Equinox (Nox), a peregrine falcon whose life has been chronicled on a popular web cam feed, was released to the wild Friday, Oct 18, after suffering a broken wing in July. His release within the East Bay Regional Parks occurred roughly three months after his surgery and recovery at the California Raptor Center, a program of the UC Davis School of Veterinary Medicine.
Nox is among the peregrine falcons born to parents Annie and Archie, who nest atop UC Berkeley’s Campanile beneath a web cam that has been livestreaming the family to millions of bird-lovers since 2019.
“Everything went well,” said Michelle Hawkins, director of the California Raptor Center and a professor in the UC Davis School of Veterinary Medicine. “The bird can fly beautifully and it can hunt and eat its kill. To us, it doesn’t matter how famous they are or not. Every bird to us is as important as every other bird. But it’s so great to be at that point where you see them flying away.”
Young Nox was found in distress at the Berkeley Marina on July 3. He was retrieved from the water by Bay Raptor Rescue, transported to WildCare in San Rafael and transported July 5 to UC Davis Veterinary Medicial Teaching Hospital, where he underwent surgery to repair fractures in his right wing.
After surgery, he spent more than two months recovering at the California Raptor Center, receiving care from its raptor specialists and pre-flight conditioning from falconer and former California Raptor Center Director Bill Ferrier.
While the cause of Nox’s injury remains unknown, center staff note that veterinarians would have needed to euthanize a bird with this kind of wing injury 20 years ago. But technology and advances in veterinary medicine have made it possible for birds like Nox to fly free in the wild again.
“Orthopedic materials have made it possible to put together tiny little bones like what’s in your pinky finger. That gave the bones the structure that was necessary for Nox’s healing,” Hawkins said. “This bird is the bird that keeps giving. He has a satellite transmitter on now, and there weren’t any placed on Campanile fledglings before. We can’t wait to see where he goes. as he begins to define his own adult territory.”