Red Hawk Down

The Philadelphia Inquirer had the story last weekend about our fair city's latest pastime--filming hawks killing their prey. All of which is happening in broad daylight, often on the top of parked cars.

It seems as if the once endangered hawk has made a huge comeback and moved into metropolitan areas where the pigeon, squirrel and rat populations makes for some satisfying meals. Apparently the sight of a red tailed hawk swooping down on its prey within the city limits has become a staple of You Tube and, as the Inquirer notes, "practically constitute a genre."

"We have a pretty good view of Logan Square and we see them hunting all the time," said Dan Thomas, who manages the bird collection for the nearby Academy of Natural Sciences. At the nearby Franklin Institute, a pair of red hawks nested on a window ledge and the science museum installed a web cam to monitor their comings and goings. New York City also boasts a pair nicknamed Pale Male and Lola, who have made their roost a tony fifth Avenue condo.

Hawks, it seems, have become urban birds, and although they have not abandoned their hunting/gathering tendencies, they do not seem frazzled or frightened by the paparazzi. In fact, the hawk that chowed down on a pigeon atop a car roof in center city Philadelphia, did so in front of a gaggle of cell-phone armed spectators who recorded every morsel.

Get used to it, seems to be the message from those study birds. "We're now recovering from the worst trashing of wildlife this continent has ever seen," notes Kevin McGowan, a scientist at the Cornell Laboratory of Ornithology. "You see more wildlife on a daily basis than your grandparents ever did."

And in the meantime, keep an eye on your outdoor cats. They look just as tasty to hawks as rodents.