Nature center mourns loss of Rocky, its animal ambassador

Rocky, an American kestrel who was an animal ambassador the past 15 years at the Effie Yeaw Nature Center in Carmichael, has died.

The small falcon came to the nature center in 2002 from the California Foundation for Birds of Prey, where he was taken for rehabilitation after he fell from his nest, according to a nature center email. When it was determined that Rocky could not return to the wild, the nature center offered him a home.

Rocky spent his time at the nature center as an animal ambassador, helping visitors learn about raptors and their place in the ecosystem.

“Rocky was a wonderfully social bird and a staff, volunteer and visitor favorite. He will be missed and well-remembered for a long, long time,” the nature center said in the email.

This story was originally published July 14, 2017 at 8:46 AM with the headline "Nature center mourns loss of Rocky, its animal ambassador."