With Great Sadness

We say goodbye to another special bird. Hershey, our peregrine falcon, succumbed to natural causes and passed away September 13th, 2002. Hershey came to us in 1992 after being found injured in Arizona. He was a mature male (tiercel) who had flown into a power line and dislocated the tendons and ligaments of the elbow in his left wing. Unable to fly ever again, he became a member of our education team and an ambassador for his species, reaching over 125,000 people annually through OWL talks and programs.

We called him Hershey because of his dark brown eyes. He was an intelligent bird. He flapped his wings and squawked at television or hand-held cameras. We always teased the reporters about him being a camera hog. But what he was really doing was reacting to the sight of his own reflection in the lens he thought he was seeing another peregrine. Peregrines can dive at speeds up to 210 mph. They are also called the duck hawk. They began nesting in downtown KC in 1997.

Hershey was used to introduce the peregrine falcon restoration program that was started by Kansas City Power and Light in 1991 and 1992. Over the next two years, 24 fledgling peregrine falcons were released in the downtown area. We would take Hershey to schools and teach kids about peregrines, the reintroduction program, endangered species, and what uncontrolled use of pesticides can do to our environment.

He was a beautiful bird, graceful and regal. It's a shame he was grounded but he handled ' his educational duties with ease. We will miss him.

-Diane Johnson