Thanks for covering the Pale Male story so faithfully, Jen!

I spoke with several people at the vigil, and each of them had their own highly personal story of what the hawks had meant to them. More than one mentioned being drawn to the nest as a symbol of hope and life after 9/11. I think this is what the bird foes don't understand: these creatures have touched people's lives -- here and around the world -- in various and often profound ways.

I'd like to hear other people's stories. You can share your name or not, use a fake e-mail or not, as you wish. (Don't bother posting hateful screeds; it's a moderated forum.)

Thanks.

The pigeon-parts excuse is a lie, according to several staff members that I (and the NY Post) spoke with. Red-tailed hawks are very clean. They don't fling their food about, and in fact there's nothing like a raptor to scare away those defecating pigeons.

It was the attention that the building didn't like. People in Central Park watched the birds with binoculars and cameras, which offended certain residents of the building (who, if they so object to living in a community, might do better to spend their $18M on a remote mansion with security gates...you live in NYC, and people can see your building--get over it).

Frankly, hawk watchers watch hawks, not people. So intently is their attention focused on the magnificent birds that I'll wager Mr. "Greta Garbo" Winters could do a naked cha-cha in his twelfth-floor window at high noon on a summer Saturday without being noticed by any of the watchers.

Not now, though. Now we have eyes only for you, Mr. Winters. And Mr. Cohen. And Mr. Wasserstein and Ms. Zahn and the rest of the coop board. We'll be seeing you in a couple of hours.

Has everyone seen the reverse phone number lookup of the residents of that building yet? (read Gawker, Curbed, or do yourself at www.whitepages.com)

Who's betting that "Smooth Touch" is a high end whore house?

Richard Cohen's office address, phone & fax.

The meeting with the board and building managers is tomorrow. Note what Marie Winn (author of the book about Pale Male) has to say about why the proposed "compromise" solution is unacceptable.

SOLO FLIGHT OF NYC HAWKS

Dedicated to Endangered Species.
The spring as usual,
brought a pair of hawks
to the frosty granite bluff.

Their soaring flight
choreographed by warm updrafts
echoed their zest for life.

In their ancient rite of spring,
they built a nest,
Where fledglings nestleD in their downy warmth.

This royal family presided serenely over Central park,
Where the crocus bloom and new Yorkers roam.
Where the congregation quench their thirst for life
in its sparkling pond.

As days go bye, the hawks spread their wings in joyous dance.
Until one day, a puff of air,
caught their outstretched wings,
and in its eternal embrace,
lifted them away
to explore the wondrous kingdom that lay below.

But then one day, the owners of the lofty condo
Where the hawks had found their home,
Cast asunder their trusted nest,
Destroying one of the most cherished gifts
that nature had bestowed upon our granite town.

Gabriela Kaplan, MD
718 575 0500
life_watch@msn.com

The red tailed hawks (Pale Male and Lola) saga on Manhattans Upper
East Side is a sad reminder to me of how sometimes the ones that seem
to love and believe in a cause so strongly, often can cause more harm
to what they so strongly believe in.
I really love having those 2 hawks at the end of my street. I became
accustomed to my daily glance up to the nest as I walked to work each
morning.
I want to be clear I believe the Hawks should be left alone at the
current spot 74th and 5th. I believe the residents of the building
have displayed patients and also a fondness for these hawks over the
years by letting them stay.
Pale Male has lived in his nest for years and years without
disturbance and due to the popularity and world wide coverage of the
hawks in the past couple years the publicity has increasingly created
an environment that has breached the solitude and privacy the owners
of the apartments around may desire.
During weekends or all summer the hawk stalkers who certainly mean no
harm, have their high powered telescopes and binoculars fixed on any
window or ledge the hawks may happen to stand on.
People need to give these residents some sort of privacy.
Mary Tyler Moore is a person I have the greatest respect for. She has
chosen a life in the limelight and in front of cameras. If she
doesn’t mind a telescope fixed on her building that's her prerogative
to feel that way, however not everyone feels that way. Some like a
quiet life out of any limelight or publicity and I respect that too.
She resides in the building on 5th Avenue where the hawks have made
their nest. She has spoken out in favor of leaving the nest where it
currently is and has been seen waving to protesters.. She would
better serve these beautiful hawks maybe by taking a more effective
and less divisive role in the nests protection. To me there seems to
be an evident lack of harmony in the co-op .building that probably
runs deeper than Pale Male and Lola. Now that the nest is back in
place everyone take a deep breath? Admire the hawks but also give
some respect to the residents on 5th Ave. Stop pointing these
telescopes all weekend or summer at any buildings that the Hawks sit
at and respect the residents rights to open their drapes and stand
with a cup of coffee admiring their view without always the
possibility of a group of people with binoculars fixed on them.
I realize at times people do want to admire these hawks close up and
it would be a tremendous act of courtesy to advise the buildings
around the nest when there is a planned set up of recording
equipment. Also do it at limited times and hours. Give some space,
peace and respect to the inhabitants of these building including Pale
Male and Lola (the red tailed hawks). The hawks want to be left alone
probably as much as the interior residents do.
Peace in 2005 Kurt Hoke