Peregrine falcon patriarch dies

SOUTH BEND, Ind. -- One of South Bend's prized peregrine falcons died on Tuesday.

The male, Zephyr, was found injured during the morning hours on North Lafayette in downtown.

The 13-year-old bird had been nesting here for nearly 10 years and was found on a sidewalk by bicycle police, next to a dead dove. He later died.

His caretakers think he was injured while hunting and accidentally hit a polce, ending a long run in South Bend.

"They showed up out of the blue in 2003, and they don't go away in the winter. They stay year-round. They have nested each year and raised a family and people just took them to heart. They are South Bend's birds," said Carol Riewe.

The falcon is survived by his mate, Guinevere, along with one female chick from this year's nest.