Pale Male, the New York hawk, may be nesting atop high-rise again

NEW YORK — The co-op board of a posh Fifth Avenue building agreed Monday to have an architect explore ways to let a famous red-tailed hawk and its mate return to their rooftop nest while protecting pedestrians below.

After meeting with representatives from the National Audubon Society and the New York parks commissioner, the co-op board agreed to have an architect study the building where Pale Male — the inspiration for a book and documentary — was nesting on the roof for a decade.

The 200-pound nest was removed last week after an engineer said it was causing the building's facade to crumble, and that debris and the occasional squirrel, pigeon or rat carcass flung out of the nest after feeding posed a risk to pedestrians.

Workers removed the nest and spikes designed to keep pigeons away, which were ingeniously used by Pale Male and his mate, Lola, to secure the nest.

Birders noticed the nest was missing almost immediately and the ouster generated a storm of protest.

"We did not fully appreciate the importance of these birds to the people of this city," Richard Cohen, president of the building's co-op board, said..

Parks Commissioner Adrian Benepe called Monday's meeting "a great first step" toward a resolution, adding: "We don't want to have the building unfairly vilified."

He noted building officials checked with the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service before removing the nest and were advised that as long as there were no chicks or eggs in the nest they could legally remove it.

Audubon officials called the meeting "a productive one" and said they hope Pale Male and Lola can return to "build their nest in the same location."

Ten years ago, Pale Male set up house, each year adding more sticks to a nest that grew to 8 feet by 3 feet. He has had four mates and 23 chicks, living most of the year in Central Park and returning to the nest each January to mate.