Have a Cigar, It’s a Red-Tailed Hawk … Make That 3 of ’Em!

They may not have as swanky an address as their East Side counterparts, Pale Male and Lola, the red-tailed hawks who got evicted from, then invited back, to the building where Mary Tyler Moore lives on Fifth Avenue at 74th Street.

But two unnamed red-tailed hawks at the south end of Riverside Park, on the West Side, have more to celebrate.

Three chicks hatched at their nest within the past two weeks, drawing quite a crowd.

“I’ve seen photographers there and European tour groups,” said Carol Andrus, who came to birdwatching through dog walking (“I’m on my third Rottweiler,” she said).

Ms. Andrus continued: “I saw some real birdwatchers, and said, ‘That’s an eagle, or what is it?’ And they said, ‘That’s a red-tailed.’”

She has heard arguments about the number of chicks, but the consensus seems to be three. Urban Hawks is showing more sweet baby pictures, shot this week by D. Bruce Ylton, of the eyasses (what an unusual word; use it in your next Scrabble game!).

By Tina Kelley

New York Times