Pale Male tried to rebuild his nest with twigs

A celebrated red-tailed hawk evicted last week from his upscale New York digs can move back to the ritzy apartment building where his nest was perched following an agreement on safety arrangements, building management said on Tuesday night.

Pale Male's nest was abruptly removed from its Upper East Side site last week after complaints from building residents about falling debris, including gnarled remains of pigeons.

The removal sparked noisy protests from fans who had watched the hawk and his mates raise more than 20 chicks in the spot overlooking Central Park since 1993.

Late on Tuesday, New York City Audubon Society and the building's board said they had agreed to restore the metal spikes supporting the hawk's nest and erect a guardrail around its 12th-floor roost to safeguard residents and passersby.

An architectural firm was retained to consult on design and construction.

National Audubon Society President John Flicker said the arrangements would "help create a secure and stable environment that should enable the birds to return to their home of more than a decade."

Building resident and hawk supporter Mary Tyler Moore said she expected that the spikes would be put up on Wednesday.

"I'm hopeful that the birds will be peaceful enough to make another nest," the actress said, standing outside her apartment.

On Monday, bird lovers met with managers of the exclusive building to ask them to restore the nest and the metal spikes that supported it. The building's architect had examined how the nest could be rebuilt in a way that would satisfy bird lovers and eliminate the possibility of falling debris.

Pale Male's unusual decision to take up residence in Manhattan and raise his young 12 stories above the park has captivated bird watchers for the past decade and inspired a book and documentary film. Pale Male even has his own Web site, www.palemale.com.

Moore said the real reason the nest was removed was because residents didn't like the bird droppings or occasional pigeon carcass that would fall to the ground.

Bird lovers had urged the nest be reconstructed in its original spot as soon as possible to avoid interrupting Pale Male's mating ritual. The hawk and his current mate, Lola, have tried to rebuild, but without the metal spikes to support it, the twigs they have gathered would likely blow away. 

(Agencies)