January 20th, 2005
For the last two months I have stood in the cold almost every day either bird watching or protesting.
How are the two related? Well, you may have heard of Pale Male, the famous red tailed hawk. He is the first hawk ever to build a nest on a building in a city, he has outlived 3 mates and raised 23 chicks in 10 years on the side of a building on 5th avenue in New York City. The building faces Central Park, so there is plenty of food for Pale Male, pigeons, squirrels and rats.
About 2 months ago, the co-op board of the building where Pale Male's nest was located, tore down the nest and stuffed it into some trash bags and removed the pigeon spikes that supported the nest, without telling anyone.
When people found out, they were outraged. This bird has more than one web site, a movie, a book - REDTAILS IN LOVE and many followers dedicated to him, including Mary Tyler Moore and the head of the United Nations. The building's purpose for taking the nest down was because of Pale Male's messiness, pigeon carcasses and poop on the sidewalk...which there was none of (maybe a little poop). People from all over the world made phone calls and sent emails in support of Pale Male and Lola his mate saying they should be given their nest back.
Many, many, people and I attended a month and a half of protests to replace the pigeon spikes so that the hawks could rebuild their nest. Without them the twigs just fall off the cornice. It was cold. It was VERY cold. Though, even through the cold, people flocked from all over the city to support Pale Male, and sometimes the world, including people dressed in hawk mascot costumes, people with signs, and very loud voices. We shouted chants such as: "Shame, shame, shame on you, 9, 2, 7 5th avenue" - very clever. We also brought big signs, ours read "Honk for Hawk", and with many people in the street with similar signs, we got many people to honk...even the police sometimes and fire engines. It annoyed everyone on the block, including 927, our goal.
Now, I'm a regular bird watcher, mostly watching Pale Male from a Central Park bench next to the model boat pond, and sometimes heading deeper into the park. Into the ramble, an area of woods where there is much bird life. Pale Male and his mate Lola have been spotted putting something on the new spikes, most likely twigs.
To find out how things are going for Pale Male and the nest and to see some GREAT pictures of Pale Male, Lola, and their babies, go to www.palemale.com.
Take care and don't let anyone take down any nests where you live either. If they do, email palemaleirregulars@yahoo.com and they'll help you get things straightened out.
More soon,
Sam