to determine the cause of death.
In July, Nox suffered a broken wing in the Berkeley Marina and had surgery at UC Davis’ veterinary hospital. After rehabilitation at the university’s California Raptor Center, Nox was released at a shoreline park in the East Bay on Oct. 18.