WESTMINSTER, Colo. — For the past two decades, passersby in the area of Legacy Ridge Golf Course might have noticed one of the City of Westminster's most unique residents: an almost completely white hawk.
The beautiful bird's inherited coloration made him instantly recognizable, though he wasn't completely white: He had a black patch on his head — and three red tail feathers.
He was beloved among bird-lovers and photographers. Over the years, he was often in the company of his longtime mate in the area of West 104th Avenue and Sheridan Boulevard, according to the Westminster Police Department (WPD).
This past weekend, the iconic white hawk passed away, WPD said.
On April 18, 2008, the hawk made news when he was hit by a golf ball on Legacy Ridge Golf Course. The incident shattered his left wing, and he was taken to the Birds of Prey Foundation in Broomfield and put into the care of veterinarian Dr. Lee Eggleston.
"He's not an albino," Eggleston said in June 2008. "He's an albinitic (or almost albino) hawk. The odds against that are about one in 30,000."
Eggleston said he and his colleagues called the raptor "My Hawk" because everyone who came into the foundation asked, "How's my hawk doing?"
"My Hawk" did very well. In September 2008, he was returned to the golf course and released. He reportedly flew a hundred yards to a stand of trees and perched for several minutes. The hawk's nest was near the 14th hole.
"He'll find his mate again," said Sigrid Ueblacker, director of the Birds of Prey Foundation at that time. "He knows right where he is. This is his home."
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