Urban Hawks

Today, Pale Male and his new mate acted as though they had know each other for weeks rather less than a week.   After seeing how quickly she adjusted to the new surroundings, one wonders how many other nests have new partners without any one noticing.

There were nest visits, copulation and the kind of activity you would expect as spring approaches.

One doesn’t have to have the necropsy results for Lima, to realize that we have a problem with jurisdiction over construction companies and vendors within city parks.  While most park managers have limited or eliminated rodenticides around hawk nests, there seems to be no oversight over construction companies and vendors in New York City parks.  Over the last few years we’ve seen issues with prophylactic placement of rodenticides at construction sites at both the Met and the Police Station, and with restaurants putting out poisons within city parks. There has got to be some way to require outside companies working on park property to get approval whenever they plan to put out rodenticides.

I got to see the new hawk that has come into Pale Male’s territory after Lima’s death.  She was on the Oreo building when I arrivered, did a large circle that when up and down 5th Avenue and over Cedar Hill.  When she returned to perch on the Woody building, she had a pigeon.  It was unclear if it came from Pale Male or if she caught it on her own.  While I was there from about 5-6 p.m., I didn’t see Pale Male.

I rarely write an editorial but I feel strongly about the issue of how hawk remains are handled in the city and felt like I needed to write something.

In New York State, there are strict guidelines about how to handle the remains of dead raptors.  For health purposes, they must be disposed of quickly and properly. If an animal is suspected of having died due to environmental issues, the NYS DEC must be contacted, and arrangements made with the agency for testing.

In addition, individuals may not possess hawk remains without permission.  To protect the poaching of hawks, it is illegal to possess hawk feathers without a permit.

(There are exceptions, such as scientific studies, but these are approved by the DEC.  Also, if the bird is suspected as having a disease, such as West Nile Virus, it should be turned over to the local health department.)

Once remains are turned over to the NYS DEC, they test the bird at their discretion. If the bird is not a threatened species, the NYS DEC may not test the animal. As much as an individual may want to force the NYS DEC to perform a necropsy on a specific bird, it is not the individual's choice under current regulations.

Lincoln Karim's holding onto the remains of Lima prompted his arrest.  This was an entirely appropriate by the NYS DEC.  It doesn't make sense to have individuals running around with hawk remains.  It potentially destroys the evidence of an environmental problem and if the bird had a contagious disease, it could spread it.

If the hawk watching community want all New York City hawk remains to be tested to identify possible rodenticide or pesticide issues, they should do some fund raising.  I'm sure NYC Audubon or other local organizations would happily provide the scientific staff support for a long term study of hawk deaths in the city, if the hawk watching community funded it.

Individuals like Lincoln Karim can't act on their own.  They must work within the system.  To do that you need to build bridges with local rehabbers, the Central Park Conservancy, the NYC Parks and Recreation Department, local birding organizations and the scientific community.

In closing, I'd like to thank the NYS DEC officers for doing their jobs.  Lima's death should result in newspaper articles about the quality of city's environment and how it effects birds, not about those who are obsessed with them. I'm tired of seeing articles in the paper about crazy hawk watchers rather than the joy of experiencing these birds make a comeback in the city or detailing the hazards hawks face daily.

Lima, Pale Male's most recent mate, was found dead in Central Park yesterday.  Pale Male was already being courted by a new female on Sunday. 

We should be careful not to jump to any conclusions about Lima's cause of death. Until the initial necropsy results are in, neither lashing out at the Park's Department or the Central Park Conservancy, or postulating that there is some conspiracy against hawks is helpful.