From the NYC Audubon, an request for action to save the nest of Pale Male and his mate, a pair of red-tail hawks who have been raising clutches at the same spot at 927 Fifth Avenue for over ten years.

The building is managed by Brown Harris Stevens, a luxury property management company that's been in business since 1873. The management at Brown Harris Stevens made the decision to tear down this nest, which has been featured in books, movies, and on television, due to a resident's complaint about bird droppings.

Contact information for the management company is listed on their webpage, at www.brownharrisstevens.com. If this story upsets you, perhaps you might respectfully let them know.

The building has only 12 residents, among them Mary Tyler Moore, who was reportedly upset by the property manager's decision. I worked in NYC for a year, and I know that most people would welcome any sign of wildlife, simply because it is so out of the ordinary in that city environment. I can't see why anyone in NYC would want to discourage predatory birds from roosting overhead.

I grant you, sudden and unexpected predatory bird droppings can be upsetting. I once had the honor of being pooped on by a peregrine falcon, and that was definitely icky. But is it really more disturbing to step over hawk droppings than to invite an infestation of rats and a sidewalk patina of pigeon dung?

UPDATE: From Curbed.com, a list of some of the other building residents at 927 Fifth Ave.Link.

Posted by Hello
posted by Lorna Brown at 9:28 PM