Perched NYC hawk sees bald eagle soar by

AP via Yahoo ^ | 12-27-06 | RICHARD PYLE

[Pharmboy]

AP - Wed Dec 27, 7:46 PM ET A bald eagle carries a fish in
its talons over New York Citys Central Park, Wednesday,
Dec. 27, 2006. The eagles flight didnt go unnoticed by Pale
Male, the famed red-tailed hawk of Central Park, who was
perched on the 22nd floor of the Beresford apartment building
as the eagle flew by. 'Pale Male usually sits there sort
of relaxed, but he sat up straight when he saw the bald
eagle,' said Lincoln Karim, the man whose photographic
chronicle made Pale Male and his mate Lola famous. Karim is
an Associated Press Television News technician.
(AP Photo/Lincoln Karim)

Pale Male, the famed red-tailed hawk of Central Park, was perched on the 22nd floor of the swank Beresford apartment building on Wednesday when the national emblem of the United States soared past, carrying a large fish in its talons.

"Pale Male usually sits there sort of relaxed, but he sat up straight when he saw the bald eagle," said Lincoln Karim, the man who made Pale Male and his mate Lola famous with his extensive photographic record of the romantic raptors raising fledglings in their high-rise aerie on Manhattan's Fifth Avenue.

Karim, doing his usual morning routine of photographing Pale Male, had the hawk in his viewfinder when the bird suddenly went to attention.

"I looked up when Pale Male did and saw the eagle," Karim said. "They fly over in migration season, but very high. I have never seen one that close."

At that, the white-headed bird was distant enough that Karim, an Associated Press Television News technician, needed his 800mm lens to freeze it in flight, and all but one of his photos were slightly blurred by movement.

The photo showed the eagle as it appears on the national escutcheon — wings spread, head cocked in vigilance, but with what looked like a striped bass in its talons, instead of the flowing ribbon reading, "E Pluribus Unum."

Bald eagles, once highly endangered and always strictly protected by federal law, have prospered in the New York region in recent years. As fish-eaters, they live in the Hudson River highlands, and several have been reintroduced under a city program to the Inwood section of upper Manhattan. They can be seen in winter, riding ice floes down the river and fishing along the way, said Cal Von Burger, a freelance photographer and author of a book, "The Birds of Central Park."

Von Burger said he has spotted eagles over the park numerous times in migrating seasons but none has chosen to live there.

"They like high perches, and the trees aren't big enough, but unlike peregrines and other falcons they don't like buildings either," he said.

Yigal Gelb, executive director of New York City Audubon, which protects wild birds and their habitats, said eagles were rare in the park.

"Seeing one," he said, "is a pretty big deal."

[Pharmboy]

A good sign for the season and the new year...

[proudofthesouth]

All I can say is "Wow!"

[pissant]

Who was the starlet that wanted to kneecap the falcon living on her building?

[Mercat]

We have them along our rivers here in Eastern Kansas. I've also seen goldens in the area. It's always a thrill.

[Pharmboy]

The photo showed the eagle as it appears on the national escutcheon — wings spread, head cocked in vigilance, but with what looked like a striped bass in its talons, instead of the flowing ribbon reading, "E Pluribus Unum."

I bet Registered could put E Pluribus Unum in his talons...

[mikrofon]

"Pale Male usually sits there sort of relaxed, but he sat up straight when he saw the bald eagle,"

Even birds have more respect for our national symbols than some Americans do...

[Buck W.]

"...what looked like a striped bass in its talons..."
That's a pretty big fish for an eagle.

[eastforker]

Saw an Eagle last week swoop down for a rabbit, picked it up, flew away and never missed a beat.

[Pharmboy]

...but we're not in Kansas anymore.

Sorry...couldn't resist. We occasionally see them them about 40 miles from NYC, but they're pretty rare actually over the metropolis.

[xcamel]

We have quite a few upstate...

I have 2 pair of nesting ospreys in a swamp flow nearby.. 3 times this summer a young male eagle flew a bit too close to their territory and what a hell of a fight ensued.

The male osprey won every time.

Too bad it's still some kind of a stupid felony to pick up the feathers.. there were plenty left behind.

[Calpernia]

Recommend for a vist:

http://theraptortrust.org/
The Raptor Trust
Millington, NJ

[Cvengr]

I saw a golden eagle just last week. Last time I saw it, it was being dived at by 3 large ravens from about 20 feet above it and missing it by less than a foot. Funny thing is the eagle wasn;t even phased by the commotion, but if the eagle soared back towards the ravens they scattered in a heartbeat.

Whenever looking at hawks and falcons in the past, I wondered if perhaps they weren't an eagle,..that is until you see an eagle. It's silhouette and soar make its presence much more obvious and identifiable. Seems as though when you do see the eagle, there really isn't a doubt about it.

The other birds in the sky also seem to identify them readily, while the eagle is confident enough that not much else really is going to bother it.

[Pharmboy]

Thanks for the link. I'm in northern Morris County (on a lake) and I've seen ospreys, but never an eagle here.

[mrmargaritaville]

Bald Eagles are pretty big birds-I've seen a couple at the National Aviary in Pittsburgh-definety a big bird that I would not want to F with.

[Exit148]

"Whenever looking at hawks and falcons in the past, I wondered if perhaps they weren't an eagle,..that is until you see an eagle. It's silhouette and soar make its presence much more obvious and identifiable. Seems as though when you do see the eagle, there really isn't a doubt about it."

So true! We have hawks all the time, here in our back yard - next to a small patch of woods. (Northern NJ) Last spring an eagle swooped by, fairly close to the ground, and then flew up and away. I knew immediately it wasn't a falcon or hawk, and knew it MUST have been a Bald Eagle -- because of the coloring. I'd seen eagles before, but not that close. Sure enough, my bird books agreed. Exciting!

[raybbr]

That's a pretty big fish for an eagle.

Are striped bass hatched really big?

[Tinian]

Okay birdwatchers--What kind of feathered friend is the cat trying to kill?

[BARLF]

Sounds just like my backyard and hawks are always hunting there. Occasionally see an owl on a fence post watching for supper. I live in S.E. Missouri.

[OldFriend]

Wasn't it Diane Sawyer who complained because she hd to keep her blinds drawn to protect her from people staring up at the birds?

[pissant]

I wished I remebered who it was. Couldv'e been Diane, but sounds more like sumthin katie Couric would do.