Posted on 02/18/2005 11:40:41 AM PST by Ol' Dan Tucker
NEW YORK (Reuters) - New Yorkers were all atwitter on Thursday over the highly public canoodling of one of their most high-flying celebrity couples -- Pale Male and Lola.
The pair of red-tailed hawks have been spotted flagrantly mating all around the neighborhood of the ritzy Fifth Avenue apartment building where they were evicted, then restored to a brand new, architect-designed love nest last December.
"It's hard to miss them now. They're seriously trying to propagate," bird-watcher Marie Winn told Reuters.
The mating was front-page news for the tabloid New York Post, but Winn said that, hormones being what they are, the mating was never in doubt. The only question, she said, was whether the hawks would take to their old nesting site, which was rebuilt in stainless steel and protected by spikes.
"They didn't reject the nest site and they were faithful to it," Winn reported.
A media frenzy erupted over the birds' eviction by wealthy residents angry over the droppings and half-eaten pigeons littering the elegant building's entrance.
The residents' most visible figure was actress Mary Tyler Moore, while photographer/bird-watcher Lincoln Karim led the protests.
The only thing I can think of is natural flight?
Close, but no cigar.
The answer is eat seeds and whistle........
Isn`t that bizarre though? Nobody believed me where I lived until I showed them these pics. I mean if there`s one, there of course must be others but I`ll be damned if I ever see them. I`ve been living here for 11 years and this is the first time. After that episode he came back a few more times and I never saw him again.
Thank goodness some liberals (like MTM) saw fit to hold their brethren's feet to the fire.
Cool photos of the raccoon. They live in virtually every city in the country now, and think nothing of climing up a tree to get to your fire escape landing.
Did it come back again? You fed it, so you're its friend now. I'd expect to see it more often once spring happens.
Down here most of them are rabid so we dont get too close to them.
Dont know about the ones in the "Big Apple" but would probly be wise to do the same.
Yeah he came back about 3 or 4 more times, then I never saw him again. Actually it wasn`t in the summer, I`m looking at the date and it was the begininng of September, so maybe he went into hibernation. That was really bizarre though.
I'm sure there's a joke in here, but I can't, for the life of me, see it.
I can eat (sunflower) seeds and whistle.
With your pecker????
LOL, I gotcha.........
Yup. You got me. Good one.
You should have never fed the raccoon. Once you start feeding animals, tend to think you will always feed them. Don't forget, raccoons are wild animals and they can carry rabies. You would never want to receive all the shots it takes to fight rabies. Trust me.
Well, it may be back this Spring, anyhow. By the photo, it looked like a young one. If you continue to feed it, it'll become quite friendly, but it's best not to attempt to touch it. They tend to snap if you do.
That said, I used to feed a bunch of them at my back door in CA, and there was one that enjoyed having its head scratched. It was the only one, though.
In NY, however, raccoons can cary rabies. They don't in California. It's unlikely in the city, but use caution.
Well he never came back, but I know what you mean about feeding animals. Ever since I started feeding squirels they NEVER leave me alone. Every morning at 5am they are at my window, matter of fact I caught one last week actually trying to bite his way in. He ripped out all the rubber insulation under the window sill. It`s never ending.
I would not expect to see raccoons out in daylight like that. I would be a little leary.
sundero
Yeah I didn`t touch him at all. When he left I put an apple out. Seeing those claws is enough for me.
Hubba-hubba!
"Yeah I didn`t touch him at all. When he left I put an apple out. Seeing those claws is enough for me."
They like dry cat food, but the thing they like the best is unsalted, roasted peanuts in the shell. It's hilarious to watch them shell and eat the peanuts.
If you get brave enough, they'll take them from your fingers. They don't use their mouths to do this; they take them in both hands from your fingers, then back of and eat them.
Again, exercise caution....
I love your raccoon pictures!
I've read that actually there is a lot of wildlife in cities. Apparently even foxes (!). But they are very good at staying hidden.
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.