The little Stinker is confident that he can look up to his Mom for protection and love. He knows that she can be trusted and he is absolutely dependent on her to survive. Wouldn't it be nice if Mom could look up to us for the same? ******************************************************* 31 May 2008 First of all, it was great to run into you in Riverside Park recently, after not seeing you for so long ! Over the last many months or more, I've looked for you from time to time in Central Park, near the Pale Male nest viewing site, but never when you're there. Of course now that there are so many nest sites around town, I can see from the website that you're literally all over the place . . . Second, I was very saddened to learn from the website that apparently shortly after the day we saw you in Riverside, the 3 little hawks from that nest had evidently been poisoned. . . Now, just looking at the site this morning & seeing all this terrible stuff about the use of rat poisons in the parks -- and the unbelievably filthy mishandling of park restaurant garbage ! -- I was moved to write the attached letter to Comm. Adrian Benepe. If you think of anyone else that you think I should send a copy to, I hope you'll let me know & I'll do so. Thank you for bringing this to everyone's attention -- in such an unforgettable way. All the best to you Lincoln, til we run into one another again ! -- sincerely, & with continuing admiration, Barbara B. Adrian Benepe Commissioner New York City Dept. of Parks & Recreation Dear Commissioner Benepe -- I have just seen the incredibly vivid and dismaying photographs of the overflowing garbage dumpsters in Central Park – apparently the residue from the elegant Boathouse Café – on the "Pale Male" website. As you surely know, Lincoln Karim, who does the amazing photos of hawks and other NYC wildlife that dazzle his site visitors all over the world, has been urging for some time that the Parks Dept. literally "clean up its act". I’ve been hearing about this for awhile, but seeing such vivid and graphic evidence of what can only be described as a literal garbage dump, in the middle of the most famous and beautiful park in the world, is truly shocking. Aside from this aesthetic "disconnect", the issue he really is raising has to do with the poison baits that DPR uses in an apparently largely futile attempt to control rats, and the way those poisons then go on to inadvertently kill other wildlife in the parks. As long as the park is offering this literal garbage banquet to the rats, what possible use are a few bait stations going to be ?! Wouldn’t it make much more sense to spend your rat-control budget on enough sealed containers to completely enclose all garbage, as well as ensuring a frequent enough cartage schedule that it never remains long enough to attract any rodents? Since the Boathouse, and other restaurants in this and all NYC parks, are concessions, shouldn’t this requirement be made part of their contracts with the Parks Dept. ? After all, the parks are first and foremost intended as public green spaces. I realize that the concessions generate needed revenue for the parks, especially in a city that somehow still can’t seem to find its way to properly funding its vital park system. Last figures I heard on this were something under 1% of city budget allocated for all parks in all 5 boroughs -- this is, and has always been, a woefully inadequate amount, and until that figure improves, the concessions are a necessary component. And of course many of them make their own appreciated contribution to the park experience for many people. But, to see this grotesque "behind-the-scenes" evidence of the price we’re paying for a glamorous amenity is very sobering. Since the control of Central Park has been ceded to the Conservancy, I will send a copy of this letter to Doug Blonsky, Conservancy Pres. But this is basically a parks-wide issue, and therefore surely in your domain. (I understand there’s a similar scenario in connection with the Boat Basin restaurant in Riverside Park.) I’d appreciate hearing from you about this. Sincerely, Barbara B., Manhattan cc: Michael Bloomberg, Mayor, New York City Doug Blonksy, Pres., Central Park Conservancy Riverside Park Fund Gail Brewer, City Council Community Board 7, Parks Committee ******************************************************* May 16, 2008 I live on West 79 Street just off Riverside Drive and have been witness to the saga of the Riverside hawks since I first saw their nest on February 21 (taking some amateur pictures along the way), and I would like to make some elaborations to your comments on your page http://www.palemale.com/ritr.html First, a modification of what you say. I walk my dog every day inside Riverside Park and "intimately" know the area of the photos that you have on this page. Those two baiting stations have been there for over a year that I have noticed. That sign, however, was NOT put up on March 27, but put up only recently. In fact, I noticed that it was there ONLY after the deaths of the hawk babies. And, I may be wrong, but I seem to remember that one or two additional stations were added to that partially fenced-in area this spring, but which are no longer there. In any case, the sign and the stations are INSIDE the park and not put there by the local residents.. Second, you may or may not be aware of a worse condition in this same area. If you go down to the Boat Basin via the south-most stairs, stay left and go the Basin heading south, there is a garbage dumping area on the side of the Rotunda about due West of the area in your photos. The parks department and, apparently also the Boat Basin Cafe, have used this area as a garbage holding area for years. They have there a giant open dumpster - the kind intended for building demolition materials only and not plant and animal waste! - And smaller dumpsters, even those with lids are kept open, and therefore are open invitation to rats to forage there. Besides which, the dumpster is sitting on soil and not pavement, so there are many deep grooves in the ground and these pockets of soil serve also as a "water hole' for small birds and squirrels - directly under and around the dumpsters and undoubtedly rotting debris that is missed. The smell of rotten food is unmistakable there. With the dumpster being removed only when full to the brim, the unsealed but bagged garbage obviously ferments and becomes dangerous to not only to the wild life feeding and drinking there, but also to people and dogs. After all, it is along a much-traveled path and within yards of the north side of fenced in playing field! Within the last two weeks, after hearing that rat poison were the probable cause of the baby hawks' death, I specifically went to this area and had a close look around. Every tree behind and around the dumpsters had a rat station anchored to it, and right behind the large dumpster was a long row of bait stations attached by chain to one another. I don't recall for certain, but they may have been at a 3-ft. distance apart. Going from memory, it was over a dozen of such stations in a row that were placed directly behind the dumpster. That long row of stations is no longer there since sometime last week, and all but two of the trees shed their individual rat poison station. I attach one of my photos showing these two trees. Having said that, if you were to have a close look at the two stairs flanking what used to be an open fountain, now part of the cafe, you can readily see that patrons think nothing of dumping open bottles of soda, leftover food, etc. into the bushes of the stair area. Also, in recent years since the cafe became a "cult" favorite, the garbage baskets of the nearby street corners, especially my block (79 Street) are filled to capacity rapidly due to the large masses of people going to and from the cafe. The neighborhood has a very serious rat and mouse population explosion. I am one of those people who have seen a GANG of rats one night on the south corner of 78 Street and West End Avenue - and the doorman there, who is friendly and I have known him for years, shrugged his shoulders and said it was not unusual. I have lived here for 39 years and never before last year have I seen such a rat and mouse infestation. I've had a dog since 1992 and only in the last few years have been seeing rats on the street with predictable regularity. They are most visible on the nights before a city garbage collection (3 times a week), and feed on the garbage left in plastic bags by the building superintendents and which are picked up by the city at late as 12 hours later. Also, many townhouses keep garbage cans in front of their buildings in the open at all times, and more and more of them are now using rat bait stations around the cans and around the trees on the sidewalk. We have a serious problem here all around. .And I am saying nothing about the mouse explosion in the last 2-3 years inside the buildings all over this neighborhood. In my opinion, which is worth very little here, the major fault and/or blame lies with the NYC Parks Dept. for giving a permit for a restaurant to exist in an open and rat-infested area of the park, for the way they maintain and dispose of garbage and the Sanitation Dept. for their long-term negligence in collecting city garbage and for closing their eyes in this cycle of health hazards and undue poisonings. When they abolished the use of metal garbage cans and replaced them with plastic ones. I fail to understand why the underlying issues are not being addressed and resolved. In Melbourne, Australia, where a friend of mine lives, every street block has a closed dumpster where the residents of that block insert their bagged garbage and the city then opens the dumpster to remove the garbage. The dumpsters are rat-proof. They city could also use closed garbage containers for the street corners and public spaces rather than the ones they use which are also open invitation to rats for breakfast, lunch and dinner. I say this because I have seen rats during the day as well - perhaps poisoned? My two cent's worth, but I am very angry for the cumulative damages to this neighborhood and to society in general. Marisa C. ********************************************************* I have been following your website as I find the death of the babies in Riverside to be so disturbing and I needed more information. It seems that with the early test results you have reported, my worst fears have been confirmed. I don't know if you can answer my questions but I thought I would give it a try. How could this happen? Are these hawks children of Pale Male's and if so, how did they survive in this rat poison infested city? How can we rid the parks of rat poison altogether and come up with another solution for dealing with the rat population? Are they using some other type of poison that is more toxic? I have a dog and a general love of animals and I would do whatever it took to get the word out about this tragedy. I have no expertise in the world of hawks or even activism but I feel compelled to warn others about the poison in the parks and the heart breaking result of rat poison. Your thoughts on this would be greatly appreciated and I hope we get an opportunity to meet in Riverside. Thanks, Audra C. F. ***************************************************** I am so sorry for the loss of the babies and the pain and grief you are experiencing. The passion you have for the hawks and the work you do on their behalf is changing the world we live in. You are an inspiration to me. Please remember though, that if you look deeply into in the eyes of the man in the Orlando Magic hat, smoking a cigarette, I believe you may see the "life" that lives in all things; the "life" that you recognized in the ant crawling on the lab table leg, the "life" that you pondered about as you looked at the dead hawk during the necropsy. While I intimately know that at times it is more difficult to find that "life" in some of our fellow human beings, it is there and needs to be honored also. Jai, Barbara ***************************************************** I check out your website at least a couple of times a week to view your outstanding photos of all the wildlife. I was stunned to see that the 3 eyeasses had died from what appears to be poisoning! I am saddened by this news and I am hoping that some stricter rules and regulations can be drawn up concerning the usage of these chemicals during nesting season. Especially in the immediate area of Central Park. Do these chemicals not affect the fully grown raptors? This situation seems such a shame. We are killing our "natural" predators instead of letting them flourish and doing nature's job the way it was intended. Keep up the great work. Scott Baltimore MD ****************************************************** I follow your web site very closely, and Iappreciate your photographs, writing and concernedactivism. Thank you. A have a question for you. You write that thehawks are building a new nest. Does this mean thatthey are planning to lay eggs and try to raise a newfamily this season? (I hope they are strong enough.) Or, would the hawks build a nest under anycircumstance? Thank you again, and I look forward to hearing from you. Sincerely, Molly ***************************************************** Thankyou so much for the wonderful reassuring photographs of the Houston Street Family.... a little bit of sunshine in a very sad week. I pray they continue to grow and fledge safely. Regards, Norma H. ***************************************************** (Thank You)...for your deeply moving and utterly essential message on palemale.com today. For the umpteenth time, I thank you—and honor you in my heart for all you do, all you love, and all you teach us, in turn, to do and teach and love. Yours in the spirit of every living thing, Lisa W. Ithaca, NY ***************************************************** I have been following the red tailed hawks on your site from california for years and was just moved by your plea "before it's too late" tonight to thank you for a great wake up call. Thanks, Fran I am visiting NY in July and will look for you and your great camera work. If you want a look at some new birds google san jose + falcon cam and get a look at the getting old rapidly falcons on the roof of san jose city hall. ***************************************************** Once again thank you for all that you do for US and the hawks.I think you must know about the web cam in Tulsa, OK but just in case...Thunder is about to take off. It is fascinating to watch. Regards, Diane **************************************************** Dear Lincoln--thank you so much for your beautiful pictures and compassionate words. You do make me cry. Your pictures of empy branches reminded me of Alan Weisman's wonderful (and hard to take) book, World Without Us.He ends the book on a note of hope that we can learn to control our numbers and learn to live in peace with earth's other inhabitants.Thanks for the link on the Peregrines. My partner, Sam Sumida, was the person who cataloged and measured all those thinning peregrine, eagles and others eggshells--the evidence he provided confirmed what the peregrine rescurers believed--that DDT in the food chain was the culprit.The team that brought the peregrine back from extinction was a rather small group, Brain Walton (age 56)died last year after contributing so much to the world for his tireless work. http://www2.ucsc.edu/scpbrg/walton.htm Others carry on. Your place in this great and desperate work of wildlife protectors is to educate and persuade. And you do such a great job of it. Keep it up, so many depend on you, your fabulous pictures and your voice for the animals. Your photo and essay on the rat a few years ago was just incredible. Love Betty Jo in Camarillo ***************************************************** (May 17th, 2008) soaring high over the marina. An eastern kingbird took off from a piling and was soaring below them, over the river, hawing for insects. Leslie ***************************************************** I have been in tears since the death of our Riverside hawk babies. It was such an incredible miracle to have a hawk nest so close to us. I took pictures of one of the babies just last week. I did worry about them with all the rat poison possibly hanging around in the bait boxes or from the restaurant by the boat basin. I am a volunteer gardener in that area and always passed by the nest. I found a dead rat in my garden in April and a dead mouse just last week. That made me feel very concerned! Your website is wonderful. I love the pictures and the fact that you keep us so informed about the hawks' well-being. It is very reassuring to see that so many people care about the hawks too. I wish more people felt that way. I wonder where the hawks will make their nest after this...if they will this season. If they do...will the same thing happen? Will we be able to see them? I am amazed that Pale Male, Lola and some of their off-spring had any babies at all considering all the toxicity in the city. Signed: (Name will not be published) ****************************************************** I look at your site almost everyday but I have to tell you these pictures today are absolutely spectacular. I finally got to Manhattan last month and was able to look through the telescope and see Lola on the nest and PM flying above, a great moment for me as I've been following their story for years. THANK YOU for what you do. Your pictures blow everyone away and we love the stories you tell. Best wishes to you. Erica in Chicago ****************************************************** Please don't feel so sad, we still have the parents who hopefully can reproduce again. I'm sorry the babies died. Please continue caring for our friends. Sylvia G. Austin, Texas ****************************************************** Oh what a tragic week it has been. On the heels of having to face the inevitable fact that once again Pale Male and Lola will not have their babies this year to lose the three in the Riverside nest is crushing. Extra thoughts have been with you this week especially with all the traveling you have done on behalf of our beloved red-tailed hawks. I am sure I join numerous others when is say a simple thank you which does not even begin to express the gratitude we feel for all of your efforts and your miraculous pictures. Yes Pale Male we thank you too you dear boy but then again we also know just how much you do love to pose for Lincoln....oh how it shows;-) With Love, Pat, South Jersey ******************************************************* I'm an old fan of your website, and have always enjoyed and appreciated your photography and your tireless advocacy on behalf of Pale Male and all the other creatures you've helped. I just wanted to say "Thank you" for everything you've done for these animals, who struggle to adapt for survival among constantly encroaching humans. Please know there are a lot of people out there who admire your courage and constancy. Mary Nicholas Picard I think I could turn and live awhile with the animals. They are so placid and self-contained. I stand and look at them sometimes half the day long. They do not sweat and whine about their condition. They do not lie awake in the dark and weep for their sins. Not one is dissatisfied. Not one is demented with the mania of owning things. Not one kneels to another nor to his kind that lived thousands of years ago. Not one is respectable or industrious over all the earth. (Walt Whitman) On the other hand, when they do get annoyed, they have fangs or claws or poisonous venom to deal with the annoyance. (Anonymous public school teacher from the Bronx). ******************************************************* I just want to thank you for all your efforts on behalf of the red tailed hawks.The tragic nest news this week is so disturbing and so sad but you have been able to take a proactive approach. You are a New York treasure.Thank you with all my heart. Big hugs, Liz on long island ****************************************************** From the time the Riverside Nest started getting built, and you could recognize what it was becoming, I was concerned about it's location, it's extension way out on those bare branches, with mother nature, adding fierce wind and rain to the process of it's builders. I figured though that the Hawks knew what they were doing. I can see now that the tree has nearly filled itself with leaf, cover and protection, that maybe it was not a bad choice by Miss PaleMale and her mate. How could they know that the human element , contaminating the air with exhaust fumes, so close to the nest, and the various poisons for rats, pigeons, and other so called vermin, could if not kill outright, most certainly contaminate the food, that the parents would ingest, and possibly affect the life of these babies. A month or so ago, I encountered a man visiting New York from Washington State, sitting where the benches curve from a down hill slope, up into the slope, that would lead you to being almost under the nest by not to many feet. The nest was still exposed by the bareness of the tree. The man pointed out that the hen was sitting, and that her mate, was atop the water tower, you pointed out, where he was watching over his lady and the nest. Then he took flight, and circled the air and observed for quite some time, before flying down into the nest, where it seemed they exchanged sitting duties. A week back, I observed one of what I thought was the fuzzy white head sticking up just enough to see, while being fed by one of the parents. How tragic their end, and how sad for so many of us, who knew and respected that nest. I walk along the river promenade, frequently and above and behind the Boat Basin, the fenced in playing field, and right before you come to the roadway that winds, down and the slope that leads to the stairs to the Rotunda and the cafe......there is usually a truck a tractor and huge piles of some kind, with mounds of soil, and broken bags, of stuff, that looks like an ingredient mixed into the soil, and of course other debris that attracts, the very food sources of the Hawks. Rats, Mice, Pigeons, other scavenger birds, perhaps you have seen it. Not unlike the same set ups, that are sort of hidden in Central Park that you have documented. I am no expert, but it does add up, that those that feed on this poison ridden pile or soil spread throughout, and then after ingestion, feed the young ones, could possibly be poisoning, them to death, because the levels of strength , immunity are so different. As I have also suggested, this poisoned food, could also be a sterility factor in Pale Male and Lola's eggs not hatching. As for the Parks, department and the agenda put forth by them and the city government, and the howl that comes from many irate two legged dwellers, over Pigeons, Rats, Squirrels who think it outrages that mother natures OTHER creatures should even exist; I have long felt, that with the Hawk population growing, all we need to do is let Nature Take It's Course....with out contaminating all the different sources of food. I do hope that if WE are to play a role in this drama of Nature, that WE can find away and an understanding, that will prevent US from needing and wanting to poison and kill everything WE think stands in our way of comfort. With Sorrow, and Sadness. Meg M. ***************************************************** Thank you for keeping everyone who was entranced with the hawk family informed as events unfold. As you can tell from being in the park, everyone is in mourning, and your words and photographs make a big difference.A question: Why are your photographs so much better than everyone else's? Your perspective, composition, color, range is just extraordinary and I'd love to know how you explain the difference between your pictures and those on the links, for example? (In the 70s I was a photo researcher for McGraw Hill's nature series, and I never did see anything like your pictures.) "Half eaten pigeon" sounds like that might be the culprit. We'll see what Ward Stone finds.With appreciation, Marcia ************************************************ I am always so touched by your thoughts, your tenderness. I believe all of life is overseen by Mother Nature, sometimes glorious, sometimes excruciating. We can see the soul in the eyes of all creatures and for those who have no eyes (worms), in their ability to keep on wiggling even when 3/4 eaten. All we can do is accept the greatness of our universe. Back in 1987 there was a solitary birder, Josh Stewart. He was passionate about hawks, took pictures with a dinky film camera hooked up to a Celestron telescope. He showed me a nest at 69th street and the east drive, probably also a first nest, right out in the open. I'd go and stand under the trees and watch. One day while the adult was hunting the crows came and killed the nestlings. I heard the adult hawk cry and that sound made the hair on my neck stand on end. On Saturday I was also deeply concerned to not be seeing the chicks being fed. I had watched the nest every day and they were always fed between 11am-12:30pm. No feeding? Both adults out of the nest? Atypical. Then there was a point when the female flew into a tree at 79th street. You were hand holding your huge lens. There was activity in that tree and then the female cried and the male flew to her. My camera recorded that as 12:30:34, 12:30:41 and 42 and 43. He sat on the branch with her. It was the cry that told me everything. I can't get that out of my brain. It's implanted forever, the cry of grief. I left at 2pm and went down to see what I knew was beautiful. While the hawks were tending their family the mockingbird was doing the same in a perfect nest in a thorny bush down by the boat basin, four eggs produced one chick. The mother tends the nestling. When it fledges the father will take over and the mother will build a new nest. This was a perfect balance to the grief on the upper level. Thank you for caring. You help make this world a better place. Sincerely, Beth B. *************************************************** Just read your posting regarding the Riverside nest, it is all sooo sad. I just don’t understand why no one will cooperate with you to aid you in your work to find out what happened to these babies. Thank God for Dr. Stone and his efforts to get to the cause of the deaths. I’m not even going to speculate on the cause because all these birds are battling against the odds with all the poisons that are being used in the area, etc. I actually cried at my desk as I read your report of watching the necropsy. Your words are so real and so true – the mystery of the little life that once was... My husband Tom and I will be in NY next week and actually staying in Manhattan on Friday, May 23rd – we’ll look for you by the Model Sailboat Pond. Hope to see you. God bless you and all you do – you are a rare and beautiful gift to this world. Love, Sandy & Tom ************************************************** I AM SO SAD FOR THE CHICKS HOWEVER IT IS GREAT THAT THE PARENTS DID NOT DIE I AM SURE THEY FED THEM A POISONED RAT OR MOUSE. Rat Poison Rat poison can obtained in most hardware stores, grocery stores, and even for free from city ... Anticoagulant rodenticides cause internal bleeding. www.marvistavet.com/html/body_rat_poison.html GABRIELA **************************************************** I just read the story in the Times about the two other Riverside Park baby hawks feared dead. I hate to say it, but I saw one of the deceased hawks at about noon today in the gutter area on the SW corner of 99th and Broadway. Stupidly, I did not understand the significance of what I encountered and just kept walking. I'm terribly sorry. I hope that someone else had the sense to collect the specimen and turn it in. If not, I once again offer my sincere apologies, but hope that my recollection will be of some use. Regards, David *************************************************** Hi - Just read on 1010Wins that some young hawks have gone missing and you recovered one of them near Riverside Park. That reminded me of something I saw this morning which might interest you: I was driving down the West Side Highway (southbound side) in the far left lane, and when traffic slowed around the 100's or so, I happened to look out my window and saw what appeared to be a dead hawk in the gutter. I thought it was rather unusual to see a dead hawk and thought you'd want to know about it considering the story of the missing hawks. Granted, it didn't look like a nestling, but it wasn't a pigeon either! Sorry I cannot remember exact location, but I'm quite sure it was south of 100th Street. Regards, Patraicia ****************************************************** You are a wonder, and i hope you know you have a huge fan club so grateful to you for all your efforts - i go to your website daily and am never disappointed - except , of course, with the bad news - this is such a difficult time of year for those of us concerned with wildlife - i am a bird rehabber in virginia = plus i am feeding a family of foxes ( 4 babies playing in my barnyard) - the mama was injured last winter and has a very bad limp - one of her front legs - anyway keep up your great work - you do not need to respond - you are such a bust person - Christie H. ****************************************************** I looked up this cause of death and it looks like rodenticide was eaten by the poor babies. Never use rodenticides to take care of packrats. The rats can move the poison, and birds may find it. Pet birds die from acute hemorrhage of the lungs and there is no antidote. Be brave and use snap traps, and disarm then during the day so that wild birds are not endangered. www.azbirdclinic.com/pages/newsletter.html ***************************************************** I had tears this a.m. reading about the 2 chicks we have been watching on your website from Riverside Park…How sad!! We are sad also for Lola and Pale Male not having a chick for so many years. But, it is so comforting to see how devoted they are to each other and also realizing the love that you have for them, especially, and also all of nature. Out here in California down on Catalina Island there was sadness also with the Bald Eagles. One pair laid their eggs in the ‘grasslands’ (complete flat country). The chicks were born OK and then somehow one day they found the chicks dead and also the female mom. They think that she was fighting off another bird of prey, protecting her young ones. Also, another chick died but all in all about 10 new eaglets are being raised by their proud parents. Here is San Jose a pair of Peregrine Falcons have nested on our City Hall Building and each year have raised 3 chicks. This year’s chicks are about 3 weeks old. So, between PaleMale.com, the eagle cam (4 different nests) and San Jose Cam, I keep pretty busy. This is along with the Panda Cams at Washington DC, Atlanta, Memphis and San Diego. I do love animals and am always so impressed with your feelings about nature. Please don’t ever stop sharing your thoughts with us! Mary Lou W. *************************************************** It is hard to fathom what the grand scheme is! Because of your caring and your efforts to get scientific information about the Riverside Grandchidren, perhaps what happened to them can be prevented in the future ( wishfull thinking?) You are a wonder! OXOGMB ***************************************************** Sad news. I noted in your photos of the nest from May 8 that the parent was feeding what appeared to be starling, and was wondering if that was a poisoned starling. Thank you for all you do and the amazing photographs you share with us. Sara S. Prospect, KY ****************************************************** Dear Lincoln, Could this problem we are having in California be related to the Riverside nest? sincerely, Marnie *** *** **** *** *** *** *** *** Peregrine falcons in California's urban areas are contaminated with toxic chemicals http://www.latimes.com/news/local/los_angeles_metro/la-me-birds9-2008may09,0,4503805.story?track=rss The birds were endangered by DDT in the '70s. Now, scientists have found that falcons in cities including Los Angeles contain record-high levels of flame retardant. By Marla Cone, Los Angeles Times Staff Writer May 9, 2008 California's peregrine falcons, once driven to the edge of extinction by the pesticide DDT, now are contaminated with record-high levels of other toxic chemicals that may threaten them again. State scientists have found that peregrines in Long Beach, Los Angeles and San Francisco contain the highest levels of flame retardants found in any living organism worldwide. The findings parallel studies that have detected high concentrations of the chemicals, known as polybrominated diphenyl ethers, or PBDEs, in human breast milk, particularly in California women. The compounds, which mimic thyroid hormones and can damage developing nervous systems, have spread to wildlife and people worldwide, working their way up food webs. The concentrations found in California's urban peregrines are similar to those that cause neurological damage in lab mice and rats, resulting in reduced motor skills and altered behavior. Scientists said the peregrines, the fastest and most agile birds, are being contaminated with the industrial chemicals from eating urban pigeons that scavenge on city streets. The chemicals are used as flame retardants on electronics and furniture cushions. They begin as indoor pollutants, building up in household dust, then migrate outdoors, where they pollute urban environments. Kim Hooper, a scientist with the state Department of Toxic Substances Control's environmental chemistry laboratory who led the study, said the PBDE levels in the peregrines have doubled every 10 years, and might still be increasing. Hooper and his colleagues suspected that because household dust contains PBDEs, top predators in big cities would have the worst contamination, so they tested the eggs of peregrines in 42 locations, including Los Angeles, Long Beach, Newport Beach, Coronado and the San Francisco Bay Area. Their hunch was right. The eggs in rural inland and coastal areas had only trace amounts of PBDEs, but the urban eggs contained up to 52 parts per million, and one dead chick contained 95 ppm. Scientists consider those concentrations extremely high -- substantially higher than nearly any chemical measured in any species worldwide in recent years. "We think urban wildlife are sentinels for exposure to indoor pollutants in big cities," Hooper said. Hooper said a PBDE compound called deca is largely responsible for the birds' contamination. Deca, used in electronics since the 1970s, is produced in large amounts in the United States -- about 80 million pounds a year. The peregrine is known for its torpedo-like dives, reaching speeds of up to 200 mph. Hunting from skyscrapers in large cities as well as from steep cliffs in rural areas, they inhabit much of North America. They normally shun prey on the ground, choosing to capture birds mid-flight. One bird egg, taken from the Port of Long Beach, had the highest level of any egg -- 52 ppm. Other birds with highly contaminated eggs had nested on high-rises in San Francisco and downtown L.A., including the Union Bank building. Included was a popular pair that San Francisco residents named George and Gracie. "We're always concerned when a high level of contaminants is found in a species," said Alex Pitts, a spokeswoman for the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. PBDEs "are showing up everywhere and they are more concentrated in urban areas, which is challenging for urban wildlife." Because the levels have been increasing, "it's very possible they could reach levels in the food web that could be unsafe for predators such as peregrine falcons," Pitts said. Janet Linthicum of the Santa Cruz Predatory Bird Research Group, said the high contaminant levels are "disappointing and disturbing" but she has "no idea whether there are any effects." The two dead chicks and 95 unhatchable eggs that were tested came from the Santa Cruz group's archive and had been collected at nesting sites between 1986 and 2007. Avian experts say if a bird's nervous system is altered, it might change how it hunts and raises its young, and perhaps eventually reduce populations. "Whatever happens to the peregrines, we will be surprised by it, just like we were surprised when DDT thinned eggshells," Hooper said. A half century ago, peregrines, bald eagles and brown pelicans were nearly wiped out by DDT, an insecticide that weakened their egg shells and caused nearly complete reproductive failure. Like DDT, the brominated flame retardants are slow to break down in the environment and build up in animal tissues, reaching high levels in species that top the food web. PBDE levels in the birds' eggs are about a hundredfold higher than the amounts found in the breast milk of California women, who have among the highest concentrations of women tested worldwide, the scientists said. Children are five to 10 times more contaminated than adults because they are exposed to more dust from playing on floors. The recovery of the peregrine, known as the bird of kings because of its prized role in falconry, has long been hailed as one of the nation's greatest ecological success stories. In the 1970s, its numbers in North America plummeted to about 300 breeding pairs, including only two pairs in California. But its populations have been growing since DDT was banned in the United States in 1972, and the bird was removed from the nation's endangered species list in 1999. About 3,000 pairs inhabit North America, including about 200 pairs in California. California recently banned two PBDEs, known as penta and octa, because they were accumulating in human breast milk, but deca is unregulated in the state. It is banned or being phased out only in Maine, Washington state and Sweden. However, some large manufacturers of computers and other electronics have voluntarily stopped using deca. Until recently, deca wasn't detected much in the environment. In this study, the state scientists are reporting that it contaminates the birds by breaking down into the toxic compounds that were banned. "What's striking is that the peregrines are contaminated with the highest brominated ones, the deca, which had not been found previously at such high levels," Hooper said. "It may be time to look for green alternatives for deca." Assemblyman Mark Leno (D-San Francisco), has introduced a bill that would ban all brominated and chlorinated flame retardants. Chemical industry representatives oppose the bill, saying deca is important to protect people from fires in electronic equipment and that there is little evidence that it is responsible for the contamination. ****************************************************** Lincoln: Please contact Joe Pane (718)482-4900), who is in the Fish and Wildlife Division of Region 2, as he may be able to assist. While I understand your concern, this is not a law enforcement matter. Thanks, Sara Sara Komonchak, Investigator New York State Dept. Environmental Conservation Region 2 NYC (718)482-4885 >>> Lincoln_Karim S Karim 5/13/2008 12:28 AM >>> Dear Sara, Please be informed that three baby hawks are now dead in Riverside Park (their nest is between 79th & 83rd Streets hanging over the northbound ramp to the Henry Hudson Highway). The mother removed one of the dead hawks from the nest on Sunday morning which I took up to Ward Stone in Delmar NY today. The necropsy was performed right away and it was found that the male baby hawk died from acute hemorrhaging of the lungs.Dr. Stone needs the two other dead babies which are still in the nest.V Please make every effort you can to retrieve these babies and get them to Ward Stone as soon as possible. If this is out of your area please help me to find the right people to ask. The nest is very low and all that's necessary to access it is a cherry picker or similar machine. Please do not treat this as a personal favor for me. The retrieval of these dead animals can lead to important data. Also, the parents are mating again and there is a good chance that they may try again to lay eggs this season. Best, Lincoln www.palemale.com ****************************************************** Lincoln—I was sick at heart to hear about the Riverside chicks. I can't think of a more appropriate person to take such a tender creature in his arms than yourself, and as difficult as it is, bring it to Ward to try and get answers. I know you'll give it your most loving care while it's with you, and let it know how loved it and its siblings are. With prayers—Charmain ***************************************************** Oh Lincoln, did you write the captions under these glorious photographs? I am so sad about the birds but just as sad for your pain, which is so clearly felt. Bless the babies, and you, sweet man. Your photographic abilities are amazing and your love for wildlife is inspiring. Gail in Kent, England ***************************************************** PS My husband went out to the park several times on the rainy Friday. He reported that the mother wassitting "forlornly" on the nest all day. By evening, when the rain had stopped he said she was still on the nest, but looked "less forlorn." Could it have been suffocation? I don't know where she was when you arrived Saturday morning. Still on the nest? ****************************************************** I sit here weeping. What terribly sad news, which confirmed my fears after you and Bruce reported no sightings of the babies on Saturday. Helen who watches from Chicago ******************************************************* Thanks for the update. It will be interesting to hear if this is something that has been witnessed before. All young in a nest dieing practically overnight. It certainly is the first that we've seen. I hope Ward can get to the bottom of why the young hawk(s) died. Ben ******************************************************* Ward Stone's response to a letter and photographs I sent of the first recovered baby RTH Lincoln, The little Redtails appear to have been in good physical condition when they died. There are a number of possible causes of mortality so the sooner I see them the better for making a diagnosis. I can send a tech half way to meet you that way I could examine them some time today. I note some maggots on a carcass so time is of the essence. It is depressing to see this has happened and following the failure of Pale Male's nest this year. Eyes are sometimes pecked out like that by crows. Give me a call, if you can , after 9:00 AM today to work out receiving the little redtails. Ward Stone **************************************************** I did not know. eager to see the hawks and their young,i walked arlo (golden retriever) to riverside park on sunday. we have been doing thisthroughout the months of nest building, dry-wet-sunny-cloudy-windy-cold weather. my heart felt like it would burstwith joy when i saw the baby heads. i feared the foodmom and dad were feeding them might be tainted; iprayed they "intuitively" would sense the good from the bad. a woman told me the young died. all three. i did not know. i cried on the way home, and i cry now. i do not want us humans to be the reasonthey no longer live. i fear we might be with the poisoned food source.i want the hawks to try again. will they use the same nest or build elsewhere? Barbara **************************************************** Lincoln, we've barely met, I know you because of your outstanding work and website .... the woman with the golden retriever is someone else. She and I and my doorman were talking in front of our red brick building on the north side, before she crossed over to the bus stop. We met last week when you were talking to the administrator of Riverside Park, the guy on the bike who didn't know the name of the honey locust tree. I told you I'd be seeing a Parks official at a party at the end of the month and would give him your card to be sure he checked out the info on your website. Any message you think is important, I will be sure to get across if you let me know. Maybe Ward Stone will have some information before then? <3 marcia ******************************************************* Dear Lincoln,We went out to look at the northbound ramp under the nest this evening, and it does not look newly blacktopped to me. However, from a distance I could clearly see that the exit ramp for the cars coming from the south, and getting off at 79th street, is completely new blacktop.It would appear that no work was right done under the nest. The doorman said there was much activity on, I believe, both Wed. and Thursday nights with spotlights, hot tar, steam, noise, trucks, etc. He was worried about the birds and wanted to tell them to stop. He goes off duty at midnight, but sometimes leaves later than that. He felt they worked through the night. He'll be on duty evenings this week through Thursday (dinner 9-9:30) in the red brick 6-story building if you want to ask him more questions .... or have me ask more. Another birding friend said she has seen baby birds in the nest that have drowned during rainstorms and wondered if that might have happened on Friday. Will Ward Stone be able to tell if that happened? They had seemed to be thriving, the parents perfect in their care. I am a worrier by nature, so have been very watchful of this family, reminding myself that in this case, it was beyond my ability to be sure things went the way I wanted. That nature has its own rhythms and I'd have to accept all the highs and lows. But it surely is terribly upsetting to me and to you, I know, and so many others.But watching the parents today it looked as though they are moving right along, as nature intended. Was that your observation, too? If so, it's strangely comforting. Your ability to document these beautiful creatures in the way you do is really a blessing to all who get to behold your photographs. Thank you for your great work. All the best, Marcia **************************************************** Very very sad about this development. Please let us know the results of the autopsy. I worry that the babies were possibly poisoned by prey targeted by pesticides sprayed by the cafe at the boat basin. Please indicate checks for that in the tests. Thank you, Anne ******************************************************* Lincoln, thank you for posting the news on the Riverside babies. It made me cry...they worked so hard for their family. I am thinking maybe they were fed a rat that had poison in it or something like this. I don't know enough about wildlife to know what they'll do - stay or move...they are such young parents, maybe the nest-build spot was unwise. From your other pictures, it does not seem like the hawks generally build in a tree, but in or on a structure. I will look forward to your news from the gentleman who is helping determine cause of death. Thanks for your beautiful website. I met you Saturday at Riverside and watched your camera for a minute for you in the afternoon. Shelley. ***************************************************** Our doorman at 70 Riverside, on the corner, said that the DOT was paving the ramps overnight on Wed. and Thursday with hot tar, smoke, bright lights, exhaust. Add that to the list of possibilities for this sad tale. Marcia ****************************************************** 7:00AM May 11, 2008: As suspected on Saturday, all three Riverside babies have passed away. This morning Cal Vornberger called me to tell me that the mother took one out of the nest and dropped in on the lawn. I will take this up to Ward Stone early Monday morning for a necropsy." __________________________________________________________________________ Lincoln, It is particularly sad on this Mother's Day for both the Riverside Mom & of course, Lola. Please let us know the necropsy results from Ward. Thank you so much for your web site and sharing your thoughts and observations. Sincerely, Elayne Ryba Schenectady, NY *******************************************************