I've posted about this before, but it's worth repeating for those of you who might not be familiar with the site. Lincoln Karim maintains a website that chronicles the life of NYC's most famous red-tailed hawk - Pale Male. His photography is stunning and he really, really loves these birds. Pale Male is a movie star (a documentary was made about him) and he was the subject of a book (Redtails in Love). In late 2004 his nest on a swanky building in NYC was removed and destroyed by the company managing the building. After protests by NYC Audubon and many others a solution was realized to allow Pale Male to nest their again. If I remember correctly, they attempted to nest at that site in 2005, but failed. They found a new nest site on a different building in the city for 2006, but sadly failed again last year. So there is much hope for them in 2007. Things are picking up for them now, as they are busy with nest building and mating. I try to check in each day for the newest pics. Enjoy!Marie Winn, the author of Redtails in Love, also has a blog that might be worth a look: Central Park Nature News.
Note: Image is of a woodcut designed by Marie Aey in response to Pale Male's eviction in 2004. It's called "St. Francis Weeps for Pale Male".
25 comments:
Laura, I don't think I've better photos of hawks before. They are incredibly beautiful. Thank you! I marked "Pale Male" as a favorite. Redtails in love... that's my kind of story :o)
I meant to say "I don't think I've SEEN better photos..." I need to start previewing my comments like I used to :o(
That first photo on the Pale Male website is just grabbing my heart. It's like he's looking at Lola and asking her a question.
See why some people LOVE RAPTORS???????
I'm glad to hear that they are doing the love thing and getting a nest ready.
The has never moved, despite inaccurate reporting by the NY Post.
Mary: They are stunning and it's easy to spend hours looking through the archives. Glad you liked it.
Susan: The other day there were pics of them peeling bark for their nest - pretty interesting. Check the archives on the left.
Anonymous: Thanks - I'm not sure where I got the idea that they had moved their nest - don't read the Daily News!
Laura, you're not completely wrong. Pale Male and Lola spent a lot of time last year and this across the Park on a building called the Beresford. They have good taste as this building is also very swanky with several celebrities in residence.
I meant to say the NY Post, not the Daily News - jeesh, I don't read either one!
Beth: Your comment helps it make sense to me - mostly I just look at Lincoln's site for news about the pair, and I guess I've been seeing so much of a different building in the background that I thought they had moved.
Do you know if they even laid eggs last year?
Do they have a nest at the Beresford also?
Has it been that long since Pale Male made national news. Wow!
That is really neat!
Even up here in the upstate NY wilds we have followed the saga of Pale Male...shame that they tore down his nest! We have had a couple pairs of red-tails nesting on our land as long as I can remember. For the past two years one set nests just out of sight of our living room windows, so we get to watch them hunt every day.
How very lovely to behold such photos chronicled with such love for these birds. Simply majestic.
Wow, his photos are amazing - thanks for pointing this out Laura!
Laura--I remember the Pale Male story and all the publicity it got. My daughter, who lives in Manhattan, couldn't believe the incredible lack of PR sensitivity the building residents had when they had the nest torn down. Since the building the hawks chose borders Central Park, they had lots of prey from smaller birds to rodents to feast on.
I will check out the site you linked us to see for new Pale Male updates.
Thanks for the reminder about Pale Male. I'll check out the links you recommended. He's a spectacular bird and it is such a neat story!
I'll check out the link. I had not heard the pale male story. I'd love to follow his saga.
Thanks for the visit. I'll be back.
Best of luck to those urban birds!
Today I saw my first swallowtail kite of 2007 so it was generally a good raptor day.
Laura, I believe Lola did lay a brood but they did not hatch. I don't think they built a nest on the Beresford but they're up there a lot. There are a couple of other pairs that also hunt the park. It's big enough to accommodate a couple of territories.
Never visited this site before and its wonderful! Love these birds and thanks for the reminder of these great birds!
Dave: Pale Male has been around forever! If you have the patience to look for it, the site has records of all his breeding attempts with various females. Off the top of my head I think I remember reading they estimate him to be like 16 years old.
Laurie: Yea - he's a handsome hawk.
threecollie: Hi! He's pretty famous, huh! I don't know that I'd get much done if I had them nesting so close to home - must be fascinating to watch.
Jayne: I love his site and that he has equal love for the pigeons and squirrels in NYC.
Naturewoman: Aren't they! I think his is a photographer for the AP.
KGMom: It's a joy to keep up with them each day, although the last few years have been pretty sad.
Liza: It is a neat story - one of these days I'll brave the city to bird Central Park and see him myself!
sarala: Nice to see you again! Thought everyone knew about Pale Male.
FC: Any kite would be nice for me! You folks that live in tropical climes are incredibly spoiled, IMHO.
;-)
Except for all those bugs.
Beth: Thanks - Pale Male has a few kids hanging around, right? Do you bird Central Park? Is it as wonderful as I imagine in spring?
;-)
Monarch: Aren't the pics wonderful! I wonder how he gets them.
Hello all,
A few things:
- Pale Male arrived in NYC in the winter of 1990/1991 with a striped brown tail which should make him about 16 and a half years old now.
- The pair never nested on the Beresford. They were seen taking twigs to that building in the autumn of 2006 but they are now bringing nesting material to the nest on 5th Ave.
- Lincoln does work for AP but (believe it or not) not as a photographer.
- Having access to a few buildings around the nest site helps Lincoln get the photos but mainly it is his dedication in getting out to the park every day in order to get a chance to get close to the hawks of Central Park ... especially Pale Male and Lola.
- A pair are nesting at the south end of the park and one is called Pale Male Jr. due to his resemblance to Pale Male.
All the best.
i love reading about pale male. the fiansor and i are big fans. it's funny, just before i read this a big red-tailed hawk swooped low through the yard and startled me.
Thanks, Ben. Lincoln has mentioned Pale Male's "son" a couple of times and he would know!
Laura, I do bird Central Park and it's fabulous, although a little slow nowadays. You should take a little trip to the city some weekend day when spring finally arrives and I'll show you around. I'm still a new birder so you can ID the birds for me! ;-)
Beth: That would be lovely - so long as you give me good directions to get there - I'll help you with the birds - you help me find my way home!
Not a problem! It's a matter of taking the Holland or Lincoln tunnels and then basically heading uptown. Just go to my website www.geocities.com/crazyforcinema and send me an e-mail and we can set something up with the weather warms and the birds are really singing!
Ben: Thanks for the added info.
Leah: Thanks for coming by and sharing your own hawk encounter.
Beth: Ha! I would never drive to the city. You make it sound so easy - just head uptown - as if!
Is central park anywhere close to Penn Station? lol!
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