Category: 927 5th Avenue Red-tailed Hawks

927 5th Avenue Red-tailed Hawks

Rest in Peace, Pale Male

Bobby Horvath, reported last night the news on the WINORR Facebook page the passing of Pale Male, the 33 year old Red-tailed Hawk who brought so much joy to New Yorkers over the years.

His nesting with multiple partners at 927 Fifth Avenue, gave thousands of New Yorker’s a front row seat to watch and study the behavior of an incredible species. He taught New Yorker’s that you didn’t need to go to a national park to watch nature, but that you just had to walk a few blocks.

A reporter left a voice mail for me this morning asking me what Pale Male’s legacy was, a very tough question.

I think his biggest legacy is that he taught New Yorkers, that despite man’s efforts to control the landscape of the city, nature still thrives here and needs to be respected and nurtured. For New York City birds, this means nests need to be protected, poisons controlled, buildings built with bird friendly designs, glass and lighting, and funding provided for Wildlife Rehabilitators.

Pale Male inspired hundreds of New Yorker’s to become conservationists, and to work to protect wildlife not only in rural areas, but in their own zip codes. That work lives on today, with vibrant organizations such as New York City Audubon, the Wild Bird Fund and WINORR.

If you want to remember Pale Male, respect his legacy by supporting the efforts of these organizations.

927 5th Avenue Red-tailed Hawks, San Remo/Pinetum/AMNH Red-tailed Hawks, Southern Central Park Red-tailed Hawks, St. John/Columbia Red-tailed Hawks, TCC/MCNY Red-tailed Hawks

Central Park Area Hawks

I was away for ten days, so I’ve checked up on the nesting Central Park Hawks plus St. John the Divine over the last few days.

  • It looks like The Ritz-Carlton nest may have failed on Central Park South. I haven’t seen anyone on the nest in a few visits, but saw the female spend an hour on a ledge two floors below the nest. She spent at least 45 minutes there.
  • The San Remo pair, that is now nesting in a tree continues to brood south of the swings in the Pinetum.
  • The TCC nest at 105th and Fifth, continues to brood. Pictures of a recent visit are below.
  • The St. John the Divine pair appears to have moved the nest to a Columbia dorm, John Jay Hall.
927 5th Avenue Red-tailed Hawks

Pale Male and Octavia

On a warm sunny day, Pale Male and Octavia spent over an hour on their nest in the afternoon. They don’t seem to be working on refurbishing it though. So, after a failed nest two years ago, and no eggs/brooding last year, chances are they’ve entered retirement age. It will be interesting to see what happens over the next few weeks. Red-tailed Hawks usually lay eggs in mid-March in NYC.