"Be very very quiet" - Pale Male or Another Red-Tailed Hawk?

Photo taken with Nikon D60;
Sited near the Betheseda Fountain before you walk down the steps leading to the three arches

What incredible luck that I saw this fascinating Red Tailed Hawk,
talk about being at the Right Place at the Right Time!

So is this just another Red Tailed Hawk or is this THEEEEEE "Pale Male"?
After confirming with Lincoln Karim with several more images, this is a young red-tailed hawk and could possibly be one of Pale Male's offspring.
Regardless, its always an exciting experience to see this special species of red-tailed hawks in our backyard! Though the photo above is not of Pale Male, below IS a picture of Pale Male!
The last time I sited Pale Male was about three years ago near the Great Lawn.
Since then, Pale Male has found a new mate (Lola), has had new offspring and has a new home on 79th Street (near Boat Basin).


Sony cybershot camera (simple digital point and shoot), shot through binoculars! - 10/06/06
(one of my favorite photos that i am very proud of because of the method I used to take this!)

For those that do not know, Pale Male is a red-tailed hawk that has lived in NYC for more than 18 years. During that time, Pale Male has gone through some very similar human tragedies, including losing a loved one, losing unborn offspring and even losing his home on 5th Avenue and 74th Street. However, what we should grasp from the hawk's life story, is that with any tragedy there is hope that things will get better -- as life goes on, you move on; you learn from your mistakes or your personal tragedies and if you allow them to make you stronger, you will be able to begin to rebuild your life (just as Pale Male did) -- so like Pale Male -- remember that there really is light at the end of the tunnel for us all who are willing to persevere through all of life's challenges!

If you are fortunate enough to see Pale Male, or his off-spring, you will more than likely see a crowd of people looking up to the skies... all the while, you may also see the Lincoln Karim, a photographer, who has followed Pale Male for many years (www.palemale.com). OR, you could be lucky and see him perched on a lantern, camouflaged by his surroundings like I did at the Great Lawn...

Some facts I found about Pale Male via wikipedia:

• First arrived in Central Park in 1991
• Pale Male tried to nest in a tree, but he was driven off by crows. He later roosted on a building on Fifth Avenue across the street from the park.
  
• Pale Male Name given by Marie Winn, who noticed his unusual light coloring
  
• Current Mate: Lola
  
• Past Lovers: First Love, Chocolate, Blue
• Offspring: At least 26 chicks
• Previous Residence: 927 Fifth Avenue
• http://www.palemale.com/feb2305.html -- Pale Male stats provided by Lincoln Karim
  

Other Red-Tailed Hawk Facts

• The Red-tailed Hawk has a thrilling, raspy scream that sounds like a raptor
• Red-tailed Hawk is one of the largest birds you’ll see in North America
• The oldest known Red-tailed Hawk was 28 years 10 months old.
• Courting Red-tailed Hawks put on a display in which they soar in wide circles at a great height. The male dives steeply, then shoots up again at an angle nearly as steep. After several of these swoops he approaches the female from above, extends his legs, and touches her briefly. Sometimes, the pair grab onto one other, clasp talons, and plummet in spirals toward the ground before pulling away.

For more info about Pale Male visit -- www.palemale.com and www.thelegendofpalemale.com
(A film was recently completed in 2009 about Pale Male)