Would you help a bird out?

[greenfreak]

NEW YORK (Reuters) - The abrupt removal of the nest belonging to Pale Male, a famous red-tailed hawk who lived on a Manhattan apartment building, had bird lovers up in arms on Thursday and demanding his home be restored.

http://olympics.reuters.com/newsArticle.jhtml?type=domesticNews&storyID=7045202


This was pretty sneaky... The two biggest supporters of Pale Male and his mate Lola both died within the last 5 months and now, after 10 years of Pale Male raising 23 chicks in that nest, they decided to rip it down.

The pidgeon spikes they put on the ledge actually held the nest together and they removed those too, so he and Lola can't rebuild. These birds hunt in Central Park (this building is on 5th Avenue, bordering the park) and on the sidewalks of New York. The people who live in the building object to having pidgeon and rat carcasses dropped from the nest on to the sidewalk. There are easier ways to prevent that from happening, but they chose to take the nest instead.

Some really astounding pictures of Pale Male, his mates, his chicks and his nest can be found here: http://www.palemale.com.

Yes, he has his own website. Along with his own documentary and many admirers. So far, this has gotten press from the NY Post, Reuters, and a spot on Good Morning America on NBC this morning.

If you agree that red-tailed hawks living in NYC is pretty damn cool and the nest should be returned the way it was, please consider visiting this link to the Audubon and sending an email to the link at the bottom. All it requires is your name and address. http://www.audubon.org/SavePaleMale_Petition.html

 

[Gato_Solo]

I saw that on the news last night. Guess they'd rather have the rats roaming the streets and alleys, and pigeons cooing outside their windows...some people are just dumbasses.

 

[HeXp£Øi±]

Hiya Greeny.

I was wondering about that. Didn't seem very sensible. Probably someone who has wanted it removed for a very long while and built a resentment over time.

 

[Leslie]

*email sent*

People suck.

 

[Gato_Solo]

*email sent*

People suck.

Not the people responsible for this. They blow...

 

[chcr]

We have a mating pair living in the trees alongside the field next to us. fascinating to watch. I have to agree with Gato, some people are just dumbasses.

 

[abooja]

Thanks for the links, GF. I just sent an email asking that my name be added to the petition.

You know, it's amazing that any wildlife can survive in Manhattan. I am amazed at this each and every time I walk through Central Park and forget that I'm smack in the middle of the biggest metropolis in the world. If they let this happen, I will be deeply ashamed.

 

[Gato_Solo]

Isn't there a law about removing nests belonging to raptors in NY?

 

[greenfreak]

Thanks a lot everyone!

chcr, I would love to have them so close to my home. I've become a real bird person recently. I post at http://nature.gardenweb.com/forums/bird/ and they are really nice people who post tons of pictures of the birds they see.

Abooja, I feel the same way about CP. It's my favorite destination in the city, I haven't been there in a year though. Last time we walked through the Rambles and I saw cedar waxwings which are just beautiful. You really need to sit quietly to get a good look at all the birds in there but I never took the time.

Gato, there is a law against taking down a nest which is "active". Meaning a nest during mating season that has chicks or eggs in it. But it can also act as a shelter in cold weather which they ignore.

I don't know why they just don't build a platform on top of the building. They wouldn't have to worry about the carcasses then... They could go up and clean it every once in a while. From the pictures on the site, he looks to be imprinted on humans so it doesn't look like it would be that dangerous.

 

[Winky]

Yep I think a poofball of feathers trumps the rights of multi-millionare owners of property!

 

[Winky]

My Gawd. What the f*ck is wrong with these people.

 

[Gato_Solo]

I don't know why they just don't build a platform on top of the building. They wouldn't have to worry about the carcasses then... They could go up and clean it every once in a while. From the pictures on the site, he looks to be imprinted on humans so it doesn't look like it would be that dangerous.

He just looks like a hawk to me. Anyway...most hawks are only dangerous to humans during nesting season. Imprinted, or not. I still don't understand how someone could do that to him.

 

[abooja]

Abooja, I feel the same way about CP. It's my favorite destination in the city, I haven't been there in a year though. Last time we walked through the Rambles and I saw cedar waxwings which are just beautiful. You really need to sit quietly to get a good look at all the birds in there but I never took the time.

I went there every day at lunchtime for a few months until a month or so ago, when I got layed off. Mostly the pond area, but I'd occasionally venture beyond. I'd inhale as much of the scene as I could in an hour -- the ducks, the koi (I believe they are), the trees, the hansom cabs, etc. -- and go back to work refreshed. Kinda miss that.

These are some photos I took this summer, if you're interested.

 

[Gonz]

In case anyone likes gossip...the person that ordered the removal of the birds is the husband of famed CNN newsbabe Paula Zahn.

 

[greenfreak]

Abooja, great shots. I've never been to the park that late in the summer, I never realized how lush it got by the pond. I thought you were talking about the pond next to Belvidere Castle. Have you ever gone to the NY Botanical Gardens in the Bronx? It's right across from Fordham and if you like CP, you will love the NYBG.

I recently visited them just before Labor Day. If you go here: http://www.greenfreak.net/greengallery/index.php the pictures from two visits are right at the top. I have over 100 just of the NYBG and another 400 or so of other things. And I still have 60 rolls left to scan... Including 5 rolls of CP from last year.

 

[HeXp£Øi±]

 

[abooja]

Thanks, GF! (Do you prefer green?) After seeing your great photos, of course, I'm a little embarrassed I bothered to post mine.

I've been to the Botanical Gardens a long time ago, when I was a young kid. Perhaps another visit is warranted this spring. Thanks for the idea!

 

[Gato_Solo]

In case anyone likes gossip...the person that ordered the removal of the birds is the husband of famed CNN newsbabe Paula Zahn.

Whazzat? We gotta have linkage. I thought maybe Connie Chung did it, trying desperately to get a new gig...

 

[greenfreak]

Looks like PM and Lola might be movin' on up... To the Carlyle!

The latest from the Daily News:

Suite revenge

BY AUSTIN FENNER and TRACY CONNOR
DAILY NEWS STAFF WRITERS

[size=-1][/size]Homeless hawk Pale Male has checked into the Carlyle.

The red-tailed raptor bounced from his nest by rich birdbrains at a Fifth Ave. co-op was seen roosting yesterday on the roof of the swank hotel, which was happy to have him.

"He's very welcome, but has yet to order room service," quipped James McBride, manager of the Madison Ave. hotel, where penthouse suites go for $1,500 a night.

Despite the opulent surroundings, Pale Male seemed to be pining for home sweet home.

Throughout the day, he and his mate, Lola, carried twigs to the 12th floor of 927 Fifth Ave., where their nest was perched until this week.

The building's filthy-rich co-op board had the aerie dismantled on Tuesday, claiming it was a safety hazard and violated city regulations.

The move incensed bird watchers who regularly flock to Central Park for a glimpse of the famous bird whose urban exploits have been chronicled in a book and TV documentary.

Co-op board chairman Richard Cohen - a real estate developer married to CNN newswoman Paula Zahn - was emerging as a villain in the avian eviction.

Actress Mary Tyler Moore, who lives in the building and is a champion of the hawks, suggested that Cohen led the charge against Pale Male and Lola.

"As with any board of directors, there's a chairman," Moore said, when asked to name the chief nest-wrecker. "It's not that complicated."

Cohen's office referred calls to co-op lawyer Aaron Schmulewitz, who would not say what role he played in the decision.

Zahn also dodged questions, insisting through a CNN spokeswoman that she "had nothing to do with this" - but refusing to say whether she was on the side of her hubby or the hawks.

Other high-profile building residents, including financier Bruce Wasserstein, declined comment - even as protesters held a candlelight vigil in front of the building, hoisting signs that read "Ebenezer Zahn."

They want building management to restore the nest, and they're asking Mayor Bloomberg and Attorney General Eliot Spitzer to get involved.

So far, there's no sign the co-op will relent, and Shmulewitz scoffed at the idea that the human tenants at 927 Fifth Ave. should invite their feathered friends back. "We can't tell the hawk, 'Yes, it's okay for you to build a nest again.' We can't tell the hawk, 'We won't allow you to build a nest again,'" he said. "We can't tell the hawk anything."

http://www.nydailynews.com/front/story/260783p-223242c.html

 

[Winky]

One 11-year-old boy from Kentucky with a pellet rifle could have solved this whole issue. Jeebus!