Goodbye, friend

In July of 2023, birders in and near Prince Edward Island were excited to find an exotic visitor had landed in their midst - a Crested Caracara! It had no business being anywhere near Atlantic Canada, as it usually hangs out in Central and South America, and nobody knew just how it got there. Over the next few weeks, people excitedly reported sightings around the island and posted photos, but as weeks turned into months, and it became apparent the bird with the toupee-like mane wasn’t going anywhere, concern grew that it would not make it through the brutally cold winter.

To everyone’s surprise, the visiting Crested Caracara did indeed survive the winter, and seemed to be thriving. Island residents and visitors continued to be delighted by its presence throughout 2024. I have a soft spot for Crested Caracaras. I was lucky enough to see and photograph several of them on my 2023 Aruba trip, and just found them so full of personality (and I always love a bird with a fun hairdo). Whenever someone asks about my favourite bird species, the Crested Caracara is always jockeying for top spot on my list.

Here are a few Crested Caracara photos I took on my trip:

I really do love the toupee.

Since it had made it through one rough winter, I assumed the hardy bird would power through another one.

I just read on the PEI Birding group that the Crested Caracara was found deceased and picked up by a Conservation Officer today. I won’t lie - the news kind of gutted me. I realize I am probably sadder than I should be about the death of a wild bird, but here we are. If only the PEI Caracara could know the immense joy it brought so many people by just hanging out and doing birdy things in a new neighbourhood.