Fund Takes Wing for the 8,000 Avian Commuters City Sees Each Year

More than 8,000 hawks, falcons, and other predatory birds soar through the New York skies each year en route to migratory destinations along the Eastern Flyway.Some make pit stops in Central Park, perch on lampposts and architectural ornaments around the city, or nest in the rafters of large bridges. Others, like the celebrity Fifth Avenue pair of red-tailed hawks, Pale Male and Lola, enjoy the city’s real estate so much they decide to make it their home.To help protect the habitats of winged visitors like them, several city, state, and federal environmental organizations joined forces yesterday in Central Park to announce the establishment of the New York City Raptor Fund, a public and private initiative to raise and allocate money for existing wildlife programs that help promote care for urban bird populations.“We are here to build upon the energy created from those that responded to the plight of Pale Male and Lola,” the executive director of the National Fish and Wildlife Foundation, John Berry, said. “The outpouring of support and passion displayed by those people demonstrates a strong desire to protect these resources.”Surveys conducted recently by New York City Audubon counted seven pairs of red-tailed hawks, including Pale Male and Lola; approximately 14 pairs of peregrine falcons, and two or three pairs of great horned owls already living throughout the five boroughs, the society’s executive director, E.J. McAdams, said.While it may seem strange for such birds to settle down in an area that is often noisy and devoid of green space, environmentalists said the city actually offers a number of advantages for predatory birds over the wilderness, such as an abundance of food, ample shelter, and few predators.“Here they can be at the top of the food chain,” Mr. McAdams said. Also, New York City structures such as bridges and tall buildings often offer clear vantage points from which birds can easily spot prey. For some falcons, the ornamental details and structural crevices of a building mimic a cliff or rocky outcrop.“They have a great view of their prey,” Mr. McAdams said.Although the fund will be financed partly by individual donors, the National Fish and Wildlife Foundation has pledged $100,000 in contributions. Founder of New York’s Nurture Nature program, Ted Kneel, has already committed $10,000 in initial support, and the Pale Male Campaign has pledged another $4,000.Money raised by the Raptor Fund will help finance educational programs such as the New York City Audubon’s For the Birds! and the Parks Department’s Natural Classrooms, which both teach students about migratory birds in urban environments.Other projects include mentoring programs like the Ranger Conservation Corps, which trains local youth for careers in bird conservation, and Eagles at Inwood, a city organization that helps reintroduce bald eagles, once abundant in the Greater New York area, into Manhattan.Environmentalists also hope the new fund will help raise awareness of the city’s unique position in the migratory pattern of predatory birds and bring it a step closer to joining the Urban Bird Conservation Treaty, a federal program that promotes and protects nesting conditions in major cities.“Green spaces in New York City like Central Park are important habitats for birds migrating through an urban maze,” the division chief for the northeast region of the Fish and Wildlife Service, Diane Pence, said.A spokeswoman for the National Audubon Society, Kristy Wright, said the fund will not be used for building nesting structures.“It is not like we are going to throw up spikes on buildings around the city and hope that they come,” she said. “The money is being raised to expand existing programs.”Pre-kindergarten students, from St. Vartan’s Pre-School in Manhattan, joined the press conference, patiently awaiting a visit from two predatory birds, a red-tailed hawk and a great horned owl, which made their appearance after the announcement.Weighting in at 1 pound, the red-tailed hawk, from the Theodore Roosevelt Audubon and Sanctuary Center in Oyster Bay, Long Island, spread and flapped its wings in front of 18 pairs of wide eyes as the bird’s handler, Karl Brummert, lectured the group on its eating habits.“No, it does not eat carrots,” he said, responding to a question from one of the schoolchildren. “Only mice and squirrels.”A collective “ewwww” ensued.

Fund Takes Wing for the 8,000 Avian Commuters City Sees Each Year

More from the New York Sun

‘The Trembling Hand’ Provocatively Calls Out the Romantic Poets for Perpetuating Racist Tropes

Iran and Vietnam

No Más, Trump Tells Spain

More from the New York Sun

‘The Trembling Hand’ Provocatively Calls Out the Romantic Poets for Perpetuating Racist Tropes

Iran and Vietnam

No Más, Trump Tells Spain

‘The Revenant’ Re-Release Is a Potent Reminder of What Hollywood Has Lost in the Past Decade

Will the Late Iranian Supreme Leader’s Son Succeed Him?

Trump Acted When He Had To Act

Parents’ Rights in Childrearing Advance in California

With Feuding Gulf Countries Uniting Against Iran, Is an Alliance With Israel in the Cards Next?