Put me on that wind he rides... http://www.nytimes.com/2004/12/09/n...=803505928b09bd6f&ei=5090&partner=rssuserland -- Newly Homeless Above 5th Ave., Hawks Have Little to Build On By THOMAS J. LUECK A day after his nest was removed from the facade of a Fifth Avenue co-op building, the intrepid red-tailed hawk known as Pale Male tried to rebuild yesterday, carrying mounds of twigs from Central Park in what experts said might be a futile attempt to reclaim his home of 11 years. "This looks like a Sisyphean task," said Adrian Benepe, the city's parks commissioner, who was one of dozens of people who stopped by the edge of the park at East 74th Street yesterday to watch Pale Male and his mate, Lola. Despite the hawks' instinctive nest building, he said, their twigs would probably blow away because a network of steel spikes that held the previous nest in place had also been removed. With the fate of the red-tailed hawks uncertain, federal officials said yesterday that the co-op at 927 Fifth Avenue, where Pale Male has occupied a 12th floor cornice since 1993, was authorized to remove the nest, despite the angry recriminations from naturalists and bird watchers. A lawyer for the co-op, Aaron Shmulewitz, said in an interview that the nest had been taken away on the advice of the building's engineer, who concluded that it violated city health and safety laws. But a spokeswoman for the Department of Buildings, Ilyse Fink, responded with skepticism. "They are trying to use city regulations as a rationale," Ms. Fink said. "If there was a valid public safety concern, we wouldn't say, 'Take the nest down.' We'd say, 'Make it safe.' " Late yesterday, about 25 people gathered across Fifth Avenue from the co-op building for a vigil called by the local chapter of the Audubon Society. They called on its residents to return the hawks' nest to its roost. "We have gotten a tremendous amount of e-mails from people who want to see the nest brought back," said E. J. McAdams, executive director of the group, New York City Audubon. "We thought this was the most expedient thing to do," he said, adding that the group had "very little success getting through" to the co-op's board or residents. "Pale Male is an ambassador of the wild in New York City," Mr. McAdams said. "We would like to see the building have a change of heart." When he arrived at the building in 1993 and built his nest, Pale Male brought an unlikely wildlife habitat that attracted bird lovers from around the world. The sight of a brightly colored hawk with wings that span more than four feet presiding over a nine-foot-wide nest in the middle of Manhattan was one hard to duplicate. And Pale Male became a celebrity. The subject of a book and public television documentary, he sired 23 youngsters from the nest that was removed on Tuesday, and became "the most famous red-tailed hawk in the world," Mr. Benepe said. But some residents of the building have long been known to consider the huge hawks, which prey on pigeons and rats, a nuisance. Mr. Shmulewitz said yesterday that the hawks had brought "torn and bleeding animal carcasses" to the building's roof and sidewalk. Until recently, the nest was protected by a federal treaty, first enacted in 1918 and administered by the Fish and Wildlife Service, which prevented the destruction of nests in migratory bird habitats. But Terri Edwards, a spokeswoman for the Fish and Wildlife Service, said yesterday that the agency had issued a clarification of the rules in 2003 that allows the destruction of migratory bird nests if it is done during a season when the nests are not being used to hatch or raise offspring. Ms. Edwards said a representative of the building had contacted her agency and obtained permission before the nest was removed on Tuesday. Pale Male's fate is a matter of intense speculation by ornithologists and bird watchers. "He will try to rebuild, but as things keep sliding off the cornice, he will be unsuccessful," said Nancy Clum, assistant curator of ornithology at the Bronx Zoo. "He may stay in the area, in a tree or on another building, or he may just pick up and leave," she said. Mr. McAdams said the chances were good that Pale Male would remain as close as possible. "Red-tailed hawks have a great fidelity to the nest," he said. "He has been very successful in that nest over the last 10 years, and he will want to stay as close as possible." Mr. Benepe said he would be happy to see Pale Male pick a tree in Central Park for his new nest, but added that the prospect was not good because red-tailed hawks prefer the stability of building facades to tree limbs, which sway in the wind. He said he would encourage building owners in Manhattan to provide platforms that might be claimed by Pale Male or other red-tailed hawks in search of a safe place.
The Hawk was a central park celeb. My wife and i have spent many sunday mornings at the boat pond near east 74th street, reading the paper, drinking coffee, and watching the huge birds riding the contrails over fifth avenue. quite a sight. sad to see him evicted. i guess the nest wasn't rent stabilized?
I guess so.....A cat at work today caught a pigeon and a little bird...The pigeon got away but the little bird......
This story really pissed me off the other day when I read it. From what I understand there was no reasonable reason why the hawk's nest should've been removed. It didn't attack people, it was a tourist attraction and the damn hawks helped control NYC's huge rodent population (no matter how little it was).
Apparently the co-op board of the building wanted them removed! Among others, it's Mary Tyler Moore's building. bastids! I too have seen them many times playing softball in Central Park in my summer league! Such a shame!
They couldn't have done it without "clarification" of a rule dating back to 1918 by the Federal Fish and Wildlife Service. I seriously doubt if another Administration would have "allowed" such a change in policy... a dramatic change that allows "any" migratory bird nest to be destroyed if it is during the "off season." Damn those pesky birds. Too bad they can't vote. Thanks for the post, basso. I remember reading about these hawks over the last few years, even deep in the heart of Central Texas. I thought it remarkable that they had adapted to such an urban envioronment, the most urban environment in the country. It seems that they found a way to adapt, but certain members of society, and this current government, couldn't adapt to them.
looks like they're flying back home. i think the MTM vs. Zahn angle is pretty hilarious tho... http://www.cnn.com/2004/US/12/15/high.rise.hawks.ap/index.html -- High-rise hawks allowed to return Hawk advocate arrested on charges of harassment Wednesday, December 15, 2004 NEW YORK (AP) -- Two celebrated red-tailed hawks whose eviction from their nest high atop a chic Manhattan building sparked protests from bird watchers will be allowed to rebuild their home in the same spot. E.J. McAdams, executive director of the New York City Audubon Society, said architects hired by the building's co-op board have developed new nesting area designs that could get the birds back by the end of the week. But despite the agreement Tuesday, all was not calm outside 927 Fifth Ave. An advocate for the two famous hawks was arrested and charged with harassing CNN anchor Paula Zahn, who lives in the building, and her husband and two young sons, law enforcement sources said. Lincoln Karim, 43, was arrested by plainclothes detectives as he prepared to lead a demonstration outside the building on behalf of Pale Male and his mate, Lola. Karim, a video engineer for Associated Press Television News who has devoted most of his spare time and thousands of dollars worth of equipment to recording the hawks, was expected to be arraigned Wednesday. Police described four separate incidents in which they alleged he angrily approached either Zahn; her husband, Richard Cohen; or their two sons, ages 7 and 11, outside the building. Cohen is president of the co-op building's board. Like many apartment buildings in New York City, the building is run by a cooperative and a board of directors. Karim was charged with multiple counts of aggravated harassment and one count of endangering the welfare of a child, said Paul Browne, a police spokesman. Three law enforcement sources, speaking on condition of anonymity, identified the complainant as Zahn. Karim was being represented by a lawyer arranged for him by another famous resident of 927 Fifth -- actress Mary Tyler Moore, also an ardent advocate for the hawks. The incident came shortly before the building's co-op board and The Audubon Society announced an agreement to restore the pigeon spikes that had held the nest in place until a week ago. "All parties were pleased by the outcome," Cohen said in a statement given to reporters Tuesday. The two red-tailed hawks, who have been the subject of a book and at least two television documentaries, have remained nearby in Central Park since their nest was removed. Besides the spikes, the new design will feature a guardrail around the 12th-floor window cornice to address safety concerns. While there was no guarantee what Pale Male and Lola would do, McAdams predicted that they would rebuild their nest on the same spot. But Moore expressed skepticism about the deal. "I don't believe anything until I see it," she said.
