Pale Male & Lola -- the silver lining

Our story has taken a turn we should have expected. But we hadn't. We were talking about chicks, and watching them grow. We were anticipating the excitement of the pre-fledge period. Now it's beginning to be clear that we'll have no chicks this year.

Since 1993 and 1994, the other two years that our redtails built brand new nests on top of the anti-pigeon spikes, were the only years that eggs didn't hatch, a pattern emerges. It loooks likely that only when a second year's accumulation of twigs is added to a first year's structure can successful incubation take place.

To spell it out: In 1993 Pale Male and his mate built their very first nest on 927 Fifth Ave. No eggs hatched. At the end of June that year the building took down the nest [but not the spikes].

In 1994 Pale Male and his mate had to rebuild their nest from scratch again. And again the eggs didn't hatch. But this time the Fish & Wildlife Service warned the building that it was illegal to take down the nest . So the nest remained.

In 1995 the hawks added another layer of twigs to an existing nest, Success at last! Three chicks. And so on from then on.

So...in 2005, Pale Male and Lola had to build a new nest on the anti-pigeon spikes. Looks like the chicks didn't hatch.

BUT NEXT YEAR....

And here's the silver lining: While we're pretty bummed out at the turn of events, here's the silver lining. Pale Male and Lola will now have an unexpected and much-deserved vacation.