Rfalconcam Forum

http://www.palemale.com/ (http://www.palemale.com/)

Great shots here

Very Cool!

You can do some decent home improvement work with just your feet.  No beaking required. Let Riverside Dad show you how:

http://www.palemale.com/march22010.html (http://www.palemale.com/march22010.html)

Paul

Ty Hawkington in action.   ;)

Amazing pictures!  I just love Pale Male.   :wub:

Thanks for posting this link Paul.

I love the faces, but I must confess my ignorance...
I thought that the BYF were the primary contruction tools.  Learn something new every day  ;)

Very nice pictures of the Hawks.

 :clap:   Absolutely gorgeous shots!     :thanks2: :hawk:

As always, a morning dose of fulfillment.  :2thumbsup:

The Legend of Pale Male (http://www.thelegendofpalemale.com/HOME.html) will be opening in NYC November 24 and San Francisco December 10

Wow, just from the trailer, it looks like a winner! Hope it comes here too!

http://www.examiner.com/culture-events-in-national/red-tailed-hawk-conquers-manhattan-legend-of-pale-male-documentary-review (http://www.examiner.com/culture-events-in-national/red-tailed-hawk-conquers-manhattan-legend-of-pale-male-documentary-review)



The Legend of Pale Male tells the true story of how a bird became a celebrity in New York, New York.

While Frank Sinatra sang, “If I can make it there, I’ll make it anywhere,” Manhattan’s most famous red-tailed hawk appears to have no intentions of ending his 5th Avenue run any time soon.

Our story begins in Central Park in 1993, where Frederick Lilien found himself searching for a life path that would lead as far away from a career at his family’s Belgiun law firm as possible.

He meets up with photographer, bird watcher, butterfly expert and unofficial guardian of Cental Park, Francis Kennedy, who befriends Lilien. (Continued)

Does no one do due diligence anymore?  (Not you, Donna.  You're just reporting the report)
The caption on the photo...

Pale Male & Lola at their nest on 927 Fifth Ave.
Photo: Birdjail Producitons

That photo is actually the 2 eyases of Pale Male Jr. & Charlotte on the Trump Tower nest.  Taken by Bruce Yolton, if my memory serves me correctly.  I don't recall the year. 

AAARRGGH!

Ei

I've been following this RT for years.

http://www.palemale.com/

The woman who runs this site post new pictures almost every day.

I remember the old PBS special was one of my introductions to the birding world.

I've been following them for years too.  I think many of us were first introduced to raptors through Pale Male & Lola. 

Ei

Lola and Pale Male, Manhattan's most famous red tailed hawks, have been living on a window at 927 Fifth Avenue since 2002. But recently Lola has vanished, and worried birders believe she has met the end of the natural cycle of life. Or she got poisoned. Lola was last seen on December 18th, and hawk expert John Blakeman told the Post, "It's pretty clear that Lola has met her demise, probably from a poisoned prey animal [such as a rat or pigeon] or by injury." However, Pale Male seems to have a new lady in his life.

It's not as if things were happy in the Fifth Avenue nest; Lola and Pale Male had not had a successful nest since 2004. Pale Male has also been on the city's hawk scene since the 90s and has had many partners. "It's astonishing how long he's been around," said naturalist Bradley Klein. Still, some birders aren't giving up on Lola.

Lincoln Karim wrote on Palemale.com, "I feel if I give up looking for her that I would have failed her, and yet I feel if I probe too much I may be dishonoring all the beauty she brought throughout the many years she spent with us. But I shall never stop looking and I will continue to hope that one day one of those bends in the branches or one of those clusters of leaves will turn out to be the return of my beautiful friend Lola." In the meantime, here's a video of Pale Male's cute new mate, thought to be a cradle-robbing four years old and hanging out at one of Lola's favorite spots on 79th Street and 5th Avenue.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MwdB2t1vlg4&feature=player_embedded (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MwdB2t1vlg4&feature=player_embedded) New love interest

Poor Lola!

Here's an associated story from 10,000 Birds... Good series of posts.

http://palemaleirregulars.blogspot.com/2011/01/where-is-lola-mate-of-pale-male.html

Bobbie

Thanks Bobbie, wow good blog on Lola.

This from Lincoln about Lola.

Today I looked up at the Beresford window and stared at the empty wrought iron rail which so often held Lola's beautiful frame with so much symmetry as if it was crafted especially for her. My heart grew heavier as I recalled whenever I found her there alone I would soon leave her in search of Palemale. But if instead I found Palemale in the window I stayed with him and never went in search of her. I recounted this biasness over the years and always whispered to her as I walked off "I know you understand Lola. I just know you understand."
Now I stare up at the empty window and long to stay with her even for just one more moment. I strain my gaze fancying that she is inside the window arranging some sticks and then she would suddenly hop onto the rail and begin to preen.
I still look for her on every limb of every tree along each sterile path I take through Central Park. So many times I feel I see her but it turns out to be just a hump in a branch or a cluster of dried leaves tricking my eyes. I feel if I give up looking for her that I would have failed her, and yet I feel if I probe too much I may be dishonoring all the beauty she brought throughout the many years she spent with us.
But I shall never stop looking and I will continue to hope that one day one of those bends in the branches or one of those clusters of leaves will turn out to be my beautiful friend Lola.

"I feel if I give up looking for her that I would have failed her, and yet I feel if I probe too much I may be dishonoring all the beauty she brought throughout the many years she spent with us."

Well-written piece, isn't it? Those wild things sure do get into our hearts.

No doubt!

I can't read the drivel that Linc writes - he needs a human girlfriend!

Did I miss something??

We do get attached don't we? The key words are "cycle of life".  :gum:

Beautifully written! And they truly do get to our hearts.  :heart:

Whoa !!

Ever since Lola walked out on him (or, um, died), Pale Male hasn't been the same red tailed hawk we all fell in love with lo those many years ago; he's stopped grooming his talons, he's been drinking more, and he spends his days at the track and his nights in the clubs. As if the boozing, womanizing and squirrel-chasing weren't enough, he's got some serious baby mama trouble now.

After Lola disappeared, Pale Male hooked up with feisty, dark-haired Ginger; after a few weeks though, that relationship collapsed, and she left the park. Then Pale Male met his Mia Farrow, Pale Beauty (in this analogy, Lola was Diane Keaton, and Ginger was Stacey Nelkin). However, Ginger has come back into the picture suddenly, and now, she is sitting on Pale Beauty's egg!

"We have all these images of birds being monogamous and loving couples because our ideal couples are often birds. But the reality is that birds have very messy lives...Birds have extramarital affairs, and they lay eggs in other birds' nests," said Glenn Phillips, executive director of New York City Audubon. Hey buddy, nobody is married here, hawks are more enlightened than that. Pale Male is just having his mid-flight crisis...or he's turning into the Charlie Sheen of hawks (#notsoaring). We're just nervous about what happens when that egg hatches—will Pale Male meet his Soon Yi Preven?



the gothamist

I follow Pale Male in NYC occasionally:

http://www.palemale.com/ (http://www.palemale.com/)

He's an old bird at this point.   Remember the PBS Nature documentary?

I spent about an hour watching Pale Pale and his mate, Lima (who may actually be Ginger) yesterday.  At first all I saw was what appears to be an empty nest, but Lima soon arrived.  Unlike a peregrine who either swoops up or flaps hard to reduce airspeed before landing, Lima folded her wings and stooped onto the nest.  When I thought about it, I decided it made sense -- redtails don't fly as fast as peregrines but do have to dodge tree branches enroute to the nest. 

In any case, it soon became clear that there were two redtails in the nest.  In a few minutes, Pale Male flew off.  I'd read that he often hunted from a perch like an accipiter, but his flight that day was pure redtail  Off he went, circling higher and higher in updrafts until he vanished into the turbulent gray sky.

Surprisingly, I saw no other watchers anywhere near the east side of the Model Boat Pond where I stood.  Given that Pale Male and Lima seemed to have just made a nest exchange and looked to be sitting on eggs, that was unexpected.  Then, again, it was cool and rainy -- not ideal for either hawkwatching or photography.

Paul

Great pics Paul, so weird hearing Pale Male and Lima. :(

I still find it amazing that it's so easy to spot and watch them! Nice pictures, Paul!

Thanks!
The nest is actually not that easy to spot, as it is screened by trees.  I was able to stand by the benches just south of the Model Boat house and shoot handheld at 1/640 with f7.1 and ASA all the way to 1600.  The rest was luck. 

Paul

You must be in the area!  Hello. I checked Lincoln Karim's site, but your pictures are better!  The Pale Male Blogspot calls the female Ginger Lima, so you are correct.  That site was last updated April 6.

Here is the link:

http://palemale-store.stores.yahoo.net/ (http://palemale-store.stores.yahoo.net/)

Lincoln Karim's has a daily Pale Male (http://www.palemale.com/2011.html) picture site, with low and high res images. Click on each image, and there are lots of pictures underneath...

I agree, Bonnie, I do like Paul's better, but the daily documentation is pretty interesting, and includes other critters as well.

Great pictures, Paul!

i have loved pale male for oh so long--i tear up just thinking about the way he
brought food to his fledgings in the trees before they could hunt for themselves
does anyone know a history of his mates or how may hatchlings he's had over the years???

When he arrived in Central Park in 1991, as a first-year immature hawk, Pale Male tried to nest in a tree, but he was driven off by crows. He later roosted on a building on Fifth Avenue across the street from the park. In early 1992, he found a mate, dubbed First Love.[1] First Love was injured later that year and removed to the Raptor Trust in New Jersey. During her absence, Pale Male took another mate, called Chocolate by birdwatchers. After several unsuccessful spring nesting attempts, Pale Male and a mate, possibly Chocolate, hatched 3 eyasses in 1995. The eyasses survived to young adulthood and took up residence in Central Park. Chocolate died later that year from injuries from a collison with a car on the New Jersey turnpike.

First Love returned to Central Park after being banded and released from the Raptor Trust. She and Pale Male reunited and raised several eyases. People in the park waited months to see the eyasses grow and then take their first flights. Pale Male was a good father, bringing food to his offspring about five times each day. In 1997, First Love died after eating a poisoned pigeon in Central Park.

Pale Male's mate from 1998 to 2001 was a hawk known as Blue. The pair were observed to hatch about 11 eyasses in that period. Blue disappeared about the time of the September 11 terrorist attack in 2001.[2]

In early 2002, Pale Male was first observed with a new mate, Lola. They raised 7 eyasses between 2002 and 2004, building a nest on ornamental stonework above a top-story window on a residential housing cooperative at 927 Fifth Avenue (at East 74th Street) on the Upper East Side of Manhattan. Lola disappeared in December 2010 and is presumed dead.[3]

A new mate appeared in early January 2011. This new hawk, with the moniker "Ginger," because of her dark feathers on her neck and chin, is only in her second year. She is a young adult, with still-yellow irises, indicating her exact age. This will be ber first nesting attempt, in the winter and spring of 2011 using the existing nest. As in previous years with earlier females, Ginger should lay her first egg sometime in the last two weeks of March, with hatching (it is hoped) about a month later. Up to three eggs may be produced, although first-time nesting Red-tailed Hawks often lay only one or two eggs.[4]

From Wiki

thanks so much donna---pale male is my hero---particularly noe
that he is a mature man--(and distinguised as well)

This just in from Marie Winn (http://mariewinnnaturenews.blogspot.com/), author of Redtails in Love:

Flash!!!!!

It hasn't been positively confirmed yet, but it looks like the miracle has finally happened:

A hatch at Pale Male's nest!!!!!

I'm heading down there now. More later.

Thank you, Ei, for posting this. I have been a follower/fan of Pale Male for a long time.  I was appalled when the  people in that building on Central Park /where ever it was, had the nest site removed.    I remember following the supporters who fought to have the nest site replaced.  Good for Pale Male and his mate.  
I saw the trailer for that movie, but disappointed that it never did make it up here...at least, I don't think it did.  

That could be great!

When I visited the nest site, I was amazed to see that they had begun hard incubation, because none of the Central Park nature sites had reported this.   

I'd expected crowds of people with cameras and telescopes, but saw no other hawkwatchers at the Model Boat Pond.  Nobody was even looking at the nest building. It felt almost eerie, given all the talk about Pale Male as avian celebrity.  I suppose people had given up hope after six years of failed nestings.

All the while, Pale Male and Lima (who may actually be Ginger), were oblivious to the collective funk and just went on being redtails.  There's a lesson in that.

Paul

I am still a fan of Pale Male, and I like your comment about ..."they went on being red tails...there is a lesson in that".  Much wisdom here!

It's just that we have so many celebrities to watch down here.  Truthfully, there are only four or five of us who really go to the bird sites.  And even at the height of Pale Male's notoriety, they might only be two or three people around.

as it turns out Pale Male never really needed the attention----
he is who he is and does what needs to be done--why we love
him--and all of his admirers thank goodness for that :heart: :heart: :heart:

http://abcnews.go.com/US/pale-male-red-tailed-hawk-yorks-avenue-father/story?id=13643583 (http://abcnews.go.com/US/pale-male-red-tailed-hawk-yorks-avenue-father/story?id=13643583) Story, videos and pics.

Pale Male, New York's world-famous Central Park hawk, appears to be back in the paternity business.

After six years in which he and his then-mate Lola produced eggs every year, only to have to abandon them in early summer long after they should have hatched, Pale Male suddenly switched to classic red-tailed-hawk fathering behavior on Thursday. He brought captured Central Park prey to his new mate, Ginger, at their fabled East Side penthouse on New York's Fifth Avenue.

 :clap:

Posted by Bruce Yolton on his Urban Hawks blog (http://urbanhawks.blogs.com/)

Joy On Fifth Avenue - May 22, 2011
5th Avenue Red-tailed Hawks

In my post two days ago about signs that show a nest has hatched, I forgot about another way hawk watchers know there are eyasses on the nest.  The eyasses "slice", or in layman's terms defecate.  I recorded this twice on Sunday afternoon, so absolutely, positively the nest has hatched.

Posted on several blogs...Marie Winn (http://mariewinnnaturenews.blogspot.com/2011/05/alpha.html)...Palemaleirregulars (http://palemaleirregulars.blogspot.com/2011/05/flash-white-fluffy-head-on-927-fifth.html)...the first eyas has been photographed!

YAY for PaleMale if that is the first eyas!    Celebrate the city's celebrity and his bebe!

Looks like Lincoln finally got to the apartment down the block that can almost see into the nest...pictures of 2 eyases posted on his site Palemale (http://www.palemale.com/)

Be sure to scroll down past the large picture to the 2 videos he posted!

Some excellent pictures of the eyases on Bruce Yolton's blog Urban Hawks (http://urbanhawks.blogs.com/urban_hawks/2011/06/lazy-evening.html)

Check out the one hiding under Momma's tail  :hysterical:

OK-not Pale Male-but I really didn't want to start a whole new thread just for one post.  This nest is at Fordham University in the Bronx...found via Palemaleirregulars (http://palemaleirregulars.blogspot.com/)

IT'S A NYC FIRST IN HAWK WATCHER MEMORY! FOUR EYASSES HATCHED AND ABOUT TO FLEDGE! COUNT 'EM!

Update from the Fordham nest from Richard Fleisher:

Finally we got a nice, bright sunny day and I thought I would use the opportunity to check on the Fordham nest. When I got there I was very surprised to find four youngsters walking on the ledge of Collins Hall (see attached photo). They all seem to be doing quite well. This breeding cycle is obviously behind other Red-tail nests in NYC in that none of these youngsters are close to fledging. I went back and compared their development with pictures from previous years and this year's nest is running about ten days to two weeks behind. Based on the minimal amount of flapping and jumping, I would guess that we are at least a week away from the first one leaving the nest. I will try to get back to observe in a few days. I took lots of photos today and as I process them I will post them on flickr -

http://www.flickr.com/photos/profman_wildlife_photos/ (http://www.flickr.com/photos/profman_wildlife_photos/)

Rich

Very nice Ei, I forgot all about the irregulars. 4 healthy little hawks.  :clap:

The first one fledged this morning!  :hawk:

Reported on Marie Winn's blog (http://mariewinnnaturenews.blogspot.com/2011/07/fledging-flash.html)

Stay safe, little one!

No pictures yet at palemale.com, but there should be soon!   :clap:

YAY!!

 :clap:
Yay! YAy!  Yay!   for Pale Male!   His picture is in my classroom!   Along with Mariah and Kaver and offspring, and Alex - the amazing African Grey  of Dr. Pepperberg.  And my own Winnie and Doc-bird!  We all can learn  so much from our avian friends!

Palemale chases away one of his babies from his territory.  :(


http://palemale-store.stores.yahoo.net/ (http://palemale-store.stores.yahoo.net/)

He means business!  :(

http://www.palemale.com/bushtr.html (http://www.palemale.com/bushtr.html)  Buttercup's Christmas tree.

Sent to me by Kris G

More sad news today:

Posted on WINORR FB page that Lincoln Karim found Lima dead under a tree today. She and Pale Male had mated several times yesterday and she seemed alright. Another bird was seen at the nest with Pale Male today. 

 :(

Good grief..what next??? 2012, the worst year so far!! Not happy! :((((((

Unbelievable! Who's next?  :'(

What is going on?  Poor Lima :(

Oh,dear! More bad news in the morning. Looks like we will be happy with even the slightest positive results this year.

Writeup about Lima. Warning- not graphic but shows deceased bird:

http://www.palemale.com/ (http://www.palemale.com/)

No thanks!  :(

 :(

So sad  :crying:

fly free, Lima.   :(

What's next??  :( Bad bad 2012!

 :'(

How sad for Pale Male.   Made me think of our fellow falcon watcher Kathy G.  she loved Pale Male.   We often talked about going to New York City to visit but unfortunately we never did.

I loved getting her Pale Male reports.

How sad.  :(

My family all got to see both Pale Male and Lima last November; I'm glad we got that chance:  http://rfalconcam.com/forum/index.php?topic=6671.0 (http://rfalconcam.com/forum/index.php?topic=6671.0)

http://palemale-store.stores.yahoo.net/ (http://palemale-store.stores.yahoo.net/) Pale male looking at Lima  :crying: :crying:

Thanks Kris

And I quote: "This was not some ordinary bird, some random animal, some wild creature, some un-named thing--this was my friend and more so she was my most important family--my family by choice."

 :crying:  RIP sweet Lima!  :heart:

http://urbanhawks.blogs.com/urban_hawks/2012/02/hawk-remains.html (http://urbanhawks.blogs.com/urban_hawks/2012/02/hawk-remains.html) Lincoln was arrested!!  :o

Thanks Kris

http://cityroom.blogs.nytimes.com/2012/02/28/hawk-chronicler-arrested-over-possession-of-dead-bird/ (http://cityroom.blogs.nytimes.com/2012/02/28/hawk-chronicler-arrested-over-possession-of-dead-bird/) Lincolns arrest

Video of who they think is Pale Male's new mate, Zena.  (name Lincoln Karim has given her)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RocX6UpIW9w#ws (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RocX6UpIW9w#ws)

 The New Girl who appeared by noon on Sunday, February 26th, according to Lincoln Karim of palemale.com.

A report from a Central Park Hawkwatcher who spent Monday at the Hawk Bench attempting to figure out what was going on with Pale Male and company.


She said,

 Someone from the Parks Department allowed us to climb the fence and lay out flowers for Lima.  While we were on cedar hill, Pale Male circled cedar hill for awhile. It was as though he was looking for something. Later he ate a pigeon and he called the new mate to come eat. She didn’t come to him. Instead she flew by with another adult red tail hawk. We were puzzled!   Seen at the nest at least 6 times.                 


Hello Hawkwatcher--

Who was seen at the nest 6 times?  Pale Male?  Pale Male and the female?  Or I hope not- the new male (I'm presuming the hawk with the female is a male) and new female?




This time of year two females together just doesn't happen normally unless they are fighting each other.  Which I suppose is possible.  Could what you saw have been a chase?

Are you sure the female that was with the second hawk today is definitely the female that was offering herself to PM yesterday?
 
I'm concerned because if a bonded pair appears in Pale Male's territory they may attempt to take it away from him by force and could even possibly do it two against one.

But perhaps as Pale Male hasn't chosen a mate yet and he didn't attempt to run anyone off today-- that the pair of hawks was actually two females who will have to duke it out in order to be the consort of the Monarch of Central Park. 
Best,
Donna

It's beginning to look like we're going to need a score card!

Several posts today so scroll down to make sure you didn't miss anything--AND MORE TO COME!!!

Donegal Browne

Thanks Kris

Just unbelievable!


http://cityroom.blogs.nytimes.com/2012/02/28/hawk-chronicler-arrested-over-possession-of-dead-bird/ (http://cityroom.blogs.nytimes.com/2012/02/28/hawk-chronicler-arrested-over-possession-of-dead-bird/)

Agreed!  :gum:

Pale Male and Zena have 3 healthy eyases!

Pictures at Urban Hawks Blog (http://urbanhawks.blogs.com/urban_hawks/2012/05/fluffy-trio.html)

Fluffy Trio

The eyasses at Fifth Avenue have gotten big enough that you can see their heads during feedings.  Today, I got to see all three of them for the first time.


Photo by Lincoln Karim

 ;) :heart: :heart: :heart: They deserve it, thanks!

They sure do and I hope they stay away from the rats!  :yes:

Has there yet been a necropsy and cause of death on Lima??

She died from secondary rodenticide poisoning.

Poor Lima!  :crying:

Pale Male and Zena's kids-

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Lu-zcsTwqjE#ws (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Lu-zcsTwqjE#ws)

Very cute Kris! I love the little one there with his legs up!  :thanx:

I love the legs up in the air look too!

Oh that was so darn cute! THX

Very sad news.  It appears that 2 of Pale Male and Zena's babies are sick & showing signs of rat poisoning:

http://http://palemale-store.stores.yahoo.net/ (http://palemale-store.stores.yahoo.net/)

           :(

When will that %#*^%$!!! city ever learn & outlaw these rat poisons?  I saw an update on Palemaleirregulars that one came to ground & is with the Horvaths. Praying the other makes it-or comes down & can be treated

I agree Ei, I just said a few choice words! Poor babies!  :(

 :( No say it ain't so!!!!!!!!!!!! :crying:

 :tickedoff:

I would not want rats however the real rats are the stupid idiots who do this

Update on FB tonight:

The Fifth Avenue fledgling had bloodwork done today and we should have results tomorrow. He looked a little better than yesterday , is perching well and bright eyed and alert this morning and is keeping food down. We are treating it even before results for poisoning and frounce too but don't know how much pigeon is eaten compared to definite rats being consumed regularly.

Update on Pale Male's recovering fledgling - July 25th, 2012
4:50PM. WINORR (Wildlife in Need of Rescue and Rehabilitation) provided this update on Pale Male's fledgling in their care about 20 minutes ago:

"The blood results from the Fifth Avenue fledgling show significant anemia most likely due to ingestion of poison. The type is unknown and there are warfrin based toxins which can be either short or long acting but requiring continued care and vitamin K injections to fight the effects the poison has in depleting vitamin k and clotting ability in the body. Some animals can show initial improvement only to bleed out later depending on the amount of toxin ingested so we will treat for at least 10 days and if it survives release back where he came from. He is still young and dependant on his parents at this stage. Any other options for release such as the suburbs where we live also have poisons used at golf courses, cemetaries and parks so the same dangers exist outside the city as well. As long as the remaining sibling has an appetite and continues to feed it is possible to survive without treatment depending on the level of toxicity in its body and how its organs handle it. Our hawk is appearing to improve but with any wild animal they attempt to mask illness as best they can as it is a sign of weakness and may leave them vulnerable to fall prey if they leave their guard down."

Hawk-watchers in Central Park have been maintaining a nearly constant vigil (each in their own 'shift' so to speak) near the sick fledgling in the park. The fledgling is still rather motionless in the tree it last flew to.

A pair of the faithful Hawk-watchers asked a responding park ranger (who is very concerned for the Hawk and who has stayed by its tree for hours) if it would be alright to buy frozen mice from a local pet supplies store to leave for the sick fledgling in the hopes it would come down to eat them.

The ranger permitted the food drop. So far the fledgling has not eaten the food but hopes remain somewhat high that it will do so by the end of the day.

This is awfully sad. Poisons should be banned but they won't, so why would I say that? I hope they all survive. Good people in the park. Thanks

 :grumble:

Update from WINORR on other sibling that they have just captured for treatment!

Thanks to Ranger Rob (NYC Parks Dept. Urban Park Ranger ) we now have the other ill sibling which he picked up this morning in Central Park. He's been monitoring the other fledgling and this morning was very low and looking lethargic and Rob knew catching it and getting it in for treatment was the best chance the bird has. Even though last night it appeared more alert today was back again looking tired. That is the pattern witnessed in past poisoning cases .Good days and bad but eventually can be fatal if untreated . He did not witness either parent an the area or the last remaining sibling today.

This is the best chance they have. I like the WINORR! Thanks.

So glad they were able to get both young hawks.  Hope the treatment works and they are able to be released back into the wild soon.

Let's hope the parents are ok being they haven't seen them  ???

I know-I hope they are OK too. 

Both Pale Male and Opera Star, the 3rd fledgling, were both seen yesterday and are doing well. Zena hasn't been seen lately but they say she's been laying low since the kids fledged and that it's not unusual. I remember Lima did the same thing last year

That's good news, thanx  :thumbsup:

Odd that the 3rd didn't get any poison or mom. Glad they are doing well, thanks.

Everyone was surprised that only 2 were affected-just the luck of the draw. It's said that Pale Male tends to prefer a pigeon diet so probably why he's been around for 21 yrs!

Some folks have been inquiring about Pale Male's fledglings we are currently treating for poisoning. The first one that came in on Sunday has shown much improvement . It has been acting and appearing normal , self feeding aggressively and has become more active each day. We will redo bloodwork after this weekend to check all the levels and make a decision. The second has not recovered nearly as well as its sibling yet . It still appears lethargic at times , eyes closed during the day and head tucked under its wings . It still gets cut up meals twice a day with its medication as it doesn't eat with gusto like we would like to see . It was out there about 5 days longer than its sibling without medication to reverse the effects so has some catching up to do. We will report any changes here as soon as we have anything to report. Thank you all for the support we have received from various contacts we know and many we did not before this time concerned about these yougsters and the rest of our wildlife community as well.

From WINORR

Thanks-I've been wondering how they're doing.  Hopefully, the second one will also show improvement with time.

I hope they both make it!  :pray:

Posted as part of a response on another red-tail fledgling rescue...

~~~~~~~~

The 2 palemale offspring are doing better and are now outside in a flight cage. The first one rescued is much improved and alert and flying well while its sibling , the second one is still not quite right appearing lethargic and sleepy at times. It was about 5 days longer in the park without medication so hopefully just needs some more time to catch up.

That's good to hear-hopefully #2 will continue to improve. Thanks, Ei!

Oh thanks for the update Ei. I'm rootin for them!

Zena, Pale Male's mate, has been missing for 2 weeks and Lincoln Karim fears that she is dead.  The last time she was seen, she was watching her sick baby in a nearby tree.  2 of PM's babies are at WINORR suffering from secondary rodenticide poisoning and PM's life could be in jeopardy as he's been seen the past few days eating rats from the same area where the rat poison is being used.  Please consider signing the petition that Lincoln has posted on his website to see if the deaths of these Hawks from secondary rodenticide poisoning can be stopped:

http://www.palemale.com/ (http://www.palemale.com/)

This is all to sad. Poor PM and his family.

Heavy sigh...     

http://youtu.be/QBufBWOYhvY (http://youtu.be/QBufBWOYhvY) and look what he's eating. :(

Pale Male in the late summer and early fall seems to fall into a routine in the late afternoon.  Hunting near the Great Lawn, eating a meal, and then going to roost.  He's begun that pattern once again.

Urban Hawks

http://youtu.be/s1_WZOqQM20 (http://youtu.be/s1_WZOqQM20) The healthy fledgling

Oh no!!!!  He never used to eat rats :o

Not good!

I don't want him to get ill or die for a big change to happen.  I didn't see the link to the petition on the site

The Pale Male site has been black for 2 days.   Here's the link to the petition:

http://www.change.org/petitions/new-york-state-department-of-environmental-conservation-stop-the-murder-of-our-red-tail-hawks-in-nyc (http://www.change.org/petitions/new-york-state-department-of-environmental-conservation-stop-the-murder-of-our-red-tail-hawks-in-nyc)

Pale Male's Baby Hawks Can't Come Home Until Rat Poison is Removed - DNAinfo.com New York

http://www.dnainfo.com/new-york/20120813/upper-west-side-morningside-heights/pale-males-baby-hawks-cant-come-home-until-rat-poison-removed. (http://www.dnainfo.com/new-york/20120813/upper-west-side-morningside-heights/pale-males-baby-hawks-cant-come-home-until-rat-poison-removed.)

Thanks, Kris for both posts.  Sheesh.  This is just so sad. 

And the boathouse taken care of by the Parks Dept. of all people still uses it  :-\

About ten years ago I had a rat problem as many people did that year.  I didn't want to use rat poison because of my dogs and cat, but couldn't get them in traps and they were multiplying.  My feed store guy told me about E-Raze.  It's made by the company that uses the third category.  Their poisons contain zinc phosphide which produces a gas in the stomach and kills the rats.  Less danger to cats, dogs, and such because they can throw up, rats can't, and it's not a systemic poison.  What I'm wondering if something like this would pose a lower threat to the hawks than the anticoagulant types.  The way I understand it that is doesn't get/stay in the tissues of the rat.  ???  I will say I had quite the "herd" out there and within 24 hours not one.  I'm sure it killed some, some was probably taken to their home and killed more, but when the rats have a death problem the others will leave the area.  I was amazed.

I found this telling the three categories of poisons at http://www.epa.gov/oppsrrd1/reregistration/rodenticides/finalriskdecision.htm (http://www.epa.gov/oppsrrd1/reregistration/rodenticides/finalriskdecision.htm)

Differences Among the Rodenticides - The ten rodenticide active ingredients covered by this action can be divided into three categories:

first-generation anticoagulants: warfarin, chlorophacinone, and diphacinone;
second-generation anticoagulants: brodifacoum, bromadiolone, difenacoum, and difethialone; and
non-anticoagulants: bromethalin, cholecalciferol and zinc phosphide.

The anticoagulants interfere with blood clotting, and death can result from excessive bleeding. Bromethalin is a nerve toxicant that causes respiratory distress. Cholecalciferol is vitamin D3, which in small dosages is needed for good health in most mammals, but in massive doses is toxic, especially to rodents. Zinc phosphide causes liberation of toxic phosphine gas in the stomach.

The second-generation anticoagulants are especially hazardous for several reasons. They are highly toxic, and they persist a long time in body tissues. The second-generation anticoagulants are designed to be toxic in a single feeding, but since time-to-death is several days, rodents can feed multiple times before death, leading to carcasses containing residues that may be many times the lethal dose. Predators or scavengers that feed on those poisoned rodents may consume enough to suffer harm.

The "rat/rodent killer" I got was through Motomco  http://www.motomco.com/p_products.htm (http://www.motomco.com/p_products.htm)

If they would just leave the rats alone and let the red tails eat them, that might solve their problem.  Plus, keeping the garbage area very neat and tidy helps a lot, too.  And yes, if two or three rats die, the others leave. 

I asked WINORR on FB if anyone could give a recent update about the babies and got this today:

 "PaleMale's 2 offspring are doing much better. The first one appears fully recovered and unscathed by the ordeal . The second one has still not completely regained all its abilities and acts neurologic ,slightly unbalanced occassionally. It hasn't returned to the sharp attentive bird its sibling is but we are hopeful in time it may. A plan or time for release has not been determined yet as it will take much consideration as to where and when they are fully capable if not retruned to their family for necessary training for the best chance for survival."

 goodnews:

Thanks Kris!  This is good news.   :happy:

Maybe they will bring the juvies up to Croton.  There might be enough rats and mice to go around.  Plus, they would have two others the same age around.

More good news! Lincoln has posted pics of Pale Male and Zena in their nest yesterday so she has returned and is OK!   :2thumbsup:

goodnews:

http://palemale.com/ (http://palemale.com/)  Awesome, she's OK!!   :heart:

 :yahoo: :phew: :the_wave: :dance1: :yippee: :wow: :thanks2:

YES!  :bow:   :clap:

 :2thumbsup:

Sad news-Lincoln and Roger_Paw's blogs today say that the female seen since Aug. 20th with Pale Male is not Zena who has been missing for quite a while now.  The new female (if he choses her for a mate) would be Pale Male's 3rd in a year (Lima, Zena and ?) and his 8th total.

                :(

Oh man, but it does prove what a great survivor Pale Male has been over time.  :heart:

Darn!  :crying:

This is sad news.   :(

That's not good. :crying:

Are they that positive it's still the original Pale Male?

http://www.palemale.com/ (http://www.palemale.com/)
He has a new mate now. It's not Zena. This is pretty sad

It's not confirmed that the 3rd fledgling has died that I know of.  Lincoln writes of a young hawk that was picked up in Central Park that died and said it could be Pale Male's.  The last time it was seen was on Aug. 17th, by Jeff Johnson, who took several pics of Opera Star that day and it was healthy.  It's my understanding that fledglings move further out of the area as their skills progress, like Rosie and Bobby's have, so OS might not be seen now. I hope that's the reason for no recent sightings. The whole thing with this secondary rodenticide poisoning is heartbreaking.

(this should be merged with the Pale Male topic)

Sorry. I didn't see the other topic as I was very distraught.

Merged.

I received this email today from the organization that has put up the petition to stop the use of rat poison in Central Park that's killing the RTH's. Please call tomorrow!


First, I want to thank each and every-one of you for supporting and signing this petition!

I want to let you know that the Central Park Conservancy is not using poison at this time.

That is the good news.

However, the bad news is, since this petition was launched, we unfortunately now have strong reasons to believe that Pale Male’s third baby “Opera Star” and Pale Male’s mate, Zena, have been poisoned and died.

As you know, these latest poisoning come on top of the awful discovery that Pale Male's and Zena's first two offspring were so ill, they had to be rescued from the vicinity of the Metropolitan Museum of Art. While in rehab, they tested positive for super toxic rat poisons. Despite the serious harm the rodenticide has caused, The American Museum of Natural History and The Metropolitan Museum of Art, still refuse to stop using it.

We are now issuing a call to action:
Tomorrow, Wednesday, September 12, 2012, please make a call to both these institutions and let them know that you are very concerned about their use of rat poison and urge them to use alternative methods. There are solar garbage cans, rodent proof cans, and other sanitation control methods that would resolve the problem.

Just one phone call can help save all the Hawks in Central Park. Please make these two calls on Wednesday. If each of us pitch in, our voices will be heard.

If all you receive is a voice mail, please leave a message.(They keep disconnecting their numbers, but the main ones still work).
Thank you for your concern and willingness to help stop these needless deaths.
Save the Hawks...Stop the Poison!
stopthepoison@aolcom

The American Museum of Natural History:
Ask for: Museum Director Ellen V. Futter, email: futter@amnh.org
Phone: 212-769-5100, 212-769-5102-finance, membership(212) 769-5606
Also-Karen Quigley, Office of the President
email: kquigley@amnh.org

Metropolitan Museum of Art
Phone: 212-535-7710 press * then “0” ask for "Emily Rafferty" ( President), leave message with anyone.

WOW!! I'll call!  I'm glad one of them stopped using the poison but it's not enough. Sheesh, don't they get it?  MNH, hello? Preserve what they have but kill what's outside their doors. I don't get it. Hope they change their minds.  :(

I'm calling too!  What's happened to these poor birds is a crime!

I'm calling too and I like what you said, Donna about preserving what they have. 

jeanne

Sent 2 emails and will keep sending if I don't hear back. Line was busy when I called. Switchboard overload??

I was wondering too!  Keep trying!

I have been unable to reach either organization on the phone so I sent emails instead.  The original post included only the Museum of Natural History's email.  Here is an email contact address I found elsewhere for the Metropolitan Museum of Art.  The more of us who call or write, the better.  They may be able to block phone calls, but filling up their email sites should be an equally good way to get their attention.  What a disgrace!

 communications@metmuseum.org

Dot in PA

Thanks, Dot!

Thanks, Dot - Well done!

Might be more effective if we can identify and direct comments to their sources of funding (foundations, corporations, etc.).

Thank you, Bobbie. Too many people think they can do nothing. The Pale Male / rat poison issue is one example of how those who care for wildlife really can make a difference just by making a phone call or sending an email. This phrase by John Lennon adopted by the Black Panthers and other political groups has been around for a while but really does say it all: All Power to the People! All we need to do sometimes is simply step up and answer the call.

Dot in PA

Bravo Dot   :2thumbsup:

I got through to the AMNH and talked to a really nice lady -I pressed the button for volunteers and she forwarded my call to a not so very nice woman but she did listen to what I had to say. I also left a voice mail with the finance fellow there and have also sent out the emails.

Has it never occurred to them that, while they are preserving "Natural History" *inside* their building, they are destroying it *outside*? :(
Carol
WV

Exactly!

I also called The American Museum of Natural History and got through, as well as The Metropolitan Museum of Art. The latter staff member, Linda, gave me her email so that she could compile these statements about using safe alternative rodenticide:
linda.forchetti@metmuseum.org

Just a note: I continue to be so grateful to all the watchers and worriers through this roller-coaster season: Carol, MAK, well...all of you enrich my life!

Elizabeth A.

Thanks for the email address! 

And besides that, and it may have already been said, probably was, if they kill off the raptors trying to kill off the rats they're losing a lot of free rodent controllers.  :(

I received this update this afternoon:

The Met has responded stating that they have stopped using poison and the boxes that we see are either empty or test boxes.
We have agreed to stop the call in for the Met at this time.
We requested a meeting with them and they sounded agreeable. Keep your fingers crossed!

As for the Museum of NH...no response...thank you for calls today.
We will keep you aware of the events.

Many thanks! Save the Hawks!

 :thanks2:

1 down 1 to go!  :thumbsup:

WINORR- Wildlife In Need of Rescue and Rehabilitation
We will be bringing the 2 Palemale juveniles into the city tomorrow afternoon to release back in a city park to be determined . One needed more time to condition and live prey train than the other but it benefited by having its sibling there to watch and copy . They are both ready to go and start their new life back in the wild. Once it is figured out I will post it here time and place. 

Hope the same senario doesn't happen again! Good luck little ones.

Both juvies were released yesterday at Cedar Hill in Central Park!

Ranger Rob releasing the female he rescued... http://tinyurl.com/8atkdne (http://tinyurl.com/8atkdne)

Cathy Horvath releasing the male... http://tinyurl.com/9fpon8d (http://tinyurl.com/9fpon8d)

Female juvie free in a tree... http://tinyurl.com/8z7z9m3 (http://tinyurl.com/8z7z9m3)

Thanks Ei! I hope they stay away from the rats... :heart:

Today's Roger_Paw blog post re: Pale Male's kids return to the park:

http://rogerpaw.blogspot.com/search?updated-min=2012-01-01T00:00:00-05:00&updated-max=2013-01-01T00:00:00-05:00&max-results=2 (http://rogerpaw.blogspot.com/search?updated-min=2012-01-01T00:00:00-05:00&updated-max=2013-01-01T00:00:00-05:00&max-results=2)

So they're right back near the Met where the rat poison bait boxes are.  :(

Video & pics of the returned fledglings:

http://urbanhawks.blogs.com/urban_hawks/2012/10/returned-fledglings.html (http://urbanhawks.blogs.com/urban_hawks/2012/10/returned-fledglings.html)

Pale Male's fledglings not hunting since their release-Pale Male observed giving food to one of them:

http://palemaleirregulars.blogspot.com/ (http://palemaleirregulars.blogspot.com/)

Pale Male OK after the storm -Central Park has several downed trees and is closed for clean-up.

http://urbanhawks.blogs.com/ (http://urbanhawks.blogs.com/)

Pale Male is so cute! Thanks

 :wub: Pale Male is just plain gorgeous!  :hawk:

and he's 22 years old! Suppose to only live 14-16 years!!! Long live Pale Male.  :bow:

And how much is that in human years!?  :laugh:

Pale Male and Octavia have 3 babies this year!

http://urbanhawks.blogs.com/urban_hawks/2013/05/trio-on-fifth.html (http://urbanhawks.blogs.com/urban_hawks/2013/05/trio-on-fifth.html)

Aw, that's great, he deserves it!! Thanks!!

 goodnews:

Wonderful!   :clap:

I just found out that one of Pale Male's kids from this year was injured.  An update by Marie Winn:

http://mariewinnnaturenews.blogspot.com/ (http://mariewinnnaturenews.blogspot.com/)

https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?v=10201201608974808&set=vb.113685721999067&type=2&theater (https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?v=10201201608974808&set=vb.113685721999067&type=2&theater)  here's the video

Thanks so much for the update!

Pale Male and Octavia have eggs, according to Lincoln Karim.  He has seen brooding exchanges between the two over the past few days.  If this is the original PM, he's 24 years old this year!   :notworthy:

Amazing!


Nora in NW Florida

Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk

Go Pale Male! :hawk:

 :2thumbsup:

http://palemaleirregulars.blogspot.com/2014/03/pale-male-whats-in-name-names-nurture.html (http://palemaleirregulars.blogspot.com/2014/03/pale-male-whats-in-name-names-nurture.html)

Just posted...



Pale Male and mate [Octavia] looking down at  a newly-hatched chick in the 5th Ave. nest - photo courtesy of Palemale.com

This is the 19th  year of fatherhood for Pale Male! [The first successful hatch was in 1995.]

PS. A grand celebration is due next year, don't you think?

http://mariewinnnaturenews.blogspot.com/2014/04/day-1-of-year-19.html (http://mariewinnnaturenews.blogspot.com/2014/04/day-1-of-year-19.html)

Lincoln had said there were babies up there from observing all the recent nest activity...what a legend PM is!

He certainly is!  :heart:

Great news!

Pale Male is an amazing Red Tail!  Good news!   :hawk:

Pale Male is getting to be a pretty old bird at this point.
I remember the PBS documentary.

Peek at PM and Octavia's little one(s) by Bruce Yolton:

http://youtu.be/rOzp4OXlvws (http://youtu.be/rOzp4OXlvws)

This is a really good video. It is not easy to film the nest -- the trees lining Central Park limit the sight lines. There's just one small spot that works.

Paul

3 eyases for the Pales!

http://urbanhawks.blogs.com/urban_hawks/2014/05/three-for-pale-male-and-octavia.html (http://urbanhawks.blogs.com/urban_hawks/2014/05/three-for-pale-male-and-octavia.html)

www.palemale.com (http://www.palemale.com)

And aren't they darling??

Happy Pale Male!  :heart:

3 little cuties!  :thanks2:

This is such awesome news!   :clap:

Something to ponder..

http://urbanhawks.blogs.com/urban_hawks/2015/02/corey-fingers-blog-post.html (http://urbanhawks.blogs.com/urban_hawks/2015/02/corey-fingers-blog-post.html)

Hmm... :hawk:

http://urbanhawks.blogs.com/urban_hawks/2016/01/snow-geese-and-pale-male-in-the-snow.html (http://urbanhawks.blogs.com/urban_hawks/2016/01/snow-geese-and-pale-male-in-the-snow.html)

Snow Geese and Pale Male in the Snow

So very nice to see the very handsome Pale Male. Thanks for posting Donna.

Fly free, Pale Male.  :sorrow: What a legacy!

From FB:posted by Bobby Horvath

UPDATE :  Our Vet reported the blood results came back revealing severe renal failure likely due to age.  It was beyond treating or reversing the condition.                                                                                         I'm sorry to have to report the end of an era that Pale Male passed away tonight in our care. Yesterday morning Urban Park Ranger Baisley rescued him while sick and grounded in Central Park. I was in north Queens at the time and picked him up and transported him directly to our vet who did bloodwork and x rays. I took him home after where he remained extremely lethargic and weak and unable to stand . We treated with supportive care , he ate a small meal and received fluids and medication . We hoped for any improvement but sadly it was not meant to be. The bloodwork results well have tomorrow and maybe that will give some cause of his illness . Pale Male was the inspiration for thousands not only in New York City but worldwide to begin birding or photography. Some were just amateur others became professional photographers.  Most were just local residents  or tourists who just wanted an opportunity to get a glimpse of this famous hawk. The Palemale.com site operated by Lincoln Karim  took on international interest documenting his day to day activity.  Pale Male was a celebrity but more so became a animal model for environmental conservation for urban wildlife. A group of devoted hawkwatchers grew into a family in Central Park and eventually expanded to monitoring other city hawk nests. His genetics surely still live on in some of his many offspring in the city. He lived at least 30 years in a challenging environment that NYC poses and there will never be another hawk as well known and loved as he was. Some of these photos were provided by Jean Shum who I contacted for some photos to post of healthier happier times to remember him by. There are too many other photographers to mention but they know who they are who also closely followed him thru the years and shared their work publicly for thousands to be able to experience his adventures and raising his babies on 5th Avenue and then teaching them survival in Central Park. We feel it was better he was found and cared for than if he passed somewhere never to be found and unknown circumstances. Hopefully it was simply age related issues and it was just his time after an amazing unmatchable lifespan.

Fly free beautiful hawk  :'( :hawk:

Fly free, Pale Male. You will not be forgotten.