Thursday, April 14, 2005

For John Blakeman: An old Question I'm asking again, in a slightly new way

Dear John:

Here's Donna's question:

Do red-tails build nests similar to the ones they were fledged from?

Your answer didn't really address the underlying reason we are asking that question and asking it so persistently. There are a number of red-tailed hawk pairs attempting to build nests on buildings all around the periphery of Central Park. But this species of hawk -- Buteo jamaicensis -- is believed to be a tree nester [by and large] not a ledge nester like the Peregrine Falcon or the Kestrel,

Wouldn't it make intuitive sense to wonder whether all these birds trying to nest on buildings were themselves raised on a building nest. In other words, our question is:

What is the likelihood that all these hawks are Pale Male's offspring?

Cheers,
Marie