PALE MALE HAS A HATCH! FRANKLIN DAD LIKELY DEAD. ATLAS AND ANDROMEDA HAVE A HATCH!

 Photo courtesy of http://www.palemale.com

GOOD NEWS, BAD NEWS, GOOD NEWS

 Good News--

Photographer Rik Davis, a fixture at the hawk bench for many years, called Marie Winn, author of Red-tails in Love, with the news of a hatch at 927 Fifth Avenue.  Lincoln Karim also states that Pale Male is busy hunting for his new family.

 Bad News--

 Contributer Linda Maslin sent in possible news of the Franklin tiercel.  We do not have a positive ID, but the area in which the hawk was hit could be indicative.

Mike Thierfelder

Hello, I have unfortunate news about what happened to Dad. On Saturday morning at about 6:30 AM I was driving east on I76 when I witnessed a Red Tail Hawk struck and killed by a small truck in the left lane several car lengths ahead of me. The location was just west of the 30th street underpass, between the BFB split and the 30th oncoming ramp. Given the location and timing this was certainly Dad.

The bird came out from under the truck, skiddied accross the road ahead of me and ended on the right shoulder. I am positive it was a red tail. He may still be there on the shoulder. Sorry it took so long to get this out. I heard about this Tuesday morning and was unable to ever get through the FI phone system to a real person. So I applied to your group and had to wait for acceptance
Mike T.

 Then an update from Tulsa's Jackie Dover, by way of Robin of Illinois--
"Carolyn Card Sutton Just returned from driving the area of I76 described by Mike. Most definitely the red tail killed there was Dad; it was so VERY much his primary hunting grounds; directly across river from the Schuylkill Banks Park across off ramp from Spring Garden Bridge next to Art Museum where we have watched him so many times over 4 years. Unfortunately, although I drove the route twice, there was no sign of Dad on the shoulder of the road. There are many construction crews/lane closures in area, and I believe some worker or other cleaned up the remains.. The area there was very clean (no trash, litter, anything), considering all the 24/7 traffic.".............
Now we know.

A memorium in photographers for Franklin Dad,

http://www.photoshow.com/watch/CI9iG9dm

GOOD NEWS

Update on Astoria Park/RFK Bridge Hawk Nest

From Jules Corkery, major watcher of the Astoria Park Nest-

Hi All

This morning, Atlas brought food to the nest so we got to see both parents - they look alert and well fed.  After Atlas left, Andromeda brought the rat around to the back of the nest and two little grey downy heads popped up above the nest to greet her for breakfast.

They are still only visible when they are super active so we're not sure if there are any others.

Good luck, little family.

Jules and Robert

Jules is also a community activist and urban hawk educator who, particularly since Atlas' original mate Athena was poisoned leaving eggs on the nest, has been out there spreading the news about the dangers of secondary rat poison.   She's now distributing NYC Audubon's brochure/flyer about safer rat control.

Just an example of what we can all be out doing from house-a-fire Jules referring to the flyer  NYC ,

The Astoria Park Allliance would love to distribute the flyer!  It's My Park Day is May 19th - we come in contact with an estimated 500 park patrons.  We will have volunteers from NY Cares,The  International High School, Green Shores NYC, and a few others.  We also will be presenting at our Community Board 1 on May 15th. 

 I'd also like to bring flyers to our Astoria Civic Association meeting and give some to the local BID, Central Astoria Local Development Corp.

Thanks!

Jules

Here is the link for the  flyer

http://www.nycaudubon.org/images/protecting%20raptors.pdf

 The end game would be to have Brodifacoum and Difethialone, the second generation poisons that give hawks no clues of their presence,  made illegal first in the communities where we live and then everywhere.

 Donegal Browne