Man Saves Baby Falcon From Drowning In Fox River

The baby bird was struggling against a current, and a heroic man jumped in to save her from drowning, city officials said.

By Emily Rosca, Patch Staff

Jun 16, 2026 11:55 am CDT | Updated Jun 16, 2026 12:27 pm CDT

One of Aurora's four baby falcons was struggling against a current in the Fox River, near the Downer Street Bridge, when a heroic bystander jumped into action to save her. (Google Maps)

AURORA, IL — One of Aurora's four baby falcons was struggling against a current in the Fox River when a heroic bystander jumped into action to save her.

On June 11, Ed Bernal visited downtown Aurora for what he expected to be a routine haircut appointment. But as he rode his bike across the Downer Place Bridge, he noticed a group of people looking down at the Fox River. Upon joining the crowd, he realized a bird — who turned out to be Hope, one of the city's beloved baby falcons born this spring — was being pushed toward a wall by a current, city officials said in a news release.

After grabbing a towel and bucket from a prepared bystander, Bernal waded into the river, used the towel to grab the bird and put her in the bucket. He then swam downstream to reach a set of stairs to climb out of the river.

A group of community members drove Hope to the DuPage Wildlife Conservation Center in Glen Ellyn for a medical evaluation. Once back in Aurora, she perched herself on the south side of City Hall for hours as passersby attempted to guide her back to her nest and her mother, the city said.

It was Aurora Animal Control Officer Quentin Johnson who was able to lure Hope off her perch and transport her back to her family on the other side of City Hall.

Locals were first introduced to the falcon family in early April, when the mother, Vixen, began nesting in a crevice on the second floor of the exterior of City Hall. Having been fledged from a nest in Minneapolis, Vixen met Dave, an adult male peregrine fledged in 2020 from a nest in Chicago, and went on to lay four eggs, Patch reported.

Aurora launched an open nomination process that garnered more than 500 responses following the eyas' birth, and the top vote-getters became the baby birds' names: Aurora, Hope, Sky and Vern.

To commend their bravery, Mayor John Laesch will honor Ed Bernal and Johnson at Tuesday night's Committee of the Whole meeting, set to begin at 5 p.m.