Richmond sub-adult falcon found dead in Pennsylvania
We have received the unfortunate news that one of the falcons that fledged from the Richmond Riverfront Plaza nest in 2010 has been found dead. The bird was found by an Amtrak employee along the railroad tracks near Market Street in downtown Harrisburg, PA and reported to the Pennsylvania Game Commission on the evening of May 25th. Based on the bird’s condition, it was thought to have been dead for 2-3 days. The presence of head trauma suggested a collision with a building or other object as the cause of death. The site where the bird was found is very close to a territorial falcon pair nesting on the 15th floor window ledge on the Rachel Carson State Office Building. It is possible that the collision was the outcome of an altercation between the bird and the territorial falcons. The bird was a male and one of a brood of three hatched last year in Richmond. It was banded on June 1 and fledged on June 21.