Reader responses

The following are responses received from readers of "The Arrogance of Wealth: 5 Ave Coop Evicts Hawks After 11 Years on Ledge; Pres. Cohen Won't Talk."  They are published in order of receipt.  If you want to add your sentiments, on either side, e-mail StarQuest@nycivic.org.  We have used initials; if you would either prefer us to use your full name, or would rather be anonymous, let us know.  No flames.

 
1   Friday, December 10, 2004 5:00 PM
Thank you, Starquest. I've been hoping that you would weigh in. I see the birds from my office window every day and have grown very attached to them. I hope you'll stay on this until it's resolved -- like Velella was... Keep up the good work!
D.D.


2   Friday, December 10, 2004 5:02 PM
Great article, Henry.  Can't wait for the mouse and rat population in the area to skyrocket now that these two hawks have been evicted.  Thanks again for a great article.
C.C.


3    Friday, December 10, 2004 5:08 PM
Great deal of thanks for the News links!!

Hawk memory.
Last summer at sunset , I was on the fabulous roof of the Met. Mus. of Art. Featured were outdoor sculptures by Andrew Goldsworthy. This artist used natural tree-limb like materials to create incredible nature-dome structures. Two of the famous hawks' offspring were just hanging out, each one was flitting from one part of the massive structure/sculpture to the other. I said wow!

Urban setting?

r.r.


4    Friday, December 10, 2004 5:10 PM
If 5th Avenue doesn't want them, we would love to have them on SI. Our pigeons are just as tasty and not as pricey. We might have more dirt underneath our fingernails, but our noses aren't pointed skyward. We tend to speak quickly and lose our "R's" in the process, but we talk forthrightly and never refer to each other as "lovey" or "darling." We are overbuilt with crappie townhouses, but 25% of our borough is parkland. Tell those hawks they would be welcomed with open wings to come to Staten Island, USA.

Old Town  


5    Friday, December 10, 2004 5:12 PM
I certainly agree with you position and reporting of this shameless event for NYC. Excellent synopsis and reporting.
Thank you.
M.S.


6    Friday, December 10, 2004 5:12 PM
Greetings of the Season!

I find it incredibly ironic (and we certainly have enough of that particular quality in our lives) that the residents of 927 Fifth Avenue chose to commit such a selfish and meansprited act during the season most associated with generosity, good will and the best impulses of humankind.

The very presence of Pale Male and Lola were a testament to the tenacity and divinity of nature in the face of humankind's relentless manipulation and exploitation of our domain. That they continued to both flourish and willingly live among us was something of a benediction.  A small one, granted, but one that made me, and many other people, feel better about our city.

I'm certain not all of the residents of 927 Fifth were a party to this action, or even approved of it. Perhaps many weren't even aware of it until it happened. Whatever the case, it would be great if those residents who abhor the actions of the Board would step up and say so. I don't know what can be done by anyone outside of that enclave to reverse this state of affairs, but I would hope there is something we can do to bring Pale Male and Lola home.  If we don't, then we've lost something even more important than a home for them --- we've lost some intangible, good and decent part of
ourselves.

I'm thinking, StarQuest, that by virtue of your past position and influence as a Commissioner of Parks and by the power of your voice as a civic advocate, you are in a good position to perhaps be the locus of a think tank that could come up with a solution to this situation, maybe at least broach some ideas and get the interested parties talking. I hope you'll think about it.

Anyway, at the least, we'll remember Mr. & Mrs. PM in our prayers and hope for the best for them, and for all of us.  Happy Holiday!

I


6   Friday, December 10, 2004 5:15 PM
Please tell the hawks they'll be welcomed at 91 Central Park West and I'm sure at many other buildings surrounding the park.  The more pigeons they eat, the better.
What is as shocking as their taking this action is their doing it without asking or informing others.  Had they done so, the surrounding millionaires would have provided even finer quarters.
M.L.


7   Friday, December 10, 2004 5:18 PM
no one mentiones the homeless homo sapiens here very much anymore
L.D.


8    Friday, December 10, 2004 5:21 PM
The board and residents of 927 Fifth Avenue (MTM excepted) have shown the world what pathetic specimens of the human race they are, and have demonstrated once again the continuing decline of western civilization in all their wanton disregard for nature and the wonderful planet that has made their small lives possible.
C.R.


9    Friday, December 10, 2004 5:23 PM
Yeah- they put the boot to his nest. A lot of folks were pissed. There actual 2 or 3 hawks in the city. They even hire them to chase pigeions in some small parks and JFK uses then to chase off fowl that mess with planes.
L.W.


10   Friday, December 10, 2004 5:32 PM
i share your concern and anger. i was almost in tears when i first heard about the destruction of their home. the more adverse publicity given to the building( name it)- and the board-- (why pick on cohen alone, he has his cohorts)- the better. notoriety is the best deterrence.
M.D.


11   Friday, December 10, 2004 5:42 PM
Agreed.  You should run a quick follow-up encouraging all of your readers to send notes and to spread the word to their friends to do the same.  If you can provide Mr. Cohen's email address or fax number, that would make it easier for people and you'd get even more response.
Best wishes
R.T.


12   Friday, December 10, 2004 5:50 PM
Thank you for supporting the hawks! Ms. Winters, the owner of the apt where the birds nest, should be evicted from NYC. How dark is her heart? Goes to show, money can buy you everything, but not class! And Paula Zahn, I will never watch her ever again! May she move to North Dakota and stay there!!! F.W.


13   Friday, December 10, 2004 5:53 PM
Two observations:
 
1.    Before the current Federal administration, this destruction would have been illegal, as there was no open season (justified, with complete casuistry, by the lack of breeding then).
 
2.    When the leadership of the Dakota was embarrassingly insensitive to their architectural responsibilities, as faction of owners organized and overthrew them. As their parliamentary advisor, I can assure that people of Ms. Moore's star power led the charge. Please induce her to lead a coup at the co-op.
 
(Imagine if Mrs.. O lived in that house!!! Your Civic leadership can fill the void. Democracy in a small place.)
 
Lawmaker.


14   Friday, December 10, 2004 5:59 PM
Thanks for your great piece on 927 5th and Pale Male. I'd like to offer two observations regarding "the priestly caste:"

"...Cohen, signifies descent from a priestly caste. He does not live up to that fine name by his apparent disregard for living creatures."

1. Jewish tradition has long viewed the Cohanim as arrogant. The Hasmoneans/Maccabees, heroes of Hanukkah, were Cohanim. Though they beat back the Greeks, they usurped the royal throne (traditionally reserved for the offspring of David, who was not a Cohen) and eventually became a corrupt dynasty, to be deposed by Herod. The Talmud prescribes a special, intricate procedure for Cohanim who wish to divorce, as they were "known" to be capricious (and a Cohen's divorce is irreversable.)

2. A Cohen's primary historic function was the slaughter of animals. What did you expect?

I do hope for a happy ending to this tale. Who gets the movie rights?

Happy Hanukah, stay warm,

I.B. (a Levi, whose historic function was cutting down trees for the Cohens)


15   Friday, December 10, 2004 6:02 PM
I enjoy your "starquest" e mails very much, especially the way you set up links for more info. I must admit to being saddened today by the huge amount of coverage dedicated to the hawks ouster from their perch. To get to the editorial in  the Daily News  I read about Mr Joseph Behnke, a true New Yorker who gave his life to protect ours and nary a mention of him anywhere else.
 
    I, too am a "nature lover", "tree hugger" and animal activist but where are our priorities?
 
B.W.


16   Friday, December 10, 2004 6:06 PM
Disgusting, outrageous, and infuriating.  I'm almost at a loss for words.
R.B.


17   Friday, December 10, 2004 6:22 PM
Henry, a very good piece...congrats...I hope, somehow, the hawks make it!
H.


18   Friday, December 10, 2004 6:24 PM
Well stated!  Thank you Commissioner Stern! Your
website and newsletter should be posted as an
additional link on the NYC Audubon website petition.
www.nycaudubon.org

The arrogance of wealth indeed.  So much for the
common good.  And the use of false and inflammatory
logic!  The lawyer's remarks about the nest possibly
falling and about damage to the building?  That nest
was built to last, and had, for 11 years, under the
constant repair and maintenance of those hawks.  It
was anchored by the pigeon stakes.  It is implausible
that the nest presented any true danger to the
foundation, walls or structure of 927 Fifth Avenue.
And complaints about unsightly droppings and bits of
carcasses?  Well, isn't that what a wealthy coop has a
staff for?  For pete's sake. 

Andrea Peyser pointed out the real apparent reason for
the removal were privacy concerns. As if any true bird
watcher cared who lived in that building.  I doubt
that if Ms. Paula Zahn and her husband Mr. Cohen had
cavorted nude in their windows that anyone would have
noticed, or cared, focused as their attention was on
the birds. 

Perhaps the tenants of 927 Fifth are jealous the birds
get bigger billing than they do.  Ironically, most of
the names and addresses of those individual tenants
are now being made widely known via the vigiliance of
various web bloggers and sites such as www.gawker.com
and www.curbed.com.  I suspect far more people know
now where Ms. Zahn, Mr. Wasserstein, Mr. Ainslie, Mr.
Belfer, Mr. Winters, and the rest, including which
physicians have offices in that building, live, along
with the names of the co-op's idiotic lawyer, the
property management company for the building (Brown
Harris Stevens), and the construction contractor
(Bosanas) that did the deed, than did before this
fiasco. 

I hope the tenants are enjoying their new found
"privacy" now that the sharp eyes and talons of many
are now focused directly on them without the
distraction of the hawks.

The law, or loophole, or whatever clarification that
the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service issued in 2003 must
be revisited.  Clearly, there was some lobbying that
occurred to force this clarification to be issued.
Just as obviously, the evil coop board led by the
nefarious Mr. Cohen, were just biding their time.

In this season of the "Miracle on 34th Street",
they've wrecked a real one, on 74th Street.  I hope
with the help of prominent truth-tellers and connected
people of influence, like you, a practical solution
can be found.

Sincerely,

A.L.
(formerly of Jane St., now in Chicago)


19   Friday, December 10, 2004 6:26 PM
Hi
Thanks for your article about Pale Male.  As you know I am a guide at the CPZ  but I am also President of my Co-op Board.  Their actions just dumb founded me.  I heard they were hanging around a the Carlyle Hotel and they said they would be welcome.

They-- the c0-op board and shareholders deserve all the bad press they can get.

j.s.


20   Friday, December 10, 2004 6:33 PM
      I am in complete agreement with you and every editorialist in New York on the matter of the forced exile of Pale Male and his mate. This act is a disgrace and a serious embarrassment to our great city. That a real estate developer should unilaterally remove members of such an elegant species from their home of so many years demonstrates a degree of vulgarity and selfishness we must not tolerate. His wife, Ms Zahn, is in a position to reverse her husband's small mindedness. Let her act at once to undo this wrong.
 
                                          Sincerely,
 
                                          D.S.


21   Friday, December 10, 2004 6:36 PM
As you'll see below, Mr. Shmulewitz seems to have been so kind as to forward my message to his clients.  You're welcome to use it also,  in your postings of sentiment too if you'd like to.  More than at any other time since just after 9/11 I wish I were back in NYC right now, so I could picket in front of 927, and take part in whatever peaceful protest might serve to change this egregious decision, or chastize the people who made it.  

All the best,

Charger

------------- Forwarded message follows -------------

Date: 12/9/2004 12:25:12 -0500
From: "Shmulewitz, Aaron"
To: "W. Morgan Smith"
Subject: RE: 927 Fifth Avenue

I have conveyed your message to my client.

Aaron Shmulewitz, Esq.
Reed Smith LLP

-----Original Message-----
From: W. Morgan Smith
Sent: Thursday, December 09, 2004 11:04 AM
To: Shmulewitz, Aaron
Subject: 927 Fifth Avenue

Mr. Shmulewitz,

Please be so kind, if you feel it appropriate, to convey to your clients at 927 Fifth Avenue the disgust felt by this former New Yorker at their actions to remove the hawk's nest from the facade of their building earlier this week.  If I still lived in New York City I would take part in lawful demonstrations aimed at conveying this message, but since I no longer do I must find another way to do so.

It seems that their action was legal under current interpretations of the relevant regulations, but it strikes me as immoral and reprehensible.

Thank you for taking the time, if you have, to read this
communication.  

W.M.S.
Buffalo, New York


22   Friday, December 10, 2004 6:47 PM
Henry -- I don't know how many thousands of times in my life I have seen a hawk, but it thrills me each time.  And to see them in Manhattan has always been doubly thrilling.  Everyone knows it's hard to build something and easy to destroy it.  It's a little depressing to be reminded of this when the builder is the world's most resourceful family of hawks and the destroyers are among the world's most wealthy and privileged people.  I hope sanity and humanity can prevail quickly enough to enable the hawks to rebuild their nest.
 
T. (Redwing)


23   Friday, December 10, 2004 6:54 PM
I was terribly saddened by the 927 Fifth Board's action.  Your essay expresses my sentiments exactly.
 
Many thanks,
B.P.


24   Friday, December 10, 2004 7:04 PM
thanks for bringing this to my attention.
This action symbolizes the arrogant gap between the extreme wealth of corporations and residents on one side and the lack of citizen qualities on the other side. It is the OBLIGATION and HONOR of the residents of this building to take care of this precious element of our city.

Best Regards,
Volker


25   Friday, December 10, 2004 7:06 PM
NEVER MIND THE LOFTY HOPES FOR THESE YAHOOS, HOLIDAY SEASON OR NOT! MAY THEY BE CRAPPED ON BY PIGEONS AND OVERRUN BY RATS FOR ALL ETERNITY!!

MESSRS. COHEN AND SHMULEWITZ ARE GIVING JEWS A BAD NAME DURING THE HOLIDAY OF LIGHTS.  IF THEY HAD A BRAIN OR CONSCIENCE BETWEEN THEM, THEY COULD AT LEAST CALLED THE AUDUBON SOCIETY BEFORE THEY CALLED THE CONTRACTORS....OR THE PARKS DEPARTMENT, FOR THAT MATTER.

I'M NOT A BIRDER, BUT PALE MALE LANDED ON THE NORTH ROOF OF THE ARSENAL WHILE I WAS HAVING LUNCH LAST SUMMER AND IT WAS A THRILL!  KEEP AT IT, SQ! THE WHOLE CITY IS BEHIND YOU!

XXXX  HEADLIGHT


26   Friday, December 10, 2004 7:56 PM
Well said, and maybe they can have their nest where thr droppings would be less burdensome to the occupants. P.


27   Friday, December 10, 2004 8:32 PM
I was forwarded your article "The Arrogance of Wealth" concerning Pale Male and Lola and I want to commend you and thank you for it.  As a follower from afar of Pale Male, I have found his incredible story and length of success in NYC to be a remarkable and heartwarming saga, in a world seemingly filled with "bad" news.  It appeared that the city viewed him the same way.  The news of the tragic destruction of his nest left me nauseous and shaken . . . there is no other way to describe it.

One article I read before receiving yours quoted Atty. Schmulewitz as stating, "I wonder if I would be receiving these messages if that nest had fallen and killed a child in the street."  This from a high-powered attorney?  Perhaps he simply knows nothing of how birds build their nests, especially raptors, but this was a nest secured by non lethal pigeon spikes.  It hasn't moved for twelve years.  It obviously did not occur to Atty. Schmulewitz the chance that was being taken by this co-op's powers that be.  It was and is a million times more likely that someone could be killed by a falling spear like branch as Pale Male desperately tries to reconstruct his home without the spikes in place.

I also heard today that Pale Male and Lola are attempting to start a new nest atop the Carlisle and that the hotel has agreed to allow this.  Bless them for that.

And bless you, sir, for your wonderful article and obvious compassion.  If possible, please keep me posted on any other news concerning this pair.

Sincerely,

C.S.
WILDLIFE RESCUE
Friendsville, PA


28   Friday, December 10, 2004 8:37 PM
Thank you for speaking out on behalf of Pale Male and Lola.  I have found myself extremely upset by this ever since the story first broke.  I think we should do something en masse to call attention to this arrogant and heartless co-op board.  Demonstrate in front of 927 5th Avenue?  Perhaps sending an email which gets signed by all New Yorkers with heart that ultimately winds up in the NY Times as a full page denouncement would be more effective.  Each signature can pay $10 or whatever towards the cost of the notice.  It would be great if you’d take this a step further and send a call to action out to your mailing list.

Best regards,

B.A.
(Frizzy)


29   Friday, December 10, 2004 9:02 PM
Thank you for adding your strong voice to Pale and Lola’s pitiful plight (as well as all less fortunate creatures). You are still my guy.
Eft


30   Friday, December 10, 2004 9:19 PM
With a few small misgivings, I have to take exception to your article, and the editorials condemning the actions of the 927 5th Ave Co-op board.

While I agree that the loss of the nest (which does NOT necessarily mean the loss of the hawks) can be considered a tragedy for those who enjoyed watching them, are you really taking the position that the owners of that building do not have the right to control their property? That they have no rights to privacy and cleanliness?

You state "They should not destroy the home of a living family of another species." Really? What if it were the home of mice? Rats? Squirrels? Bats? Is your "moral law" utterly dependent on the popularity of the species in question?

They, and you, and I, should have the absolute right to determine who we share our homes with. There seems to be a bit of "class warfare" going on here. Would the reactions be the same if the nest had been removed from a tenement? Would we demand that poor people be forced to live with droppings and "the occasional pigeon tartare" so that some of us could enjoy watching the hawks? I've heard no complaints about "pigeon-repelling spikes", other than that they were removed! Where are the pigeon's rights on your moral compass . . . or, to put it bluntly: are hawk droppings somehow more appealing that those of pigeons?

That the hawks (and their nest) were there for 11 years should be a testament to the patience and forbearance of those residents and their Board, and if anything they should be congratulated for putting up with the situation for so long. I doubt that it's only the very rich that value their privacy . . . if  there were an animal nest on YOUR home that caused hundreds of telescopes to be trained on YOUR windows, how long would YOU put up with it? I can state with certainty that I wouldn't have 11 years of patience: a nest on MY home that could cause such attention wouldn't last a day!

You correctly state that the hawks are "wild animals". And, you are also correct that the "idea of wild birds surviving in a most urban environment captured the imagination of adults and children all over the world." But my imagination can go further. Let's imagine that Mrs. Gotrocks on the 12th Floor of that building spills some oil while preparing her dinner (OK, she's rich, so her cook/maid/whatever does it), and it catches fire. The Fire Department responds, and while the brave firefighter ascends the ladder to rescue Mrs. Gotrocks (or the cook/maid/whatever), he/she is attacked by a hawk, falls from the ladder and dies. Can your imagination foresee the negligence claims against the co-op? They harbored wild animals!! Dangerous wild animals!! They allowed the dangerous situation to exist for eleven years!! You can even remove some of the sensationalism by substituting a lowly window washer for the brave firefighter (or add to it by making it a child leaning out the window to look at the hawks, or increase it further by making it the child of the cook/maid/whatever), but the lawyer's claims probably wouldn't change. And this is NOT an unlikely scenario! It took only a few seconds for me to find: "It (the Red Tailed Hawk) is an aggressive hawk which vigorously defends it's territory and is known to attack human intruders who approach too close to it's nesting site" on the web site of the Sussex Falconry Centre (http://www.sussexfalconrycentre.co.uk/hawks.htm).

You're wrong on this one, Henry. Nevertheless, keep up the excellent work, and best wishes for the Holidays!

J.F.


31   Friday, December 10, 2004 9:35 PM
Your inspired defense of our feathered friends is the most “hawkish” I’ve ever seen you!

Best wishes,
-H


32   Friday, December 10, 2004 9:39 PM
Your December 10th article "The Arrogance of Wealth" was excellent.  Thank you for all the links. 
 
I feel sick every time I think of what these people have done.  Please include my feelings in your report. 
 
I am a volunteer at the largest Raptor Rehabilitation Facility in Kentucky.  These birds have three strong instincts.  They want to eat, reproduce, and survive.  They don't play games with people or manipulate regulations and laws.  They don't value wealth.  They value character and courage.  Perhaps we are captivated by their ability to live in a way we can't seem to master.
 
So the residents of Fifth Avenue find their eating habits offensive?  Just because your meat comes in a boneless filet doesn't mean there is no carcass.  Letting some minumum-wage worker do your dirty work does not separate you from the rest of the carnivores.
 
I have another newsflash for the residents.  No one is interested in watching you.  "Fully dressed" or not!  Bird watchers don't make great people watchers.  Look at the photos taken of Pale Male and Lola thus far.  See any people?  I don't watch Paula Zahn now, and I certainly am not interested in seeing her parade in front of a window.
 
As for the statement that the nest was damaging the building.  Please.
 
The coop's attorney says we would sing a different tune if the nest fell on a child on the sidewalk.  Apparently it was wedged so tightly that it took several workers and pry tools to free it.  It seems Henny Penny has passed the bar.
 
The most insulting statement I have read is that it was not illegal to remove an inactive nest.  These are not song birds that tear out and rebuild every year.  Their nest is a work in progress and Pale Male and Lola were actively remodeling.  They have lived at this location for 12 years and do not leave when the nest is empty.  My only child recently went away to college.  My nest is officially empty.  I assure you that my house is still a home and quite active.  Legal or not this was wrong.
 
The sad truth is these people believe that they are superior to other life.  They were blessed with presence of this family, and have proven to be poor stewards of that blessing.  You are not too good to have hawks nesting on your building, you are not good enough.
 
Thanks for this opportunity to comment.
 
Sincerely,
 
D.H.
Louisville, KY


33   Friday, December 10, 2004 9:39 PM
I would like to add my voice to those who find the coop board's action against Pale Male and Lola cruel and deplorable.  The hawks did nothing to the humans; why are the humans being so destructive to these beautiful creatures?  Perhaps Paula Zahn would feel differently if folks went around tearing down those humongous posters of her around town.
-- M.A.D.


34   Friday, December 10, 2004 9:59 PM
I was hoping you would write about this - I knew you would be outraged. 927 should be ashamed - it's truly disgraceful. I can't believe, given the reaction from the press and the NYC community, that the building has not gone out of its way to help Pale Male rebuild. It just makes me so sad that they were evicted in that fashion because of a few droppings. I hope Pale Male and Lola find a place to rebuild locally! -OB


35   Friday, December 10, 2004 10:26 PM
HAPPY HOLIDAYS!
 
It seems to Moi a true celebration would include all of God's creatures...
 
XO
J.L.


36   Friday, December 10, 2004 10:35 PM
I was stunned, shocked, outraged and heartbroken when I read in the Times about this cruel and immoral deed.I had thought that the nest was legally protected and could not be harmed. Leave it to these mean spirited people to find a loop hole!
I was one of the thousands who followed Pale Male's thrilling life over the last ten years. Each year there was renewed excitement as I watched the nest for the count of chicks and spotted Pale Male or his mate circling high in the sky. I could watch this magnificent creature without traveling to a distant national park because he chose my back yard to make his home and raise his family.  Pale Male was a genuine New York celebrity. My visiting friends were all taken to the Park to look through the scopes at our own Red Tail. I also enjoyed watching the expressions of pure joy on the faces of adults and children as they peered through the scopes.
There is also something sadly "New York" about this landlord/ tenant conflict. If the owners of 927 were so put off by the occasional "leftovers" on the sidewalk, I'm sure Pale Male's many friends would have arranged volunteer cleaning crews or raised money to pay their doormen or building staff for the extra housekeeping. I still can't comprehend why they did this - there was no disturbance in front of their building - The Red Tail watchers were far away on the other side of Conservatory pond. Just what were they trying to accomplish? In this Holiday Season, are they vying for the Scrooge award? They really make me sick.
I'm just so angry about this and totally disgusted by the hubris exhibited by these people. I want to do something - I want our hawk family back - and I feel helpless.
L.G.


37   Friday, December 10, 2004 10:53 PM
Thank you for your efforts and wonderful words on the baleful situation of Pale Male's eviction. Like you and countless others, I have been nourished by his presence for the last decade. I've already written and called the dozen or so obvious suspects with my views (each edited for recipient).
Below I append my latest missive, sent in this case to Ms. Zahn, who has tried to appear above the fray -- a particularly noxious stance under the circumstances. Thank you again for your efforts -- may many more join you in showing half as much heart as our lovely raptor friends have modeled for us
over the years.
M.N.


38   Friday, December 10, 2004 10:53 PM
I agree with you StarQuest.  The hawks controversy show our great Metropolis in bad light.  Your courage in writing about this issue shows why I respect and admire your integrity and intellect!  God bless and Happy Holidays.
M.N.


39   Friday, December 10, 2004 11:30 PM
I worked in Central Park for more than ten years. When I first started working within the border of Manhattan's "Emerald", I gained a completely new perspective on our island. I saw it through the eyes of birds who live in and around the "Emerald" and through the eyes of animals who call it home. Having grown up in the Poconos it was natural for us to see things through the eyes of flora, fauna and feathers. But in New York City?

Working in Central Park, I learned that some things can remain "natural" if we the so-called dominant species help to make it so. I felt that we New Yorkers were trying to do what the first American people had done for centuries, maintain the balance.

When I first saw the red tails soaring overhead on a cold winter's day, I thought, "My God, how we've been blessed". Our city of concrete and glass is home to some of the best that Mother Nature has to offer. What an incredible sight.

I learned how the citizens and those who govern our city worked very hard to make this metropolis a welcome place for species such as hawks and falcons to live and reproduce. It made me proud.

When I learned that Pale Male and Lola made their home on 5th Avenue I felt a tremendous amount of respect the people who live in that building. I thought, "Those people are great. You see, one's "status" doesn't matter as some would like to think. People of all means care. We all care enough to do whatever we can to provide a safe home for species such as hawks right here in Manhattan."

In my mind, I thumbed my nose at friends who live in middle America and in other cities, those who like to criticize New Yorkers as being cold, selfish, self-involved, uncaring people.

I believe that the vast majority of us do care as the papers' editorials show. People complain about pigeons. The hawks do what comes natural and still some complain.

The action taken by the coop board reflects the stereotype of a New Yorker that we have worked very hard to put to rest. We in this city believe in live and let live freely.

A few years ago in Berlin, former President Reagan stood at the Berlin wall and said, "Mr. Gorbachev, tear down this wall".

I say, "Mr. Cohen, rebuild that nest."

R.S./Meadowland
Manhattan


40   Friday, December 10, 2004 11:59 PM
You are the BEST, we need to Condemn the building under emanate domain, and see how THEY LIKE IT.

If the Hawks had all the MONEY that people make off them, They could BUY the apt of Cohen and spend them packing.
 
Lets make this a cause, and DRIVE THEM NUTS
 
VJ


41   Saturday, December 11, 2004 12:24 AM
The story breaks my heart.  The best punishment for these people would be a crowd of people standing across the street from the building watching everyone who goes in and out and scanning the building with there telescopes.  I suppose so many prominent people live in the building that not even Mary Tyler Moore, a well-known animal advocate, cannot sway the evil deed.
 
A couple of days ago, the news was that Pale Male seemed to have his eye on the Hotel Carlyle which said it would welcome him and his mate.  I hoped that would work out -- but they seem to be homesick for their former site.  Somehow this has to work out for the birds.  Isn't there a way to lure them to a new building?
 
Greencastle


42   Saturday, December 11, 2004 12:56 AM
The hawk is beautiful, and there's one living in my bldg. apt 7B. You give space to a bird, but none to seven United States citizens whose 14th Amendment rights are being trampled on by the MTN precinct of the NYPD in their conspiracy with TOA Construction Company, Ltd. of Japan, and their legal agents, Sieratzki, Ceccerelli, and Weprin, L.l.c. to criminally harass these seven tenants. THIS isn't  the arrogance of wealth???  This thing Weprin declares himself Mr. Jew of NY all the while using Gestapo tactics and anti-Semitic tactics against the tenants. Why does this bird deserve more consideration than seven tenants? I'm sure you'll ignore this just as German Jews couldn't believe that anyone would take such a crazy like Hitler seriously, and basically ignored him. Or, maybe you're not  the man for the job.
 
My extended family, a big part of my "village" were European Jews from Czechoslovakia and Germany, some of whom were numbered.
 
D.P.N.


43   Saturday, December 11, 2004 9:00 AM
Thanks for defending our bird bretheren.  Not just we hawk watchers but people from all over the tri-state area saw the red tail hawks nesting at 927 Fifth as a triumph of nature, a small victory of man and wild living together and enjoying each other's company.  The bad news is ignorance and selfishness won one battle.  The good news to all of us who cheered the hawks - they are indominatable and will nest near by, again.  You gotta love it.

By the way the best news - pigeon problems for the rich at 927 will increase because they removed the spikes and the natural controls.  Ha!

Don't let the hawk haters get you down.

B.F.


44   Saturday, December 11, 2004 9:10 AM
Thank you for your excellent article on Pale Male and the arrogant coop board of 927 Fifth Avenue.  I have included  a letter i sent to the NY Times that was not published.

Letter to NY Times
Re:  Newly homeless above 5th avenue, hawks have little to build on.-
12/9/04
In a city that has so little wild life of its own, it is a disgrace that the callous, cold hearted residents of 927 Fifth Avenue were allowed to destroy the nest of Pale Male and his mate, Lola, rare Red-Tailed hawks, to satisfy their quest for a sterile environment.  And how sad now to see these birds flying around in an agitated way, wondering why their home of over 10 years is no longer.  People were thrilled to experience these magnificent birds and their progeny who graced this steel and glass city with their presence.  These birds belonged to all us - they were not the exclusive domain of the small-minded people of this privileged 5th Avenue building. 
 
Living on the other side of the park, it would be an honor for Pale Male to roost at my building - and I am sure many NYC residents feel the same.
 
E.F.
Central Park West
New York, NY


45   Saturday, December 11, 2004 10:28 AM
As I write I can see seven turkeys go about their business in my backyard.  I also have a red tail hawk that I see every 3-4 days who seems to be at the top of my backyard prey-preditor cycle. They are both an example the beauty of God's nature.
 
In The Great Gatsby, Nick says something about Tom and Daisy to the effect they are carless people who smash things and people up and then retreat behind their immense wealth(I can't put my hands on a copy this morning for the exact quote).  Only in NYC are arrogance and money seen as positive attributes.
 
I will wager there are multiple residents of 927 who are literally laughing at the people who are upset by the hawk story at their breakfast tables this morning. This is a symbol of the faux community NYC has become.
 
Please come visit "our mountain greenery where God made the scenery" sometime.
 
D.


46   Saturday, December 11, 2004 12:24 AM
Your article should be presented as a guest editorial throughout the NY media, as is frequently done with the likes of Clement Clarke Moore's "T'was the Night Before Christmas", Francis P. Church's "Yes, Virginia, There is a Santa Claus" and excerpts from Charles Dickens' "A Christmas Carol."
 
It would be a waste of time to try to add anything to your respectful candor, openness, authoritativeness, generous inclusion of others' contributions, and above all, your spirituality.
 
New York will provide a home for these precious lives, one way or another. We all would like the fairytale ending of seeing these co-op residents and board reverse themselves and recognize that they've been privileged and honored to have these now famous residents nesting on their building ledge.
 
Absent that, however, it matters a great deal to all caring New Yorkers that you've stated the case definitively for Pale Male, his mate, Lola, and their offspring.
 
Sincerely,
J.P.
Animal Advocate
Flushing, NY


47   Saturday, December 11, 2004 11:03 AM
I fervently agree with both Joseph Pastore and Henry Stern. I do not live in New York City, I live in the countryside of Pennsylvania, where I'm blessed to see hawks every single day as I travel to and fro. I truly find them to be amazing creatures, and I am shocked that their domicile would be destroyed when so many loved seeing them there. I also urge the co-op directors to do the right thing; give Pale Male and his mate Lola their home.
T.S.G., founder, Dogs Deserve Better


48   Saturday, December 11, 2004 11:25 AM
The answer is simple. Like all true pioneers, it's time for these hawks to go west. Over here on West 71st street, we would welcome them to the neighborhood. Nobody more famous than they lives in our humble building, and we would be honored to work out a suitable roofline penthouse. The park views are somewhat oblique, but we can't all live on 5th Avenue. Come to think of it, some of us don't even want to.
T.C.
West 71 Street


49   Saturday, December 11, 2004 11:48 AM
Your normally sensible take on things is absent here.  Co-op boards in NYC are indeed famously snooty and capricious.  But birds nesting on a private building are a nuisance whose aesthetic value on the front of a landmark architectural edifice is hardly self-evident.  Enviro-excess has unjustly deprived property owners of much control over their own possessions.  Residents at 927 Fifth Avenue owe nothing to bird-watchers and tourists.  Bird dung and pigeon carcasses fouling sidewalks--or pedestrians--NYC can do without.  This public keening over two birds is ludicrously disproportionate to any reasonable aesthetic or moral valuation--and property rights are moral, too.  Worry about Islamic terror, Social Security solvency, UN corruption, the appalling state of our schools, wasting a billion dollars on an in-town stadium and the insufferable arrogance in Albany (compared to which NYC co-op boards are models of modesty).  Fear not: Sooner or later some co-op board will do something really awful, but not this time.
Regards,
J.C.W.


50   Saturday, December 11, 2004 12:12 PM
Bravo, Henry.  With the dozens of media articles on this inexcusable event, yours was the most wonderfully clear and succinct. 
Thanks, B.


51   Saturday, December 11, 2004 12:52 PM
My husband and I were deeply saddened by the senseless destruction of the nest high above 5th Avenue that had been the home to the red-tailed hawks for so many years.  In the spring we often visit Conservatory Water, Central Park's famous model boat pond, where generous " birders" allow us a peek in their telescope to view the newest fledglings.

I commented to my girlfriend once that I spotted the red-tailed hawks atop the Beresford while sharing another "birders" telescope at the castle near The Delacort Theater in Central Park.  I then told her they live on Fifth Avenue.  "They have good taste," she commented with the sincerity of a true New Yorker.

My husband Bill came home the other night and told me I was going to be very upset.  What happened, I said. "Your not going to like it," he said.  What, tell me.....The Yankees...The Knicks...Joe Torre... What?  "Worse," he said.  "Someone destroyed the nest of the red-tailed hawks on Fifth Avenue."   I couldn't believe it!

How could they?

Please let the hawks build their nest again, where it was.  They live there.

A True New Yorker,

E.W.K.
Central Park West
New York, NY 10023


52   Saturday, December 11, 2004 1:36 PM
As nieghbors, living half a block away from the nest of Pale Male and Lola, we have been out picketing on the street every day and have sent letters to each resident of the building.  The arrogance and total lack of concern of these extraordinarlily privileged people is symptomatic of the way many liberals (they all contributed the maximum allowed amount to John Kerry) only care for what is not in their back yard.  If an environmental situation develops some place else, they are the first to show concern for an endangered tree toad in Arizona. They think nothing of blocking a dam or highway project, but let a pair of hawks nest in their building that give the citizens of New York genuine pleasure, they turn deaf ears to what has become a national outcry. The occasional bird droppings might reduce the value of their $17,500,000 apartments.  If I am not mistaken, this building has only one apartment per floor, so if one is on the market for that amount, they must all be of about the same value. We will continue to do all we can and pray to have our birds back again before spring.  B.G.


53   Saturday, December 11, 2004 2:30 PM
I am saddened and ashamed of the board at 927 Fifth Avenue for evicting the hawks.This further reflects on the predatorial nature of the privileged who in this action have proven themselves to be thoughtless, alpha predators who are sanguine in their ability to evict these beautiful birds of prey. Life is indeed very short and I happen to believe that 927's negativity will strike back at them with the poetic subtly of the laws of causality. They have reified the perception that the rich are self-obsessed, arrogant and impervious to co-existence. New York has ethnic cleansing too, it is called Gentrification. They can not yet see the ghost of their Christmas future who is weeping at their doorstep.
S.S.


54   Saturday, December 11, 2004 3:20 PM
I hope that the nest can be put back.  I was so upset when I heard about such cruelity.  I am heart broken each time I read about the birds flying around trying to figure out where their home went.  I can't believe that such prividged people could commit such a cruel act.  Your article was so beautiful and it touched me.  If there is anything else I can do, I hope someone will contact me.  I understand there is going to be a vigil tomorrow afternoon.  I am planning on attending.  I think it is important that the birds see we are not all mean spirited.......
Thank you.
Sincerely,
M.A.


55   Saturday, December 11, 2004 3:42 PM
    The Pale Male episode just proves the truth of the old adage:
    Money can't buy class.
A.D.F.
Prescott, Arizona


56   Saturday, December 11, 2004 4:34 PM
Thank you for your wonderful article about the arrogant wealthy who evicted Pale Male and his mate. http://nyc.indymedia.org/newswire/display/135360/index.php lists Kenneth Cole as a resident of 927 Fifth Ave. His email address is xxx. I told him that I'm boycotting his products. I don't buy from cruel people.
Sincerely,
M.G.
Miami, FL


57   Saturday, December 11, 2004 9:19 PM
Thank you for such an eloquent and moving editorial regarding the fate of
the red tailed hawk's nest.  I understand that the coop board has changed its
mind and now will "allow" the birds back??  Not sure how they will accomplish this, but I'm sure you will have something to do with it!
Thanks again,
A.P.


58   Saturday, December 11, 2004 9:32 PM
WOW!!!!!        THANKS FOR FOCUSING ON  THIS ISSUE  MY WIFE  "LILY PAD"& ME " FROGMAN"  ARE REALLY UPSET ABOUT  THE     TOTALLY SELFISH  BEHAVIOR OF THE 927  CO-OP BOARD..   SO MANY  THOUSANDS  OF  PEOPLE FROM AROUND  THE WORLD  ENJOY   VIEWING& SHARING  THE LIVES OF THESE  BEAUTIFUL  ANNIMALS
...

CAN ONLY SPEAK FOR MYSELF---- AM PREPARED TO LOITER OUTSIDE OF 927  WITH  POSTERS  FLAG'S AND DO WHATEVER IT TAKES TO  CHANGE COHEN'S&927 BOARDS LOUSY& SELFISH BEHAVIOR

    GKP   "FROGMAN"
    FIFTH AVENUE


59   Sunday, December 12, 2004 9:49 AM
I wish there were something you/we could do to restore the nest, or to encourage their building of another one nearby; perhaps there is an adjacent building with more hospitable residents.  (Am I whistling in the dark?) This incident is extremely painful for me to ponder, and I doubt that those who ordered the nest taken down are capable of changing their arrogant minds.
Sincerely,
S.K.F.


60   Sunday, December 12, 2004 11:20 AM
      Just want to add my name to the list of those who find what the residents of that bldg. Did was  not thought out as there were alternatives that could have been suggested that woiuld have relocated the hawks to roof and all would have been happy, we should ask the residents to relocate, a majority would be in favor of that.

                   Best Regards,
                     B.W.


61   Sunday, December 12, 2004 3:56 PM
Henry - I appreciate that the tale of the red tail hawk was the issue of the day for the past few days.  As evocative as it was of times prehistoric, what troubled me, however, was your gratuitous interjection of an anti-Semitic theme.  Why interject that Mr. Cohen's surname derives from a priestly class?  What were you trying to say; you must appreciate what your words implied.  By the way, do you appreciate that the priestly class to which you referred practiced ritual sacrifice in the Temple of long ago?
Henry, I know that you can do better.  B.


62   Sunday, December 12, 2004 4:04 PM
I read the story of the red-tailed hawks when I was flying in a plane to meet a friend in New Hampshire. Of all the news in the Times that day, I focused on that one and showed it to my friend when I arrived. After reading it, she exclaimed vehemently: "That is why we will never have peace on earth!" What she alluded to was, of course, the thought that as long as there are human beings who are so callous to other living creatures and who, unfortunately, also have the clout to act out their ignorance, peace will be impossible for us all.
 
Respectfully submitted,
 
Mother Hen, a.k.a. H.H.
 
P.S. Being a Holocaust survivor, I find it particularly important that my fellow Jews set a high example of respect and reverence for all living creatures. Need I say more?


63   Sunday, December 12, 2004 7:18 PM
I say honk for the hawks.   What a disgrace that the nest was removed.  It's that "NIMBY" mentality of the rich (too bad, their backyard is a parkland!)   If only ALL the birds in the city could band together for the hawks and take one collective crap on that building.  Ha, then they'd have something to clean up that's worth complaining about.
Cayuga


64   Sunday, December 12, 2004 7:28 PM
I was outraged when I read about this incident in the NYTimes last week.  I find it hard to understand the lack of compassion and the huge amount of hubris of the residents of 927 Fifth Avenue.  I, too, live on Fifth Avenue although at not as chic an address as 927.  I cannot imagine that anyone could be so cruel as the residents of 927 in acting as they did in destroying the home of  defenseless animals and then attempting to stonewall or, worse, cover-up by blaming unnamed city agencies.  Please register me among the outraged and truely saddened by their actions.
 
I read in today's NYTimes that there will be an attempt to resolve the situation. I certainly hope that the residents of 927 will realize the evil of their ways.  It seems that they are reacting because of pressure not because of any feelings of remorse or conscience.  Hopefully, this heartless situation will be resolved and that your input from your correspondents will help. 

C.W.


65   Sunday, December 12, 2004 9:03 PM
Thank you for the excellent article.

For me, I know these are 'just birds' in the primary sense.
However, they are icons of determination and consistency; their beauty is almost secondary once someone sees the documentaries, reads the books, looks at the websites, and goes to the Upper East Side when in the city to witness them in such an urban setting.  I think it's important to have them replaced to their nest, not to satisfy only 'bird lovers', but to show that kindness and a general optimism can
be found among disperate citizens, and that the human voices raised to effect such reclamations and subsequent protections can have an effect.  It would be a minute victory in the face of world events, however each action is important in the river of life.  Somehow this topic goes into the hearts of many people. I think it goes back to the determination and consistency of one PaleMale. He's a role model of sorts, giving his gift to the city, to the many who care around the nation, and to people in other parts of the world.

I am doing what I can to help effect a return. I thank you very much for your effort. It means something to individuals you will never meet.

S.


66   Sunday, December 12, 2004 10:35 PM
Greetings from California. Trust you are well.
 
I felt complied, even though over 3,000 miles away from the scene of the crime, to express my wife's and my intense displeasure with the NYC apartment management who have left Pale Male and his mate homeless.  On a recent business trip I went out of my way to have the cab driver take me by their perch at 927 Fifth Avenue to take photos and share with my wife for her class of 3rd grade students who were studying nature co-habitating in an urban setting in conjunction with the showing of the taped of the PBS "Pale Male" program.  The children were amazed and delighted to find man and nature working together in a big city.  She is so distraught and angered she can't even tell these eight-year-old children of this inhumane act. This is wrong!
 
J. & A.F.
Los Angeles, CA


67   Sunday, December 12, 2004 10:43 PM
I was distressed to read in the New York Times on line, and also in your organization’s newsletter through the Earth Values Caucus at the UN, that those wonderful birds had been evicted.  For six years when I lived in New York I would be filled with joy to watch the family of birds making their home and feeding their family, standing from a vantage point in Central Park.  In a city of mostly concrete, it was uplifting to see the great birds and how they adapted with great skill to living on a concrete ‘rock-ledge’ overlooking that magnificent park.

It is sad to think that no other solution to the disadvantages in keeping the nest at 927 Park Avenue could be found, other than to remove and destroy the nest.

H.S.
Melbourne, Australia


68   Monday, December 13, 2004 9:08 AM
Any New Yorker who helps reduced the pigeon population, free of charge, and in an enviromentally responsible way, deserves to build a home on Fifth Avenue. 
D.M.


69   Monday, December 13, 2004 9:25 AM
What does one say about the arrogance, insensitivity, disregard for the creatures we share our planet with?  Please, please use your spheres of influence to bring Pale Male and Lola's nest back 927 Fifth Avenue, and joy back to, not only many New Yorkers, but visitors throughout the world who came to gaze at these two resilient, marvelous birds.
J.R.K.


70   Monday, December 13, 2004 9:49 AM
I wish there was half the outrage about people being homeless.
R.E.A.


71   Monday, December 13, 2004 3:15 PM
My TR-style tree-hugging credentials earn me the regular spite of my more conservative fellow Republicans.  But in this case, Mr. & Mrs. Male have a tremendous monument to nature (and to man's reverence for it) available to them in Central Park.  Can't they simply move across the street?
 
If it were me and my neighbors up in East Harlem complaining of the odor, health and aesthetic risks associated with pigeon droppings, the Times would doubtless commission a study inevitably comparing said problems to cockroach infestation and other obvious symptoms of landlord neglect. 
 
I don't doubt that some of the human residents of 927 are vile, wealthy cretins, but I don't particularly begrudge them for asking Mr. & Mrs. Male to cross the Avenue.

J.F.


72   Monday, December 13, 2004 3:52 PM
I collect quotes and store them in my computer for just the right moment.  When I read your piece about Pale Male it reminded me of the following:

We need another and a wiser and perhaps a more mystical concept of animals.  Remote from universal nature and living by complicated artifice, man in civilization surveys the creature through the glass of his knowledge and sees thereby a feather magnified and the whole image in distortion. 

We patronize them for their incompleteness, for their tragic fate of having taken form so far below ourselves.  And therein we err, and greatly err.  For the animal shall not be measured by man.  In a world older and more complete than ours they move finished and complete, gifted with extensions of the senses we have lost or never attained, living by voices we shall never hear. 

They are not brethren, they are not underlings; they are other nations, caught with ourselves in the net of life and time, fellow prisoners of the splendor and travail of Earth.

Henry Beston

The Outermost House

W.N.


73   Monday, December 13, 2004 4:47 PM
I read with great sadness and disgust of the residents of Pale Male's building to desrroy their nest.  I had my own experience, I live at the Alwyn Court and my apartement is across from the New York Athletic Club. I mistakenley put a flower pot on the ledge outside of my bedroom window Before I knew it,a pidgeon had laid an egg in the flower pot!  I waited for it to hatch, watched it grow , and finally take its first flight!  What a sight !
I then, civicly, brought in the pot!
E.D.


74   Monday, December 13, 2004 7:46 PM
I wrote a blog about Pale Male and Lola.  Your readers might find it amusing: http://www.mediacurmudgeon.com/archives/2004/12/pale_male_and_l.html
C.W.
University of Missouri School of Journalism


75   Monday, December 13, 2004 7:50 PM
I wish I were amused by all the fuss about Pale Male, but I am sick about it.  There are ways that this could be done without much effort, but Audubon should be involved.  Anything I can do?
Brown Thumb


76   Monday, December 13, 2004 9:09 PM
Please let us outside-New Yorkers know what we can do to help save the home for the red tails.  The self-absorbed residents of that building should be reminded that evicting Pale Male and Lola reflect everything those people out in the "red states" think of New Yorkers/liberals--arrogant, alienated from nature, fastidious to the point of being ridiculous.
J.R.
Silver Spring, MD


77   Monday, December 13, 2004 9:40 PM
I have every sympathy for the plight of the hawks, but for goodness sakes, what about the homeless that abound on the streets of New York.  People are protesting, dressing up as birds and carrying on over the plight of birds while we allow homeless, mentally ill people to wander our streets.  Wake up people...priorities, please.  People are just a tad more important than birds.  Help the needy instead of wasting money renting red bird costumes, feed some homeless people and supply them with shelter.      M.L.


78   Monday, December 13, 2004 9:55 PM
Great job. We had read about this in the DC press.  Unfortunately some
people (mostly those who've spent their whole lives cooped up in the city)
have no appreciation for hawks, etc.  On our street in Northwest DC the
hawks catch pigeons and eat them every so often, and the residents just go
out and sweep up the mess.  Keep up the good work.

Your old friends from Gramercy Park of many years ago,
T. and C.D.


79   Tuesday, December 14, 2004 12:32 AM
The one creature that isn't hysterical about this whole nest folderol is the hawk. He intruded on another's nests-peoples'. This is misplaced concern. The hawk is  there because the food supply is so abundant. This beautiful magnificent creature is inconvenienced not endangered. Period.
 
Thanks again, Henry; I had to get that off my chest.

D.


80   Tuesday, December 14, 2004 1:36 PM
In this Christmas season, the plight of the hawks calls to mind Gerard Manley Hopkins The Windhover (composed 1877, published 1918), which is also a religious reference for Hopkins. eir.library.utoronto.ca/rpo/display/poem1050.html  

Although about a falcon, it serves equally well for a hawk.
D.C.


81   Tuesday, December 14, 2004 1:48 PM
re: the Hawk---being a peaceful type, I can't say I care much for Hawks, either of the Wolfowitz/Bush species or the red-tailed variety.

Like all issues--- I understand there are two points of view--- an 8 FOOT NEST! That's bigger than some studio apts--- perhaps the hawk should have been charged maintenance by the coop--- he could earn it from the film rights, etc....

Couldn't some alternative been set up? I do feel sorry for Pale Male circling around, looking for his apartment. What about the roof of the Arsenal--- a Hawk Sanctuary, as part of the zoo?

I realize my sympathy would vanish if it were my terrace with hawk poop and
chewed rat remains-- another example of NIMBY---

By the way, thanks for the call--- others assumed I had divorced or had my
nest stolen from me, a la Pale Male--- but nothing so dramatic---

best--- J.D.


81   Tuesday, December 14, 2004 4:22 PM
"And moral law does not change with the seasons."  A line for the ages.
Also thanks for the heads-up re: the upcoming film about the hawks.
R.G.

82   Wednesday, December 15, 2004 2:00 AM
I am very sad now for yet another part of this Pale Male 'return the nest'
topic you have been so kind to support. The Daily News says that the
gentleman who had witnessed the nest being removed and subsequently posted
about same, was arrested for yelling at a child who lived in the building
where the nest had been.

I can only say this man has been kind, restrained, always civil, and very
supportive of all the children who have ever cared for these birds and
Central Park and nature in general. He was very careful to understand the
stresses, yet support information that enabled many around the world to
voice their concerns. If there is anything any of us can do to help, anyway
we can calm the emotions, and to refocus upon the care for everyone
involved, please tell us. I suspect without his support, many in the world
would not have noted the destruction of the nest in the first place.

The gentleman may not be able to update his website, so perhaps you can
council those of us concerned how to best give respect to all involved. I
do keep in mind this topic in general is but a small part of the City, and
that all persons that are homeless need even more consideration as winter
arrives than a pair of hawks. However, each step forward is an opening of
civil care and the emotions can be channeled into positive and constructive
goals given such empathy for basic life. Thank you for being present and
accepting emails. Please take care.

Safron


83   Wednesday, December 15, 2004 2:59 AM
I can understand the position of the Cohen/Zahns.
As one of your readers has already posited: they have the right to live in their home free of concerns like carcasses, droppings and the possibility of liability lawsuits (remote though that may be.)
It is their point of view; albeit an unenlightened one.
Others would chose to consider these inconveniences a small price to pay for the honor, the privilege and the good fortune to have living with them, practically in their home such magnificent creatures.
 
We do adore pets after all. We spend billions as a nation (and the world over) on them every year.
We roam the streets collecting their "droppings" by hand.
We provide their food and then diligently proceed to collect their food scraps.
Willingly. Lovingly. Happily. Proud to be associated with them.
But you see, those are pets. We exercise absolute control over them. They are more like furniture than they are like the majestic red-tail hawks. We decide when they come and when they go. We decide when they live and when they die. We reserve for ourselves the rights of absolute despots with final say over any and all aspects of our pets' existence. They are our beloved property.
 
That is not the case with the Pale Male family.
They have their own personality.
Their own life.
Their own fame.
Their own legacy.
They had built their own home.
They were not subject to the Cohen/Zahns' whims.
And that was just not acceptable to the Cohen/Zahns.
 
I believe the hubris lies not in refusing to live with the inconvenience of the droppings or the scraps of food.
I believe the hubris of all those who have conspired to perpetrate this act, lies in their assumption that they have some right of "self-determination" on this planet that supersedes the duties and obligations that they have toward nature itself. And in this group I am including those who eviscerated the law that held our nation to a higher moral standard regarding the protection of other animals.
I do not propose that they should be as enlightened as some monks who peacefully live with rats or monkeys or cows or other animals. I do not propose that humans should sacrifice their survival by allowing disease carrying animals to run rampant.
But I do believe that, had the Cohen/Zahns been able to curtail their hubris, they could easily have found a balanced, painless (to both them and the Pale Male family) way to abate the relatively insignificant nuisance of some droppings and scraps from their prize "pets."
They are obviously not worthy of being graced with the magnificence of these birds. They must not be allowed a second chance.
 
Let us all act in unison to create a welcoming home for Pale Male and his family, somewhere where humans are not being so consumed with hubris that they do not appreciate this gift.
Let us, the ones who so spontaneously fused together a few years ago when our home city was attacked, let us again come together to help these avian fellow citizens of ours.
Let us raise the funds required and with the guidance of experts who (I would bet) will gladly volunteer, let us create a magnificent new home for these New York hawks, somewhere where they will be proudly showcased and zealously protected as symbols of our great New York City and its enlightened citizenry.
 
Thanking you for the opportunity to express my opinion,
 
Yorgo