Salty Lemons

Pale Male's offspring, Buffy, a Red-tailed Hawk
Upper East Side in Central Park, NY from my 2011 archive

neighborhood hawk
Astoria, NY from my 2009 archive

August 30, 2011

Pale Male

After the storm, all is calm.* Damage has been assessed, the majority of public transportation is running, and the skies are clear blue with wispy white clouds. While tirelessly preparing for the hurricane, I looked out my apartment window and wondered about where the city's wildlife was going to take shelter, and as with earthquakes, did they have a sixth sense that a hurricane was coming. There are a flight of pigeons who nest in the building across from mine. I am not sure why they prefer the building across the way, but they do. It may have something to do with exposure. They wander over on rare occasion. I once woke to pigeon sex on my windowsill. I quickly shooed them away...

Although pigeons are easily the most detested of birds, these birds are neighbors. So watching the weather worsen, I was worried for them. But then I thought to myself, pigeons are sort of the cockroaches of the bird world. They are survivors. During the lighter moments of rainfall, I looked out and saw them swooping around, unfazed.

I was, however, still worried about a cast of hawks that live in Central Park. A little more than a week ago, I had the amazing fortune of spotting one of Pale Male's offspring, Buffy. Wow, what a beauty. She was a striking sight, and I could have stood there for hours watching her. But she flew away.

Hawks absolutely fascinate me, and there is one that lives in my neighborhood. It is fairly easy to know when (s)he is in the area, all the birds start to call and warn each other. It is impressive. And loud. Most of the time, I can only hear the warnings, but twice, I have actually spotted it. The first time, the hawk landed on the neighboring building's antenna, the other time it was swooping around and around, presumably sizing up its next meal.

Besides the pigeons and squirrels one normally expects, it is nice to know that other wildlife can thrive in a metropolis.

*The Swede and I fared well during Hurricane Irene except for a roof leak, and a collapsed trellis and a few snapped plants in Plot95. We know we are lucky and our thoughts go out to those who were affected.

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