Pale Male and Lola- update and historical overview

Pale Male on Linda #2 - Feb 26, 2006
Photo by Lincoln Karim

For the last few weeks everything's been going according to schedule : Pale Male and Lola have been nest building, making hawk love on various rooftops, chimney grates, TV antennas etc. Now they're bringing lining materials to the nest.

Below is a brief summary of Pale Male's history in Central Park. Many of the details of the history below, up until the nest-removal crisis of December, 2004, appear in Red-tails in Love, both in the original edition and in the UPDATE:Ten Years Later section of the tenth Anniversary edition published last spring.

FIFTH AVE HAWK SUMMARY

11/10/91 - Pale Male first sighted in Ramble

1992 - PALE MALE & FIRST LOVE

3/18-4/6: Pale Male and First Love nest on Great Lawn

4/10-5/2 New nest in elm near SummerStage

5/2 -- First Love injured - goes to Raptor Trust

5/4 Pale Male injured - then released back in CP

11/7 -- First Love banded and released at Raptor Trust

11/14 - Pale Male seen with unbanded female – [Chocolate]

1993 - PALE MALE & CHOCOLATE

1/1-3/3 Pale Male seen with mate - courtship - often seen on

buildings on 5th Ave

3/3/ Fifth Ave nest discovered

3/31 Incubation begun

6/1 - nest finally abandoned, [but super sees 3 eggs.]

6/30 - Building removes nest –

1994 - PALE MALE & CHOCOLATE

2/15 -3/31 - nest rebuilding

4/1- Incubation begins

5/1- eggs don't hatch second year in a row

5/15- Hawks abandon nest

[Nest remains in place because of FWS’s warning]

9/3 Injured female -blind in rt. eye - found at Palisades Parkway - taken to Raptor Trust- [It could be Chocolate. She was last sighted in the park in August]

10/8 Soucy bands the bird and releases her

1995- PALE MALE & MOM I [Probably Chocolate with a band] – 3 Chicks

1/95-3/20 -- nest building and courtship

3/20 - Incubation begins

4/22-4/26 - 3 chicks hatch - first seen on 4/26

6/4 - Tom sees first fledge - 5:57 a.m.

6/6 - 2nd fledge - 6:08 a.m

6/7 -3rd fledge - 11:58 a.m.

6/23 - birders succeed in reading band and it is not FIRST

LOVE. -- timing reveals it is probably Chocolate who took a quick trip to Jersey, was injured, rehabbed, banded and released in mid September, 1995-- Jerry Domino finds dead bird, not far from where Mom I had been found iinjured the previous year, doesn't report it until he reads my article in Smithsonian in December '95

9/28 Female seen preening in nest. Mom I [ i.e Chocolate,] is now definitely dead in NJ., but nobody knows this.
12/21 - Jerry Domino calls Smithsonian - reads them band number of dead hawk - it is Mom I. I tell hawkwatchers. They don't believe it.

1996 - PALE MALE & FIRST LOVE -MOM II -- 3 chicks

1/1/96 Merrill Higgins sees band on female perched with Pale

Male. There can't be another banded female!

3/5 - Hawks seen mating on Carlyle

3/23 Incubation begins

3/25 Merrill Higgins reads band. It is FIRST LOVE!

4/22 - 4/28 Eggs hatch -

5/5 chicks seen

6/19 - First fledge bet. 4 & 5 p.m. in pouring rain

6/20 - #2 fledge at 5:40 a.m. and #3 at 1:27 p.m.

1997- PALE MALE & FIRST LOVE - MOM II -- 2 Chicks

2/14 mating

3/15 incubation

4/24 hatch

4/29 2 chicks seen

6/12 1st fledge at 5:58 a.m. and 2nd at 7:36 pm

8/31 - imm. red-tailed hawk found in distress near HC Anderson

statue.

9/11 Imm. Red-Tail taken to Raptor trust - filmed by F. Lilien-

birdwatchers convinced that it's one of the fledglings.

9/26 - The rt juvenile banded and released on Sheep Meadow

10/12 - banded adult red-tailed hawk found dead at Metropolitan

Museum of Art with poisoned pigeon in its crop-- it is

First Love [Mom II]

10/15 Pale Male seen soaring and then perching with new female

Red-tailed hawk -- Blue.

1998 - PALE MALE & BLUE -- MOM III -- 3 Chicks

Jan-Feb - Courtship and nest building

2/13- First mating seen

3/13 - Incubation begins

4/13 -- Possible hatch day.

4/18 - 1st chick seen

4/28 - 3rd nestling finally seen

6/2 - First fledge at 3:50 p.m. -high wind

6/3 - 2nd fledgling take-off 5:20 a.m. -- high wind-- found on

5th Ave at 5:30 p.m. --rehabilitators instructions

followed -- taken up to Dr. Fisher's terrace in box. let

out, and he flies off. Seems OK].

6/12 3rd fledgling goes takes off in pouring rain at 12:31 p.m.

1999 - PALE MALE & BLUE -- 2 chicks [one survives]

Jan- Feb - Courtship and nest building

2/5 First mating observed

3/10 Incubation begins

4/24 2 Chicks seen

5/19 - one chick found dead (trichomoniasis is cause)

6/4 First fledge

2000 -- PALE MALE & BLUE -- 3 chicks

Jan - Feb - Courtship and nest decorating

2/5 First mating observed

3/8 Incubation begins

4/12 HATCH

4/24 --3 chicks seen
6/3 First Fledge

6/5 Second Fledge and 3rd Fledge

2001- PALE MALE & BLUE – 3 Chicks

Jan-Feb Courtship and nest redecorating

2/11 Mating first observed
3/10 Incubation begins
4/16 – HATCH
4/22 Chick seen
6/4/01 First and 2^nd Fledge

[Some time in August, doubt about whether the female with Pale Male is Blue – this one has yellow eyes.

Also, a dead hawk was found shortly before Lola appears, probably Blue]

2002—PALE MALE & LOLA – 2 chicks – none survive

Jan-Feb – courtship and decorating

2/5 Mating observed

3/7 – incubation begins

4/11 – Hatch

4/14 – First chick seen

5/11 – chick dies

5/22 – 2^nd chick dies

2003 – PALE MALE & LOLA – 2 chicks

Jan-Fen – courtship and nest decorating

1/26 – First observation of mating

3/7 - incubation begins

4/14 or 4/16 – Eggs hatch

4/23 – First chick seen

6/2 – First & Second Fledge

2004 – PALE MALE & LOLA

Jan-Feb – courtship and nest decorating

2/9 -– Mating first observed

3/7 – Incubation begins

4/15 – Hatch

4/19 – First chick seen

5/29 – First Fledge
6/3/04 – 2^nd Fledge
6/7/04 – 3^rd Fledge

6/9/04 – Fledgling found on Fifth Ave w/crushed skull – probably collision with building

12/7/04 – Nest removed by management of 927 Fifth Avenue

12/8/04 – Vigil-Protests begin across from 927 Fifth

12/13/04 –Management meets w/Audubon reps – agrees to restore spikes

12/8-12/22 – Protests continue- Honk-4-Hawks etc.

12/23 – New contraption-with-spikes installed at old nest site

including starter twigs

end of December 2004 – Pale Male & Lola

bring twigs to nest – continue through January

2005
First week of February, 2005 – Nest- building begins in earnest

March 6/05 – Nest almost complete-

3/15/05 – Incubation begins

4/20/05 --- hawkwatchers are anxious – the eggs should have hatched three or so days ago

4/29/05 NY Times publishes news that nest has definitely failed. Hawks have been incubating for 44 days, ten days longer than expected.

5/30 The pair finally abandon nest .

2006

Jan-March - nest building and sex.

Check out incubation records for previous years to estimate when the pair might lay eggs and start sitting this year. Should be SOON!