December 8, 2004Hawks Evicted From New York City PerchBy THE ASSOCIATED
PRESS
Filed at 7:29 a.m. ETNEW YORK (AP) -- Pale Male the city hawk was evicted
from his nest, and the flap has already begun. So said aggrieved
bird-watchers and neighbors after workmen raised a scaffold to the top of a
Manhattan apartment Tuesday and ripped out the famous red-tailed hawk's
nest.The act appeared to end an urban drama that has fascinated
bird-watchers over the past nine years, as Pale Male and a succession of
mates raised 25 chicks -- the last trio of fledglings last June -- on the
narrow 12th floor ledge over Fifth Avenue.The hawks also achieved a measure
of world fame, through television specials and a book, ``Red-Tails in
Love.'' On summer weekends, crowds have gathered at the Central Park boat
pond to observe them.``I am outraged,'' said a teary-eyed Jane Corin, who
lives across the street. ``That building has been very good about this until
now. It's heartbreaking.''Pale Male -- so named for his whitish plumage --
and his mate, Lola, were nowhere to be seen as the nest was removed, nor
were any of their latest offspring.``The hawks will come back and find the
nest is gone,'' said bird hobbyist Lincoln Karim, an engineer at Associated
Press Television News who in summer often lets people view the birds through
his giant telephoto camera. ``How could these people do this?''City Parks
Commissioner Adrian Benape said he was consulting with state officials to
determine who removed the nest and whether any law or regulation had been
broken. Red-tailed hawks are not legally protected, he said but the loss of
the birds would hurt because ``they limit the rodent population in an area
where natural predators were absent for a long time.''A doorman at the
building said it was managed by Brown Harris Stevens, a prominent Manhattan
real estate firm. At the company office, an employee declined to
comment.^----------On the Net:Pale Male site: http://www.palemale.com/NYC
Audubon Society: http://www.nycas.org/Copyright 2004 The Associated Press ;|
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